Celebrating Christmas on the Bapchild Sleigh Ride
It was wonderful to see so many children thrilled to receive a visit from Santa..
Every Christmas I tell myself I must be better organised next year and not leave everything to the last minute. And then when the next Christmas comes, I remember that resolution but inevitably too late. I know I’m not the only one.
Small Business Saturday this year was my chance to try and change things, and this year I spent it in Faversham. It’s usually held on the first Saturday in December, and the aim is to rally the community around the small businesses that help make our local economy tick.
In practice, the biggest difference we can all make for our local shops is to buy things in them. This year it is more important than ever because businesses are telling me they are struggling.
Over the last 18 months many have seen their business rates double, have been hard hit by the rise in employer national insurance (the ‘jobs tax’) and seen huge increases in energy bills. Pubs are vital centres of our rural life, yet they are closing on an epic scale.
Retail, hospitality and leisure employ nearly 6 million people nation-wide, yet since the Autumn budget over 1,000 pubs and restaurants have closed and nearly 90,000 hospitality workers have lost their jobs as a result.
This has got to stop. That’s why I am fighting hard in Parliament to back our businesses and reverse these disastrous policies. The Conservative Party forced a vote in Parliament to cut public spending to abolish business rates for businesses on our high streets and are calling on the Government to drop the Employment Rights Bill.
The Employment Rights Bill sounds good in theory, but in practice it will result in hiring freezes and job losses. We need to cut red tape and energy bills for businesses while tackling retail crime so we can protect our post offices, pubs, pharmacies, cafes and shops.
Although we lost the vote, our campaigning on the bill did get a concession from the government - they were going to get rid of probation periods for new staff, but have now u-turned on that. This is welcome as that came up many times in conversation with employers as a reason they would be less likely to employ young people. It’s a step in the right direction but the bill is still bad for business and our economy.
We won’t stop backing local businesses and fighting for them in Parliament. If you, or someone you know runs a local business and need my help, please contact me. And, if you have any last minute shopping to do please remember our local businesses and try to support them if you can.
I would like to end on a happy note and thank everyone who gives their time, energy and money to put up Christmas decorations in our towns and villages, and to decorate village halls and churches. I know this involves a lot of effort. For my part, it puts a smile on my face when I see the Christmas lights in Faversham or in villages around the area on a dark winter night.
I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
