A PLEA has been issued to Scottish Borders Council that retailers on Peebles High Street are given “reasonable notice” of their level of business rates due for 2024/25.

At a meeting of the full council, Tweeddale West ward councillor Drummond Begg asked if the bills could be issued in March instead of April to allow retailers more time to prepare and pay.

Dr Begg said: “Retailers on Peebles High Street tell me they are yet to receive details of business rates for the next financial year. I wonder if you could look again to see if the bills could be issued in March rather than in April, when the bill is liable.”

In response, Scott Hamilton, SBC’s executive member for communities and business development, said: “Annual bills will be issued from the council’s external printers on the April 10 and we expect all bills to be with rate payers before April 17.

“The instalments are expected between May and February so we are working to that time-line. We work as hard as possible to get these bills out, taking into account the factors that we are up against and we actually have been ahead of schedule compared to other years.”