Standing up for Business

 Sheffield Council Standing up for Business

What business in this City doesn’t need is a Chancellor who todays announces a cut in Corporation tax so that Starbucks can pay less tax while at the same time he cuts more from benefits, people on benefits spend money with businesses in this City, Starbucks doesn’t.

What business in this City doesn’t need is a Tory Chancellor and his LibDem sidekick who today have said they are sticking to plan A despite it not working, and are going to extend their austerity plans for an other year, we don’t need the blinkered approach caused by their ideological policies this Govt are failing the businesses and the people of this country.

What business does need is a Council that listens to and acts for and on behalf of businesses. I quote the local chair of the Federation of Small Business is ‘ Thanks to Sheffield a Council that listens to the concerns of small businesses ’ In particular refusing to consider the ludicrous parking scheme suggested by the LibDems that would deprive shoppers of parking spaces in Broomhill.

What business in Sheffield needs is what it has with this Council, Politicians who listen to business people, who meet regularly with them, who understand the needs of business and who can see that the future of the City lies in forging a City that’s open for business and that can give businesses what they want, in infrastructure, transport, housing, amenities, culture, education. Sheffield has what business wants and needs and we in the Sheffield Business community are ready to do business with this Council.

Just look at the development of the new market on the Moor, this will be an icon of how a Council works with local business people to supply quality infrastructure and amenities and in turn local businesses are keen to get into the new market.

Look how the Council and officers are working with other landlords to reinvigorate and rebuild the rest of the Moor including a new iconic building at the top entrance.

Look how the Council and officers are working with retailers in the City centre to make Sheffield a lively, vibrant, exciting retail environment, with the redevelopment of Chapel Walk and the radical thinking of the its new retail offering, a partnership between the Council and private investors, employing retail apprentices and giving small Sheffield based businesses a chance to start up in retail.

Despite the attempts of the Government and the MP for Hallam to sink the Sevenstone development by cutting 12m of support from the project we are working hard to reinvigorate the plans and to bring a 21^st Century shopping offering to the people of this City.

If you could cut this Labour Council in half, and I’m sure many of those on the other side of this chamber would love to, you will find the words Sheffield Open For Business emblazoned across it’s heart. We mean it when we say we are standing up for Sheffield, standing up for and open for business. So unlike the LibDems and the Tories who say one thing before an election and do the opposite when in power when it comes to standing up for Sheffield and standing up for businesses in Sheffield we do what we promise to do!