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

National voice, local impacts

For Andrew Cave, the FSB's head of policy, the Keep Trade Local banner has brought together issues that have badly needed tackling for some time.

"First of all it focused our minds, but more importantly it allowed us to focus the minds of decision-makers," he says.

"It's almost non-political, it's a no-brainer: nobody wants to lose their high streets, nobody wants to see small independent retailers go to the wall."

And yet it's been happening. What's been lacking, he says, is a proper appreciation of the different pressures, and targeted action.

"Our proposition to local government is that they consider each of these issues in their entirety, and tackle each of them; rather than saying 'we want to maintain our high streets' but at the same time introducing parking charges, for example."

The campaign has already had some notable successes, having been adopted by several MPs and politicians and one local authority in Essex.

It also claims to have helped persuade authorities in the South Norfolk town of Harleston to rethink their decision to impose town-centre parking charges.