This Saturday (3rd December) marks the 10th anniversary of Small Business Saturday. This is a great opportunity to support our local traders, makers, artists and venues in the run up to Christmas. I’ll be supporting these companies in Bristol and the South West.

Small businesses are the backbone of communities in Bristol. They create jobs and power the local economy, but they do so much more too. Unique, independent businesses make Bristol such a special place to live.

From speaking to Bristolian business owners, I know these companies need more support. I believe we need a huge overhaul of business tax to ensure big online companies pay their fair share, with savings passed on to small businesses. We also need to new laws to ensure small businesses get the payments they are owed, on time. And we need investment in renewable energy to bring down businesses’  energy bills.

I will also be pushing for greater support for self-employed workers by extending protections including the right to sick pay.

Small businesses are what make our local high streets great. I’m thinking about the shops, pubs and restaurants on St Mark’s Road in Easton, Gloucester Road, the Old City, the Christmas Steps traders, Park Street, Clifton Village, the Harbourside, Stapleton Road and many other lively local centres in my constituency.

Our city is also a hub for small creative businesses, tech start-ups and organisations developing solutions to environmental problems. These companies have huge benefits beyond purely economic contribution to our city.