Brentford and Isleworth MP Mary Macleod will meet the Prime Minister to discuss a review of business rates, following a question in the House of Commons.
Mary has been working with small businesses in her own constituency in West London as part of her role as both local MP and London’s Small Business Ambassador. In discussions she has had with small businesses and traders, the issue of business rates is often highlighted as a barrier to future business growth.
Mary said:
“99% of British businesses are small of medium sized and we must support them to grow and develop. The Government has already taken action to support small businesses by supporting exports, cutting corporation tax and setting up StartUp loans – the 10,000th of which was granted this week. However, we need to do more to prevent rising business rates from causing many small businesses to close their doors. When I speak to the Prime Minister, I will discuss how we can review business rates and do more to help small businesses to grow and develop”.
Mary pointed out that in Brentford and Isleworth, the rate of new businesses last year was amongst the highest in the entire country. The Prime Minister added that we now have an extra 400,000 businesses nationwide and reminded all MP’s to join Mary in engaging with ‘Small Business Saturday’ on 7th December.
Small Business Saturday provides an opportunity for small businesses to promote themselves and generate trade. In the US, where it is an established commercial holiday, it generated $5.5 billion in sales in 2012. You can follow the UK’s campaign on Twitter @SmallBizSatUK
Mary added:
“I will shortly be announcing my plans for Small Business Saturday in Brentford and Isleworth. I join the Prime Minister in asking all MPs to take action on behalf of small businesses in their constituencies, so we can really help them to thrive at this critical time of the year”.