In his latest blog for Caerphilly Observer, Caerphilly AM Hefin David talks small businesses, their place in the high streets of the future, and placing value on their economics.
Small Business Saturday
I’ll be supporting Small Business Saturday on Saturday December 3 by visiting small businesses in my constituency. The economics behind supporting local shops make perfect sense when you look at the figures. Research on spending by local authorities shows that for every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business 63p stayed in the local economy, compared to 40p with a larger business.
Gauging value
On November 16, I led a short debate in the Senedd on the value of small and medium sized enterprises to the Welsh economy.
In my contribution I said SMEs should not be seen as engines of employment but as part of bigger economic picture. The economic situation varies from village to village and town to town. This can be seen by the different way in which our main town centres such as Caerphilly, Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed have all developed in recent years.
Not consigned to history
We need local conversations to decide what we want our modern day town centres to look like. Town centres have struggled across the UK over the last ten to fifteen years. High streets are different today compared to a generation ago.
I believe that small and medium sized firms in Wales have the potential to contribute to the growth and development of our economy. However, they will not solve all our problems and they alone will not protect us global uncertainties created by politicians offering simple solutions on Twitter or Facebook.
I want business owners and their customers to play a part in law-making, to be able to tell their stories and for those stories to be heard by politicians and for those stories to be used in developing policy. I’ll have more to report on this in the New Year.
Nadolig Llawen
Finally, as this is my last column of 2016, I would like to wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas. It’s been a year of change, the consequences of which we are yet to fully understand. Here’s to a secure and bright 2017.
Lovely words, but not my reality. As someone trying to set up a small shop in this constituency, I’ve received zero help, despite knocking many doors and practically begging for enough funding to pay a few months rent and get stock. If I was in my Twenties, money would be thrown at me from all sorts of schemes and initiatives. Early Forties, female, and single, and I can just forget it. As someone who has chronic illnesses, it has been proved that self employment is the only option for me, as I have been ‘let go’ from three jobs in a row for being sick in work. I have craft and aromatherapy skills I can turn into a business quite easily if I had the funding. I put myself through training while off work so I could at least do something positive. I came off ESA and onto JSA with a view to getting off benefit quickly and into business, but I am sadly realising that is impossible. Despite telling Advisers many times that all I need is a small lump sum to get off benefit and start making products and selling, nothing is forthcoming. So Happy Christmas to you too. I had hoped for a year of change, but just received a year of frustration and closed doors, and the embarrassment of needing to claim benefit when I have worked constantly from 18yrs old. I can hope for a secure 2017, but I am not holding my breath.
Mr David once upon a few years ago the village I live in had a really nice little market, set up and organised entirely by volunteers, willingly giving up there precious time on a weekend with one aim in mind and that was to put something worthwhile and satisfying into the community, the market was made up of local Caerphilly producers selling meat, fish, eggs, bread, cheese, veg, cakes, and skilled local crafts people selling craft – it was only held once a month but was a big success and the locals enjoyed it, until the big bag local authority stepped in threw its weight around and put an end to it! So Mr David stop spouting hot air and jumping on the small business Saturday band wagon, because you and your precious local authority couldn’t give a stuff about small businesses or local businesses. If it isn’t council run, a council idea or a council pet project you don’t want to know.