Candidates representing North Staffs Green Party have called on the government to do more to support independent businesses as the economy reopens.
Rosy Powell (Newcastle South) said she was supporting local independent businesses because of the role they will play in creating a “cleaner and greener future” for Newcastle that would help the town to “thrive”. Marie Powell (Audley & Chesterton) said “big business” had been abandoning Newcastle before the pandemic, making independent traders vital to the town’s survival but many were “struggling to stay open due to high rates”, adding “who benefits from this; not local people”.
They are joining the Green Party nationally in opposing government moves to stop COVID related business rates appeals and are also demanding an extension of the business rate holiday and tourism VAT cut to the end of the year.
Speaking about government plans to legislate against the ability to appeal, a vital lifeline for small businesses during the pandemic, Martin Osborne, a Green councillor in Brighton and Hove said “Non-essential retail, hospitality and leisure are some of the sectors in the UK hardest hit by Covid-19 due to the nature of social distancing. It’s only right the government reverses its decision to stop appeals, extends business rates for a significant period and offers immediate financial support to those companies still losing money due to not being fully open”.
The Green Party has put forward a range of policies for supporting independent businesses including improving grants for businesses that had to close during lockdown, extending the tourism VAT cut to cover hospitality and creating a network of regional mutual banks to lend to small businesses at competitive rates.
Martin Osborne said that many small businesses are “often family-run were struggling from online retailers before the pandemic began and for a year they have been pushed to the brink of closure. The long-term financial effects of having no business for such a prolonged period is a terrifying prospect”.
A North Staffs Green Party spokesperson said “as we reopen the economy it is vital that the specific challenges faced by small, independent businesses are recognized”, adding that, “they are going to play a major part in reviving towns like Newcastle and Kidsgrove, by creating jobs and helping to build strong communities”.
The Green Party also want to see 15% of government contracts given to small businesses and for the application process to be made easier.
In a national policy briefing the party said “independent businesses have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. As the nation moves towards lifting remaining restrictions, they must be financially supported to get them back on their feet”, adding that would like to see “the creation of a bigger, more diverse future for business, through stakeholder finance, ownership rooted in communities and business done for the common good”.
Read what all the Green Party candidates have to say about the importance of independent businesses and other issues here.