Shopkeepers & Retailers Worry on Energy !

Photo Prime Minister Liz Truss

Today I was talking with small business in Wednesfield North. This time with shop keepers who are the life blood of our Local Community.
This Conservative Government and its economic policy is terrifying our retailers. I have heard horror stories from well established shops about the increases in utility Bills which they are now being informed of.

What they are not hearing is anything from the Conservative Government about how they are to be offered help and some protection. Shop keepers tell me this will be the death knell of their business.

The cost of energy alone will strip out many of our local shops and shopping precincts. If there is no help designed for them.

Plus, all of this is before the Cost of Living increases surge along the High Street. Taking money out of customers pockets, reducing customers capacity to spend their wages and their benefits locally. Indeed I spotted in a BBC advice page which highlighted that “walking straight past the convenience store onto a larger branch can pay dividends.” They the BBC quoted Which? The magazine we were told, had “found that customers can end up spending almost a tenth (9.5%) more each year shopping at a Sainsbury’s Local rather than a regular Sainsbury’s supermarket.”

All of which underlines the impact of the Conservatives kamikaze approach and their blunders in crashing the economy, and the resultant damage which the UK small business is now having to face upto.

Make no mistake Wednesfield will suffer badly if no help is forthcoming to cap or shelter energy costs for these key local shops in our communities and neighbourhoods.

This is an under fire Prime Minister Truss, and she has a weak, and warring Government. Surely we need a General Election now to build a competent and functional Government.

Phil Bateman

Phil Bateman is Married to Mary and lives in Wednesfield North. He was a long serving local politician having served previously on the now defunct West Midlands County Council... read more

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