English UK continues to lobby for inclusion of ELT sector in business rates relief

We continue to lobby central Government for the inclusion of the ELT sector in the business rates relief and associated grants offered to the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.

We wrote on this topic to Graham Stuart MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Exports) at the Department for International Trade, now responsible for the education sector. We met with Minister Stuart, together with representatives of other parts of the UK's education sector on Thursday 14 May at a meeting of the Education Sector Advisory Group, which he co-chairs with Minister Michelle Donelan of the Department for Education.

We made our case regarding business rates relief and associated grants for the ELT sector and also raised other important issues for recovery including:

• Ongoing support for ELT once the immediate Covid-19 lockdown ends

• Flexibility from the Home Office to enable students to extend the validity of their six- or eleven-month visas where their course start dates have been postponed

• Support from the Home Office for UK ELT's needs in post 2020 immigration regulations

• Maintaining of Erasmus+ relationships and funding while the Government negotiates with the EU

• Increased financial support available and the loosening of eligibility criteria for education exporters to attend key promotional events and visit overseas partners, including through existing DIT programmes such as TAP

• Increased GREAT funding available in key source markets for UK ELT and other international education sectors to support promotional campaigns targeting partners, buyers, students and their influencers.

• read our letter to Graham Stuart MP, sent on Friday 15 May 2020
• read more about our campaigning and lobbying for UK ELT during the Covid-19 crisis+