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Ambitious for business

Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 12:10, Fri 22 February 2013:

This week parliament is in recess, and I've had time to make a number of visits to organisations around the constituency.

I've been particularly pleased to visit some very successful local businesses.

Trafford has a long and proud industrial tradition. But Trafford Park, the first and still - I think - the largest industrial park in Europe has changed a lot from the days when thousands of people worked there in heavy industries.

Today it is home to some highly innovative and cutting edge businesses, some of whom are world leaders in their field.

Carrington and Partington are also seeing new industrial development.

And many local people are employed in the retail sector, whether it's at the Trafford Centre, or in high street shops.

I've been asking the business people I've been meeting about their ambitions for their business, and their main concerns.

Many businesses are upbeat about the future. There's new investment, including in Carrington, at the Trafford Centre, and in due course we'll have major infrastructure investment in the new HighSpeed2 train line, and metrolink through Trafford Park.

All that's very welcome indeed

But the uncertainty and weakness in the economy are certainly of concern. Even businesses that do well say many of their customers are struggling. That in turn will have an effect on their profits too.

For retailers, business rates are a significant worry. Last year, the government decided to delay the business rate revaluation.

That's bad news for many businesses in our region. Rates were last set before the recession and the collapse in property values.

So now they're completely out of line in the current economic climate.

That represents a big burden on local business.

I've raised concerns in parliament about business rates. At the very least, I think the government could use the delay in revaluation to have a total rethink about the system.

We need a system that's fair, one that enables successful businesses to grow, and bring real economic benefit to our community.

I'm also worried about the effect of welfare reforms on local retailers, particularly our small high street shops.

Cuts to tax credits, to council tax benefit and housing benefit mean household budgets will be squeezed.

People will spend less, especially in poorer parts of Trafford.

That isn't good for local business.

I asked the businesses I met about whether they thought there was too much red tape tying down good businesses.

The answers were interesting.

The government is obsessed with cutting regulations on business. But it seems businesses don't necessarily regard all regulation as a burden.

Good businesses said regulation can help protect their business.

For example, recycling companies in Trafford Park told me that competition law and proper enforcement of landfill tax were really important to ensure their business remained competitive.

And all the companies I met take health and safety law very, very seriously indeed.

They don't think it's red tape to ensure their employees stay safe at work.

I've also been talking a lot to business about jobs, especially for young people.

The latest figures show longterm youth unemployment in Stretford and Urmston has gone up 30% in the past year.

We are really going to have to work hard with local business to think about how we both create new jobs, and ensure our young people are trained and equipped to take them, as new investment comes on stream.

The government wants employers to lead this.

Of course employers are crucial, but many, especially small and medium sized companies, where many new jobs will be created, really don't have the skills themselves to develop the workforce strategies we need.

And schools and colleges will be critical too.

I'd be really interested to hear from business owners and managers, and from lecturers and teachers who have any ideas about this.

Should employers be in the driving seat?

How can we help them to forge links with local schools and Trafford College?

How can we ensure businesses can recruit the right young people to take up good apprenticeships?

How do we ensure our young people get the right careers advice, and choose the subjects they need to study in order to get the career they want?

It's a real worry that careers advice is being cut back by the government. Surely when youth unemployment's high we should be investing more in business, in jobs, in skills and in careers advice.

Labour's youth jobs taskforce has been looking at successful initiatives that already do this around the country. You can read about them here http://www.labour.org.uk/labour-launches-youth-jobs-taskforce,2012-10-01

If you run a local business in Trafford, I'd love to know how you think these ideas could work here.

And if you're a young person looking for work, or thinking about your future career, I'd be really pleased to hear from you. Please take a look at Labour's online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CJGZZGK and let me know your views.

Kate Green Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston Shadow Spokesperson for Equality

Tel: 0161 749 9120 (constituency); 020 7219 7162 (Westminster) www.kategreen.org @kategreensu