Phillip Brett hails minister John O'Dowd's 'screeching u-turn' over rates days after slapping down concerns

Phillip Brett told the News Letter that the minister had tried to "shout me down” over the issue.

It revolves around a re-evaluation of business rates which Land and Property Services (LPS, part of Mr O'Dowd's department) had unveiled a week earlier.

Many firms, especially pubs and hotels, had complained that the new sums they were being told to pay were enormous - sometimes amounting to increases in the hundreds of percent.

Then on Thursday, Mr O'Dowd halted the rise (which was due to kick in from April), saying he is in "listening mode".

Speaking in the Stormont Assembly on Monday, North Belfast MLA Mr Brett had told Mr O'Dowd: "It is clear that something has gone badly wrong here, and, once again, our hospitality sector is the victim.

"How can the minister stand over a process that, at two months' notice, imposes tens of thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of pounds of rates increases on our hard-pressed hospitality sector?"

He asked if Mr O'Dowd would pause the planned rates hike.

Mr O'Dowd firmly rejected his remarks.

"The member states something has clearly went wrong, but the member did not state what has clearly went wrong," he said.

"I have heard commentary and discussion on this matter, and understandably so.

"But if a member has come out with a statement such as that, saying that something has went clearly wrong with the rates valuation process, he needs to back it up with evidence.

"No, I have the evidence. That is the difference between me and you. I have the evidence."

He then suggested that if any businesses had concerns, they should first check they have submitted the information asked of them by the LPS.

Now Mr Brett has told the News Letter that he welcomes Mr O'Dowd's "screeching u-turn on the issue".

"In the space of three days we have gone from 'this is the best thing since sliced bread' to 'I got it wrong'," he said.

"In those three days, businesses were worried how they were going to keep the lights on, employees were worried they were going to lose their jobs.

"It was an unnecessary episode, caused by him.

"I pointed out to him on Monday that this was the wrong course of action. He's made the right decision now, thankfully.

"I think he'd need to admit that he was wrong on Monday.

"I presented him with clear evidence there were companies rights across Northern Ireland that would've been subject to hundreds of thousands of pounds of rates increases that simply were not sustainable.

"He can say I'm wrong and shout me down, but he should really take more cognisance of what businesses are saying when they tell the finance minister this is going to turn their lights off.

"Him dismissing their concerns and telling them they need to come forward with evidence is not really the right approach."