Richard Fuller MP for North East Bedfordshire and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury visited Harpenden High St today to talk to shoppers about the impact recent Lib/Lab decisions will make to the vitality of the High St and local traders.
Richard is particularly concerned about the impact of increased employer's NI on both independent retailers and retail chains. He is concerned that across the country their margins will become so tight, it will lead to their collapse.
Matt Cowley, the County Council candidate for Harpenden South West in the forthcoming election on May 1st, agreed "Our retailers are waiting for the NI increases with trepidation. It will certainly impact them. Coupled with changes to the mimimum wage, it will cause some real difficulties. We have already lost all the banks in our Town as major countrywide businesses move out of retail and abandon High Streets. This will exacerbate that trend."
Terry Heritage, the candidate in Harpenden North East agreed. "We know that small changes can make a big difference, particularly to small retailers. They are faced with a triple whammy. The extra taxes imposed by Labour, the likely increase in paperwork Labour will introduce with their employment changes, and now the unfair on-street parking charges imposed by a failing Liberal Democrat Council to prop up it's finances. Taken together, this could devastate small, hard working businesses and over the next few years seriously damage our High St."
Richard commented "Labour and the Liberal Democrats have never understood business. It's no surprise that they simply don't know or don't care that their actions can have serious consequences.'
