Sevenoaks was recently named by The Daily Telegraph as the 12th most desirable place to live in the UK, and without a doubt a key part reason for this is our High Street and local businesses.
Whether it’s visiting the Stag for entertainment, Life on High for lunch, Number 8 in the evening for great food, Pizza Express with the kids, Marco’s for the finest pesto, or Hart Spa for some down time, and many other places besides, the high street sits at the heart of our community, and it was an honour to recently be invited to attend the Annual Sevenoaks Business Awards.
I loved meeting many of the excellent nominees and was pleased as Patron of the Sevenoaks Town Team to be able welcome those present, thanking them for the part they play in keeping our town vibrant. A huge congratulations to all the winners and nominees, and my thanks again to the Sevenoaks Town Team for organising such an excellent event.
Whilst local Government can help set the playing field and the tone, ultimately the success of the town is down to the local businesses with their hard work, dedication and enterprise. Setting up a business is risky – and we should support them as much as we can.
But businesses do need the Government on their side. They were supported through the pandemic, and come through the difficult subsequent years where Covid and the energy price spike caused a very much higher cost of living. From the many of the businesses I have spoken to, I know how worried they are about the forthcoming Budget and what it means for them.
We should never forget that often those setting up businesses have re-mortgaged their homes, taken out loans, toiled for extremely long hours 7 days a week – and made any sacrifices. In return they create employment and provide services we all use. I will continue to do all I can to stand up for our local businesses in Westminster, and ensure the government understands their importance of our local economy.
If you are a business owner or have an issue you would like to raise with me, please do email [email protected]. I will always do all I can to help.
Laura Trott
MP for Sevenoaks and Swanley
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