It’s of critical importance that small and medium-sized businesses, the self-employed and entrepreneurs get support, encouragement and are listened to by Government and local authorities.
I’ve run On the House in Crystal Palace for 35 years, we do property refurbishment and management; tax policy, leasehold reform and many other issues that affect us, but consecutive Tory governments have shown no empathy or interest. Labour has traditionally been the party of workers by ‘hand and by brain’. We can transform our electoral prospects by appealing to the wide range of disenfranchised business people ignored by this government.
We can do this by having an effective regional program that provides support and incentives to areas that lost heavy manufacturing industry and ensuring our WiFi is the best – and fully accessible in rural areas; we’ve not caught up with Romania yet!
As a councillor in Hackney and a Parliamentary candidate in Kent in 2015 and 2017, I know how important it is for Labour’s support of small businesses to be more widely publicised and understood. Not just to gain votes; also to help create a fairer, more aspirational society where all have opportunities to achieve success, prosperity and bring success to their families and communities.
Cllr Michael Desmond