Reigate MP: Backing local businesses is key to jobs for the next generation
Local employers from across Reigate, Redhill, and Banstead came together at Reigate Town Hall on Friday (January 23) for a business roundtable hosted by Rebecca Paul MP and Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
The discussion brought together businesses from manufacturing, construction, professional services, hospitality, and retail, alongside the chairs of the Reigate and Redhill business guilds, who raised issues on behalf of the wider local business community.
Several employers described the planning system as ‘broken’. Construction and planning firms said projects were becoming financially unviable due to long waits, costly reports, and excessive red tape, whilst others warned that the loss of offices to residential development is draining footfall from town centres.
VAT and employment costs were repeatedly highlighted, particularly by hospitality and retail businesses, with some saying they have been forced to cut hours, move staff from full-time to part-time roles, or limit apprenticeships due to the cumulative burden of VAT, National Insurance, and compliance costs.
Businesses voiced frustration at the difficulty of hiring staff, the decline in young people starting their own businesses, and regulatory hurdles slowing down basic processes such as opening bank accounts and securing finance.
Rebecca Paul, Conservative MP for Reigate, said: “What really came through was concern about the next generation.
“Local businesses want to grow, create jobs and train young people, but too often they feel held back by high costs, slow planning, and a tax system that makes it harder to take risks.
“If we want thriving high streets and real opportunities for young people in Reigate, Redhill, Banstead, and our villages we have to back the businesses that make that possible.”
Andrew Griffith MP said: “Businesses are under significant strain at the moment, and there is no substitute for listening directly to those running companies and creating jobs.
“The points which were raised with me at this roundtable in Reigate, particularly the business rates crisis, were practical, well-informed, and rooted in real experience, and they will help shape our plans to get Britain working again.”
The roundtable formed part of Rebecca Paul MP’s ongoing work to support local businesses and pubs, such as launching the Best Pubs 2025 competition, and to ensure that the voices of employers in Reigate, Redhill, Banstead, and nearby villages are heard clearly in Westminster.
Rebecca said she would continue pressing ministers on planning reform, tax burdens, and the need for policies that reflect the realities facing businesses on the ground.