Jonathan Hinder MP Column – Celebrating Small Businesses

Earlier in the week, I spoke in Parliament at Treasury Questions, pointing out how our high streets were hollowed out in recent years, with many shops left empty. I raised the point that multinational giants must pay their fair share of tax to allow businesses of all sizes to flourish within the local economy, and am pleased that the government is bringing in a permanent cut to business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. I also visited the temporary market at Hartley Square in Colne, speaking to traders to find out how their businesses are doing, and how things can be better. Whilst all of the traders said business was steady, they are looking forward to moving back into a new, permanent space with the market hall re-opening in 2025.

I spent early Friday morning visiting both the Pendle and Clitheroe Royal Mail delivery offices to say thank you to our postal workers for all of the hard work they do, especially at this time of year. The workers spoke to me about some of the issues they are having with regards to staffing, and the struggle to ensure letter deliveries are maintained as parcels become the dominant part of the business. Several constituents have raised issues regarding Royal Mail since I was elected, especially NHS appointments being missed due to delayed post. I have raised these issues with Royal Mail bosses and will continue to do so while deliveries remain inconsistent in some parts of the constituency.

Last week I also visited Pendleside Hospice to discuss the work they do, their funding and the impact this has on the organisation. During the last government, the hospice lost almost half of their funding from the NHS, and are now even more reliant on donations from the local community, which they say are outstanding. However, as they rightly mentioned, palliative care should not have to rely so heavily on charitable donations, and so I will continue to work with Burnley MP Oliver Ryan to support hospice and palliative care funding, and ensure the vital work the hospice do within all of our communities can continue.

I held another successful surgery in Barnoldswick on Friday evening, and I will be holding my final surgery of the year in Clitheroe on Friday 20th December. All of the spaces are now booked for the Clitheroe surgery, but I have plenty scheduled right across the constituency in the coming months, so if you would like to raise an issue with me in person, please get in touch to book an appointment, by emailing [email protected].