Gerald Jones, Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, is calling on communities across the constituency to support small businesses and shop local, following new analysis showing an estimated 220 of local small businesses are facing huge financial pressure and worried they won’t make it to spring.
The new data, revealed by the ONS, also shows that almost 150 small businesses in the constituency have seen turnover fall by more than half during the pandemic, and in the run-up to Small Business Saturday, Mr Jones has led a joint campaign with Dawn Bowden MS calling on local communities to support small businesses, and promoting small and micro businesses right across the constituency.
In the past several weeks in the run-up to Small Business Saturday, together with Dawn Bowden, Mr Jones has been in contact with and promoted a wide range of different small businesses across Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, encouraging residents to shop local and support small businesses during the run-up to Christmas, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on the high street and local economies.
Commenting following Small Business Saturday on 5th December, Mr Jones said:
“Small businesses in Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney and across the country have faced an extremely difficult year with the impact of the pandemic, and it’s important now more than ever that we support them as much as we can.
“Our local shops and small businesses play a hugely important role in our communities and have stepped up during this crisis, changing how they work so they can remain open and continue safely serving residents, and I’m pleased to have been able to promote local businesses across our area to encourage people to support them in the run-up to Small Business Saturday and the Christmas period.
“Please support your local small businesses if you can – whether it’s buying gifts for Christmas or food shopping – by supporting local independents, butchers, bakers, retailers and other small shops and businesses across our area.”