This Saturday 7 December and throughout the year, #SupportSmall and help us spread the word to friends, family, and on social media by posting about your favourite local small businesses. Every purchase, recommendation, and positive review you leave can make a huge difference.
“I’m proud to support the wonderful independent cafes, shops, and more right here on our doorstep,” says MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds. “Small businesses are the backbone of our community, and they depend on all of us to thrive. We’re absolutely spoiled for choice for small businesses here in Oxford, from the Covered Market to gems on the Cowley Road, Magdalen Road, Headington High Street, and more.”
The Labour Government is backing small businesses and their employees, too.
Labour is working hard to end the scourge of violence, threats, and abuse associated with shop theft, which affects businesses of all sizes. With retail crime reaching a 20-year high, Labour will make assaulting shopworkers a specific criminal offence. Anneliese Dodds recently dropped by the Co-op on Littlemore Road to meet with shopworkers and their trade union, USDAW, to talk about their experiences. “Shopworkers provide a vital service to our community, and they deserve to be treated with respect at all times. There is no excuse for abuse and I welcome the Government’s commitment to act”, Anneliese says.
The Government is taking tough action against shoplifting, street crime, and anti-social behaviour. Labour will rebuild neighbourhood policing with 13,000 more neighbourhood officers on our streets, introduce Respect Orders to ban repeat perpetrators from our town centres, and take shoplifting seriously by getting rid of the Conservatives’ £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters.
When it comes to other measures to support small businesses, the new Government is supporting high streets to thrive and helping businesses become more resilient. Earlier this week, local leaders were given powers to put leases up for auction where properties have been persistently empty, giving the ‘Right to Rent’ to our local businesses and communities. The Government will permanently cut business rates for shops, pubs, and restaurants from 2026 while funding support provision for businesses, too. This includes funding for Growth Hubs as well as £250m for the British Business Bank’s small business loans programmes. By extending the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes, Labour is encouraging private investment in small businesses. And by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, the Government has ensured that small businesses can employ up to four full-time national living wage workers without paying Employers’ National Insurance on their wages.