York Press column: We must support local businesses
March 29, 2023
Supporting local businesses is one of the cornerstones of my job. It is important for our economy and jobs that businesses can weather the ongoing storm of rising costs to then bounce back and grow as the year progresses.
For this reason, it is important for me to always stay in contact with businesses. To aid this, I recently launched a Business Club comprising of businesses from all the major sectors represented in York. Our first event was a lunch with the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake MP, which took place only a few days after the Budget. This event provided the perfect opportunity for the Minister and I to engage with local business owners and landlords to discuss concerns they have and challenges they face within their sectors.
Discussions at the lunch provided the basis of my Treasury Question the following week where I asked the Chancellor if he could look into more targeted support for those in the hospitality sector who have stressed to me that energy bills remain a significant cause of concern. I welcomed the Chancellor’s request to keep him updated on my work with York’s hospitality sector and hope to meet with him soon to share the results of my recent business survey.
Meetings with businesses often coincide with a national campaign to shine a spotlight on a certain sector. Last week was English Tourism Week and, to help assess how the tourism industry was managing current difficulties so soon after the pandemic, I visited York Maze and York Caravan Park.
While visiting York Caravan Park, I discussed issues ranging from the rise in the cost of energy, the post-COVID recovery, and the exponential growth of the ‘Staycation’. Holiday Parks and campsites contribute massively to the UK economy, with the UK Camping and Caravan Alliance reporting in 2019 that they generate £9.3 billion in visitor expenditure which equates to a staggering £5.3 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy, making up 8 per cent of the sector’s overall GVA of £64.7 billion. Additionally, campsites and holiday parks support 171,448 FTE jobs in the UK, which boosts local economies and supports local businesses and communities. It was reassuring to hear that between their site in Naburn and on Stockton Lane they were struggling to cope with demand.
I also had the pleasure of dropping in York Maze, which I know from personal experience is a fun family day out. It was interesting to learn in more detail the intense work which goes into preparing the maze for the summer season as well as the Hallowscream event. Once again, business rates were the hot topic of discussion with difficulties arising from how Valuation Office Agency assess large sites where the relationship between size and revenue is skewed.
Tourism is a valuable ‘soft’ power tool to the UK, attracting millions of people from all over the world to visit each year which subsequently benefits local communities through employment and contributions to the economy, roughly equating to £150 billion, with 3.4 million people employed in over 300,000 varied businesses.
I will continue to champion this core sector both in Westminster and back home in York to ensure that businesses don’t just get the help they need to survive, but also to grow and thrive. I look forward to meeting with other businesses throughout this invaluable sector in the near future.
My next business club events are currently being organised provisionally for May and I hope to invite Ministers to York to discuss energy costs and planning matters directly with businesses. If you would like an invite to either event, please contact my office on julian.sturdy.mp@parliament.uk
