‘I’m willing to go to prison over Botley Road business rates’, says local restaurant owner
Local businesses owner is calling for a reduction in tax rates on Botley Road
A restaurant owner in Oxford is telling us he'd be "prepared to go to prison" as he plans to boycott business rates due to the Botley Road project.
The major route into the city has been shut for the past two years, with it being expected to reopen August 2026.
However, Network Rail confirmed they “don't currently have a timescale for the completion" of the full project, meaning more disruption is expected even after the road is reopened.
“They haven't given us 1p in relief, not one penny"
Tom Rainey owns a pub and a restaurant near Botley Road, and he says it’s had a “huge impact” on businesses in the area.
He said: “I know of at least two or three businesses who are shut already and there'll be more planning to shut. As for us, we're struggling on with being 10 to 15% down on trade, which isn’t bad considering we've kind of lost the city.
“We were all hoping, this was the last year of it, and this would be the last winter because businesses particularly suffer from the winter because people really don't want to go out.
“Now they've we've got another winter ahead, another winter of discontent ahead.”
Mr Rainey says he’s “willing to go to prison to make a point” as he’s calling for a reduction in business rates.
He said: “They will take us to court and the court aren’t going to stand by us. So, we might have to take this further.
“To be honest, I'll be willing to go to prison to make a point that we should not be paying business rates while we do not have a city to trade with.”
He added: “Only City Council and The Valuations Office can give us relief - emails have been sent, forms have been filled in, and they've come back with absolutely nothing. They say they care about local businesses, but there is not one councillor out there who comes down and sees us.
“They haven't given us 1p in relief, not one penny. We've asked them and they'll tell us to go to the Valuations Office and you approach them. Just, it's like anything, it's impossible to get through to these people.”
A spokesperson for Oxford City Council said: “The Council understands the seriously negative impact that the long-term disruption of Botley Road is having on local businesses and is committed to doing what it can to help, within the limits of its powers.
They added: “Decisions on changes to business rate charges are made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) through an independent process, with each case assessed on its own merits. Because of this, the Council’s policy requires businesses to explore all avenues of charge reduction through the VOA before they can be considered for hardship or discretionary relief.”
Continued, “The Leader of the Council wrote to the VOA in December urging them to look favourably on any appeals from Frideswide Square and Botley Road businesses. It also emphasised the Council’s strong support for business rate relief applications due to the significant and elongated disruption.
“The Councill will follow up with the VOA to seek a response to the original letter and press for urgent action to review the businesses’ appeals.
“It is also holding regular meetings with local businesses to listen to concerns and explore any additional support that could help in more practical ways, such as marketing and promotional opportunities.”
“The Council has been made aware of a business owner who did not receive a response from them and is looking into this urgently to understand what happened and make sure it is followed up properly”, they added.