Out & About
Regular readers of my column will know that I have tried to use my time in the House of Commons to champion the cause of our very smallest businesses. I strongly believe that our micro enterprises are the heartbeat of local communities and the backbone of the economy. It is therefore of fundamental importance that the government does everything it can to understand their concerns and address them so we create the conditions required to survive and prosper. I am proud to fight on behalf of the self employed, the “one man band” and the small business owner in the House of Commons.
This week, I had the privilege of spending a few hours working as a volunteer in the Stokeinteignhead Village Shop. I read an article in this newspaper a few weeks back about the importance of volunteers in keeping the shop open and I wanted to do my bit. It’s very easy for politicians to pledge support and do nothing. I believe it is important to back up words with action and I therefore signed up for a shift. I was delighted to do so as the Stokeinteignhead Village Shop is a great example of precisely the kind of enterprise we should all be proud to have in our communities.
Having met some of those who work so hard to make the shop a success, I was then given a quick bit of on the job training before heading behind the tills. I was delighted to see so much local produce on the shelves and it was clear from the outset how important the services provided by the shop are to those who live in the village. The shop also generates extra income by running its own lottery style game where the winner is the person who correctly predicts what the bonus ball will be! It was great to spend some time in the shop and I would be delighted to go back and volunteer again – assuming they would have me of course!
On a similar theme, I was pleased to also pop along to the Newton Abbot branch of Subway. Subway is a very different shop to where I volunteered in Stokeinteignhead. It’s successfully established itself on the high street of most major towns and cities across the country and I had been invited along to meet the local franchise owner to discuss how the organisation is meeting its healthy eating obligations.
It is vital that people are given information about what they are eating and I was therefore pleased to see that all food products sold by Subway have to set out their total calorie count as well as their fat, sugar and salt content. I also took the chance to make my own Subway sandwich and I therefore knocked together a Meatball Marinara with the full complement of salads and sauces!
Looking Forward
In my last column, I discussed the importance of thinking through how we are going to progress important campaigns when the House resumes. I identified the need to press the Department for Transport to ensure Devon gets its fair share of money to fix our potholes.
However, in addition to launching new campaigns, it is also important to make sure money already secured is spent properly. I will therefore be keeping a very close eye on developments associated with both the South Devon Link Road and the South Devon University Technical College. These two projects alone represent an estimated £85m investment in our local area, so it is absolutely vital we deliver them to time and budget.
The South Devon Link Road was one of those projects I know may people believed would never happen. We had spent so long unsuccessfully calling for this road that I think most people just assumed it would never be built. George Osborne has joined our local councils in putting the money up to make the road a reality and the building work has started in earnest. The Secretary of State for Transport has been down to see progress for himself and it is now important we all work together to ensure our area derives the maximum benefit possible from this scheme.
Of equal importance however is helping those who may be detrimentally affected by the building of the bypass. Those whose households or livelihoods are impacted because of the building of this road must receive the full compensation they are entitled to and I will continue to work with those who have approached me on this matter to ensure that is the case.
As for our South Devon University Technical College, this has the backing we need from the local education and business communities for it to deliver first class courses that lead to long-term specialised jobs based in our communities. It’s precisely the kind of boost I believe our engineering and construction industries need and I am genuinely excited about working alongside those charged to deliver this project in time for the proposed September 2015 opening date.