Green councillor backs small business

3 March 2015

Cllr Howard Allen and Solihull MP Lorely Burt outlined their party platforms for support for small business at a debate in London last night.

The debate was hosted by Enterprise Nation. Representatives of Conservatives and Labour also attended.

Cllr Howard Allen, the Green parliamentary candidate for Solihull constituency, said: “Small firms employ 11.4 million people in Britain. Our policies on transport and council procurement want to help them compete.”

“We want a Land Value Tax to replace business rates that currently favour big business.”

“A Land Value Tax would also stop the land hoarding that we have seen in Solihull. Asda has paid no business rates on the Shirley Powergen site for the last 10 years, while Shirley high street traders have struggled to stay in business.”

“We believe, in the case of public bodies like Solihull Council, that there should be preferential tendering favouring local business.”

“We want to allow councils to impose extra business rates on out-of-town supermarkets, to help fund small local firms.”

“Our cut in rail and bus fares by 10% would help firms, and their clients, who use public transport.”

“We oppose HS2, and we want to take that funding and invest in transport links that help build up local and regional economies, with support for buses and cyclists, and re-opening old train lines.”

“Congestion, often caused by short car journeys, costs business millions each year. We want to promote active travel in the workplace for a healthier, more productive workforce, as well as reducing other business costs, such as parking.”

 

Notes

Cllr Howard Allen (Solihull) is one of the Green Party’s 12 national target candidates. Solihull is the only constituency in the West Midlands that currently has Green councillors in three different wards.

The Green Party in the West Midlands now has 25 councillors on 10 different councils, including our 10 councillor group in Solihull.

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