PhD candidate Finlay Craig is currently undertaking his PhD project (Jan 2024-Jan 2028) as part of the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training. His project aims to explore the potential of utilizing business rates incentives to promote food systems transformation. Local policies promoting healthy and sustainable food abound but finances and financial risk are commonly cited as a barrier for businesses in changing their procedures. Business rates relief are one of the only incentives available to local authorities to directly influence business finances and so have the potential to feed into and enhance a range of existing food systems policies. Finlay is conducting interviews with relevant local authority and business stakeholders and will conduct a thematic analysis to understand the viability of using business rates in this way.

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