Indoor play centres 'deserve help from government'

The owner of a soft play centre says the amount he is paying in business rates will have quadrupled over two years when an increase takes effect in April.

Ken Lunn owns Jack in the Box in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and is finance director at the Association of Indoor Play.

He said his rates were due to increase from £9,000 in 2024-25 to more than £36,000 from April, as support for firms that began during the Covid-19 pandemic is phased out.

A Treasury spokesperson said: "We're backing high street businesses with a £4.3bn support package to limit bills rises, alongside capping corporation tax at 25%, cutting red tape and taking action on the cost of living to boost high streets."

Business rates have been discounted since the pandemic, with a 75% reduction in 2024-25 and a 40% cut in the current financial year. The support will end in April.

Instead, the government is lowering the overall "multiplier" used to calculate rates.

However, it has also readjusted the values of commercial property, with premises such as Lunn's indoor play centre increasing – meaning he will actually pay more.

On Tuesday, the government announced a 15% discount on rates for pubs and music venues in England, following warnings that measures in last year's Budget could lead to mass closures and job losses in the sector.

Lunn told the BBC's Politics North programme that the package should be extended to soft play centres.

"Do they deserve it? Of course they do, but we all deserve it," he said.

"Why should a pub that's serving alcohol get these concessions, but a play centre that's serving children and families doesn't?"

Lunn said he had cut two members of staff over the past year due to increases in the minimum wage and national insurance.

Some fellow members of his trade body had closed or restricted opening hours to save costs.

"The reality is that our customers do not have this sort of money to spend. So they're cutting back on their spending, our costs are increasing and we're in the middle getting squeezed. It's tough," he added.

Parents who had brought their children to Jack in the Box said soft play centres had an important social function.

David Baker, from Hull, said: "These indoor soft play areas are essential for kids.

"They get all the social skills with the other kids that they might not be able to get at home."

Ellie Wilson, who lives near York, added: "I feel like when you've got friends with children of all different ages, places like this help them come together.

"I think it's good for their social skills and it's good for them to get their independence as well."

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