It was great to be invited to speak at a recent Esher Chamber of Commerce meeting at Lower Green Community Centre having been joining their meetings. The value of their advice and tough questions is immense and I left with a long to do list of the ways they're unhappy at how the council is supporting local business, and where government could do more to help also.
At the meeting, I spoke about the value of Esher Chamber of Commerce (and the Walton BID). Politicians must listen more than talk, with small businesses especially getting overlooked too often. Something I saw first-hand when working at the CBI.
Regarding the national picture, I spoke about how we've turned a corner after years of international crises, from the pandemic, war in Europe, the middle east, and global energy cost spikes. Inflation has now fallen to 3.2% from 11.1% in October 2022 – with interest rates likely to fall too. The economy is stronger than most of Europe with the IMF forecasting the UK will grow faster than Japan, Germany, France, and Italy over the next five years. Business confidence is higher than ever, and employment remains at near record highs at 75%, up by 4.8 points since 2010. That's not to say things are all okay. They're not. We have to keep tackling inflation through the Bank of England, keeping borrowing down, and public spending restraint. But the UK’s recovery is strong and sustained.
Locally, we need to see the traffic situation in Esher addressed given it puts people off shopping there. It’s why I’m campaigning for improvements to be made at the A3 hook junction, which currently doesn’t allow south-bound traffic to join the A3, resulting in significant “through” traffic in Esher, Hinchley Wood, Long Ditton, and other areas. Businesses are also keen to see detail on the Council's 'vision' project, which despite years of talking about it, still lacks substance on what it means for Esher.
Supporting local businesses is one of my top priorities for our area, which is why I launched a survey to hear your thoughts on improving Walton High Street. You can feedback your views here.
If you have ideas for helping other high streets and local businesses, don’t hesitate to get in touch: [email protected].
