Graham Stuart MP to hold meeting to address concerns of local small business

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, is due to meet with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Friday 6th March to hear for himself the concerns of businesses in the area ahead of the Spring Budget on 11th March.

The FSB was formed in 1974 with the aim of working with politicians across all parties to communicate the needs of smaller businesses and the self-employed. Among the concerns will be issues such as supply chain payments, business rates reform and support for the self-employed.

Graham has previously supported initiatives including Small Business Saturday, a national project that takes place every year to help promote independent shops. In 2019, the local MP visited Beverley’s Fit4Dogs, who were selected as one of 100 businesses to champion the day following a call for applications from Graham.

Ahead of the meeting, Graham commented: “I’m very glad to get the opportunity to hear local businesses’ concerns ahead of the Budget this year. The Conservatives are known as the party of business for a reason, and I’ll look to champion bright minds and entrepreneurs as much as possible in Parliament.

“We’ve created over a million businesses since we entered office, growing the UK’s economy and creating jobs so that unemployment’s at its lowest since the 1970s. Small businesses are the backbone of this country, and there are plenty of fantastic enterprises across Beverley and Holderness offering great products and services.”

The Government has announced a review and revaluation of business rates as part of efforts to create a fairer, more balanced system, while Business Minister, Nadhim Zahawi MP, has said the Government intends to publish its response to the consultation on improving payment practices in supply chains ‘as soon as possible’.

Graham added, “In December, I stood on a manifesto which committed to reducing business rates even further, and we also want to extend discounts for music venues, small cinemas and pubs. This builds on the £13 billion worth of cuts that we’ve made since 2016 to better support out high street businesses.”