Keep Trade Local

Contents

1. How small businesses are fighting to Keep Trade Local
2. Waking up to local needs
3. National voice, local impacts
4. Local variation
5. Businesses helping themselves

Businesses helping themselves

An interesting aspect to the Keep Trade Local campaign - and one that perhaps reflects small business owners' tendency for self-reliance - is the recognition that businesses also need to do more to help themselves.

While the day-to-day responsibility of running a small business is notoriously time-consuming,acknowledges Tony Cherry, chair of the South and East Yorkshire region of the FSB, he adds that it is "a busy fool" who neglects to look at the bigger picture.

The rate relief mentioned above is one example of the help available to small firms, as is the advice provided by the Government agency Business Link. Yet many businesses don't take advantage of the help that's there.

"There is this underlying ignorance about the support available to businesses," he says. "When you're running a small business, you don't have the time to go hunting about.

"But however busy you are, don't neglect to go and look at what's available."

Federation of Small Businesses

Keep Trader Local Manifesto

Keep Trade Local online petition

Reading Evening Post

Business Link

All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group: High Street Britain 2015

The Independent Retailers Confederation