“Use them or lose them”

Trevor Ivory calls on the public to support Norfolk’s local shops.

The man who will fight North Norfolk for the Conservatives at the next General Election, Trevor Ivory, has backed local and national campaigns to support our town and village centres as the worst recession in decades and increasing tax a red tape push many rural businesses to the brink of collapse.

“Wherever I go in North Norfolk I speak to shopkeepers, publicans and sub-postmasters who tell me that their businesses are going through tough times. The recession is hitting our local shops hard as they struggle to compete with the high street giants. It also means that people cannot afford to eat out as much, which coming on top of the smoking ban is threatening many of Norfolk’s fantastic pubs. Meanwhile, sub-postmasters continue to fear that the Government will force the closure of even more rural post offices, ” Mr Ivory told a meeting in Cromer this weekend.

Mr Ivory told the meeting what a future Conservative Government would do to help, including automatic rate relief for small businesses, worth up to £1,100 a year and cutting down on unnecessary paperwork; reforming alcohol duties so that responsible drinking is not punished; and investing in our rural post office network. But he said that Government help was not enough on its own and gave a ‘use it or lose it’ warning to local people.

“At the end of the day it is a question of choice. If local people choose to shop in supermarkets or online then they will lose the local alternatives so we must all do our bit to support the local economy. I am not saying you should never use a supermarket, but I am saying do not forget about our fantastic butchers, fishmongers and other local shops.”

Mr Ivory also urged people to sign-up to support Conservative campaigns to save small shops, pubs and post offices by visiting conservatives.com/campaigns.