Today is Small Business Saturday – and we can all play a part in supporting local traders…

 - This article was published today in the Brighton Argus newspaper - 

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement held a glimmer of hope for Brighton and Hove’s small businesses.

He pledged a review of business rates, and acknowledged the current system wasn’t working.

Which is a bit of an understatement. The world’s moved on – our policies should keep pace. The rates make little sense, less so in a digital age. They’re also grossly unfair. Calculated on rental value of the property a business is based in, it means businesses in Brighton and Hove - where rents are rocketing still - pay steeply for staying local.

The vast majority of businesses in the city are small or micro-level. They’re the backbone of our local economy – and the rates hit them hardest. I’ve long called for the small business rates relief scheme to be broadened, which would benefit hundreds of local small businesses.

A review mustn’t be a way of kicking the issue into the long grass. Brighton’s businesses need action – policies with teeth and plans that deliver real change. 

To prevent pledges like those in the Autumn Statement fizzling to nothing, we need to keep applying the pressure button, stay vocal and keep the issues visible. With political will and public pressure, reforms can and do take root.

Last month in Parliament, for example, was a good one for our local pubs.

It’s outrageous that just a handful of big companies (PubCos) are allowed to dominate the pub market. We voted to get a new clause into the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill – one that would protect local pubs, allowing pub tenants to buy beer on the open market and ensuring fair rents, independently assessed.

And we won - by just 15 votes.

But there’s no room for complacency – we have to keep on speaking out. It’s one of the reasons I was delighted to be appointed a Parliamentary Champion for The Federation of Small Businesses.

Small pubs are central to our communities, and play a vital role in Brighton and Hove’s economy and tourist industry. The campaign to save the Rose Hill Tavern has illustrated the strength of local feeling.

Brighton has a big reputation for small business. We’re home to some of the best around. Literally. Earlier this year, I visited Brighton creative company Propellernet, voted the UK’s best small business workplace in 2013.

And it’s great to see that, in the third quarter of 2014, the overall turnover for small businesses here has swelled by around 11%.  But their contribution to the city stretches far beyond the local economy – not only do they form a strong part of our local identity, some of them have a global reach and reputation.

So it’s crucial they’re in a position to thrive - and that means a better and fairer deal.

I’m working with local businesses on measures to do just that – like the call to reduce VAT on tourism, and support for apprenticeships.  I won the commitment from energy suppliers to give small businesses the choice to opt out of contracts each year – we need a complete ban on energy rollover contracts.

Small businesses show that entrepreneurism can be harnessed for the good of local communities. In my book, that’s worth fighting for.

I hope this Small Business Saturday you’ll celebrate all the traders making Brighton the unique city it is – and for doing us proud. 

Join the conversation:

#ibacksmallbusiness

#SmallBusinessSaturday

Image: At the lovely Wigwam Toys in Fiveways for late night trading last night