Today is Small Business Saturday, an event now in its tenth year and still making the case for people to support small local businesses in their community.
The sad reality is that small businesses don’t close because people don’t value them, they close because people don’t use them. I know that during a cost of living crisis it’s all the more tempting to go online or visit larger stores to try and grab a bargain, but small businesses are facing all the same struggles, so it’s important that where we can afford to buy things locally we do our best to make the difference.
Councils don’t tend to own town centre shops, so they have no control over who goes into a shop or what the rent is, they don’t even get control over the level at which business rates are set. As a result, they have to focus instead on generating footfall to make town centres attractive places for businesses to operate in, by putting on local events to draw people in, investing in the appearance of public spaces, and advertising shops. With that in mind, the council has generated a one-stop-shop website directory of retail within Crawley.
Ultimately, the Government needs to go a lot further to support struggling small businesses and while the Conservatives are currently unwilling to act, this week the Labour Party has set out its plan for small businesses, which can be accessed here. This plan includes:
- Legislation to tackle late payments
- Replacing the business rates system with one which creates a level playing field between physical and online shopping
- Tackling the crime and antisocial behaviour which directly affects shops and holds town centres back
High streets require a much-needed shot in the arm and as things stand, Labour are the only party prepared to do it.
If you run a small business and would like more information on Labour’s plan for your sector or want to register your interest in getting involved in delivering improvements for SMEs, please go to: https://labour.org.uk/updates/members-updates/the-beating-heart-of-our-economy-labours-plan-for-small-business/
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Peter Lamb for Crawley 