Today is Small Business Saturday. It's an opportunity to celebrate our fantastic small businesses across Tynedale and Ponteland. Over the last few weeks, I have been presenting awards to small businesses all over our local area that have been highly commended by their customers.
From Carriages Tea Room in Bellingham to Ridley's Fish and Game in Acomb, small businesses are the backbone of our local community. But if you don't use them, we'll lose them.
The government are supporting small businesses to start and grow by:
- Cutting business rates for small retailers by a third for 90% of all shops, pubs and restaurants up to £8,000.
- Investing £675 million in a Future High Streets Fund and a new High Streets Taskforce to support councils to transform our high streets.
- Keeping 3 million small businesses out of VAT altogether.
- Tackling delays in payments to small businesses to ensure they get paid on time.
- Backing an additional 10,000 entrepreneurs through Start Up Loans to start their own business.
