A new Welsh Labour Government will cut the amount of business rates paid by small businesses in Powys, an Assembly candidate has said.

Campaigning in Brecon, Eluned Morgan, one of Labour’s candidates for Mid and West Wales, said the move would benefit more than three quarters of business premises in the county. Half of all eligible businesses will pay no business rates at all.

“Many Powys businesses are under serious financial pressure, and so will breathe a sigh of relief if Labour is returned on May 5. A key advantage of the scheme is that it is simple and easy-to-understand, and the fact that it is automatically awarded means that businesses receive the benefit of a reduction straight away," Ms Morgan said.

Alex Thomas, Labour candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, said: “Labour recognises that it needs to strengthen the economy of West Wales, and to do this we need to give as much support as possible to small businesses who are the back bone of the economy. Small business rate relief has proved itself to be a successful and important intervention to support small businesses because rates tend to form a higher proportion of total operating costs for smaller businesses.”