At this week’s First Minister’s Questions, Huw Irranca-Davies MS (Lab, Ogmore) asked what the Welsh Government was doing to support small businesses in his constituency.
In the lead up to “Small Business Saturday” this week (4th December), he has been showcasing local businesses and urging people to use these businesses not only in the run-up to Christmas, but the rest of the year too.
Although not specific to Ogmore, he welcomed a recent announcement of a £45million fund for small and medium-sized businesses to go towards training and vocational skills.
As you might expect, the First Minister thought the funding would help too:
“The point of that assistance is to help those businesses to reinvest to create the conditions in which, post-pandemic, they will be able to develop and grow. And as the Member will know, it’s a key partnership with our local authorities that are there on the ground – (I’m) very pleased to see that Bridgend (Council) had advertised the new grant scheme on their website immediately and drew attention to the focus on creating new local supply chains so that small businesses can help one another on that path to recovery.”
– First Minister, Mark Drakeford
Casting a more sceptical eye on proceedings, Tom Giffard MS (Con, South Wales West), said that it was disappointing that Welsh companies still pay “the highest business rates in the whole of Great Britain”.
How could that be in keeping with the spirit of “Small Business Saturday” when Welsh businesses were often at a competitive disadvantage to others in the rest of the UK? While temporary pandemic business support is welcome, the wider burden on businesses should be looked at.
The First Minister didn’t agree with that assessment as Wales has “the most generous scheme of business rate support anywhere in the United Kingdom” (for a more detailed look at this claim check out Chinny Reckon – Is the Welsh Government’s Covid business support package “the most generous in the UK”?).
The First Minister went on to say that 70% of small businesses in Wales don’t pay any business rates at all.
