Shop local! Says Tory PPC for Totnes, Dr Sarah Wollaston – how can anyone argue with that?

By PRSD, on Friday, February 12, 2010

Shop local, says Tory Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Totnes Dr Sarah Wollaston – that’s if you can find a shop that isn’t closed! Dr Sarah dropped a letter into our in-box, and this is what it says…

Over recent weeks, I have been visiting small businesses in towns throughout South Devon to find out how they are weathering the recession. The local Chambers of Commerce confirm that many of them are in desperate need of support and some are just ‘hanging on by the skin of their teeth’.

This economic recession has undoubtedly made people cut back on their spending.

However, local business is also suffering from new restrictions imposed by the banks on the size and duration of loans and overdrafts, as well as the introduction of increased charges on standing orders and the monitoring of business accounts. These attempts by the banks to recoup their losses from years of bad investments are unacceptable.

We taxpayers have rescued the banks and are their largest shareholders Gordon Brown needs to use this leverage to ensure that the actions of the banks do not further increase the number of business bankruptcies with a resultant rise in local unemployment.

While we wait for Gordon Brown to stop dithering and get his act together, we need to do all we can to support our high street businesses. As far as possible we should shop locally and use local services. We already have too many empty shops and business premises in our towns.

(Image: left to right, Joe Murtagh of Dartmouth Chamber of Commerce with Sarah Wollaston at the Canvas Factory in Dartmouth)