BRISTOL LIB DEMS BACK “KEEP TRADE LOCAL” CAMPAIGN

BRISTOL’S Lib Dem city council is set to back the Federation of Small Businesses’ Keep Trade Local campaign.

Council leader Barbara Janke said this could help lift communities out of the recession, by boosting local traders and employers, as well as third sector projects, credit unions and schemes to revive business in rundown areas.

The council’s majority Lib Dem group has tabled a motion - to be debated at Full Council on January 19, 2010 (2pm) - which calls on government to allow the city to keep some of the local taxes levied on business.

The motion says these funds - possibly, millions of pounds a year - should be spent supporting local enterprise to kickstart the revival of local communities.

Barbara Janke said: “We want to tap the wealth of talent and energy people have in Bristol to take the city out of recession.

“We need recognition from government that cities can lead a dynamic recovery with quite modest, targeted resources, allowing the money raised from business to do more good by being re-invested in local business.”

Hilary Bloor, chairman of the FSB’s Bristol branch, said: "Small businesses are not just part of our local communities. They are the local community.

“We welcome any initiative that is designed to help and support local businesses to survive in the current tough economic climate.

“Retaining some of the business rates locally to help Bristol
businesses would be a positive move."

Here is the full wording of the motion, which Barbara Janke will move at next month’s council meeting at the Council House, College Green:

“This council notes the Federation of Small Businesses' Keep Trade Local campaign and supports the aim of encouraging people to shop, work and do business locally.

“The council believes local shops and workplaces are an important green objective and support for them will help communities recover faster and stronger from the recession.

“Council notes that a change in the arrangement for business rate collection and redistribution to allow councils to keep back some of these funds to be spent locally could be a powerful tool for local authorities to promote regeneration in their local communities by encouraging enterprise, small businesses, third sector projects, credit unions and other schemes.

“Accordingly, council urges the leader to write to the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, for new legislation to allow authorities to retain some of the business rate proceeds.”