Supporting Small Business Saturday

Today is Small Business Saturday. Last week in my Crawley Observer column, I wrote about Small Business Saturday and how the Conservatives are helping to create the right conditions for small business to trade successfully and to grow.

A poster from the USA, where Small Business Saturday started

"A week on Saturday (December 6th) is Small Business Saturday. Since last year, this takes place on the first Saturday in December in the UK. Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-political and non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to shop locally and support small businesses in our local communities.

While the campaign may be highlighted on one day, the aims are to have a lasting impact on small businesses which are a key part of both the local economy and of local communities. I know that many Crawley residents support small businesses and I hope even more will do so this Saturday and beyond.  

The idea started in America in November 2010 after concern that local businesses were missing out on the biggest shopping days of the year which are after the Thanksgiving holiday, known as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Therefore, the following Saturday was designated Small Business Saturday. Its on-going success in the USA led to it being introduced here. 

The Conservative-led government recognises that small business is the lifeblood of the economy and has been creating the right conditions to help them thrive. Over 20,000 government-backed start-up loans worth over £100 million, have been awarded to help get new businesses off the ground. These start-up loans are helping people build something of their own and create jobs.

A key policy has been George Osborne’s major reduction of up to £2,000 of national insurance contributions that small businesses no longer have to pay. At a stroke, this new relief, called the National Insurance Employment Allowance, removed the ‘jobs tax’ on millions of small businesses, which has enabled many one-man businesses to take on their first employee. This has contributed to our record level of employment.

Other helpful measures brought in include the doubling of rate relief meaning that 360,000 small businesses now pay no rates at all, and the scrapping of red tape which has saved businesses £1.5 billion. Small businesses are a big asset to Crawley and ensuring we provide the right conditions to help them grow is vital."