Firms want red tape jungle cut (From York Press)

Firms want red tape jungle cut

11:30am Friday 9th January 2009

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BUSINESS people in York and Selby have spoken to the shadow work and pensions minister on their concerns about the recession and being hampered by red tape.

Conservative MP James Clappison visited North Yorkshire yesterday for a summit in Selby at lunchtime, before heading north to meet Julian Sturdy, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for York Outer constituency, in the afternoon.

Nigel Adams, the Conservative’s parliamentary candidate for Selby & Ainsty, who organised the Question Time-style meeting in Selby, said about 50 business people had attended. “It was an excellent meeting,” said Mr Adams, who was joined on a panel by Mr Clappison and Coun Brian Percival, deputy leader of Selby District Council.

“It was quite lively at times, and people had a chance to air their views and question myself, James and Brian. Hopefully, James got some good feedback.”

Mr Clappison said: “One thing that came up increasingly is how difficult the current Government has made it for small businesses with the amount of regulation.

“It’s an extra own goal for this country, the burden of regulation.”

Mr Adams and Mr Clappison visited Selby Jobcentre Plus after the meeting, before the shadow minister came to York to meet Mr Sturdy and Nick Brown, owner of the department store Browns.

Mr Brown said trade over Christmas had been “pretty tough”. “Pre-Christmas, a lot of people found margins a little more pressurised,” he said.

“But where we’ve had a bit of a surprise is in sales after Christmas. Whether there are more and more people asking for money for Christmas, I don’t know, but the first day this year was better than last year.”

Mr Sturdy said: “Small and medium-sized businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and under these difficult financial times it is important that we are actively talking to these businesses to find out the concerns and issues they have, so we are best placed to help safe guard their future and the jobs they create.”

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