This week we have returned to the challenge of the ever decreasing time limit and how to turn a 10 minute speech into a three minute one. There are some privileges to being a Select Committee Chair, you get called early in debates, but that makes no odds if your carefully crafted words are cut to a rushed three minutes.
However, I was pleased to be able to emphasise the impact of various Government schemes to help small businesses, but wanted to be able to expand on the areas where I think more needs to be done. Eat Out to Help Out was fantastic, but Seat out to Help Out would assist our cultural sector, and how about “Treat Out to Help Out” to assist the well being sector? I am not sure I got to articulate that properly in the Chamber.
Equally there is an ongoing challenge in the events industry, which sees no end in sight to restrictions, and I want to see more initiatives included in the Green Homes Grant scheme. I also know that the Kickstart programme has real potential and have seen some local firms grasp the opportunity to help young people onto the jobs ladder. There are some issues around how small firms can come together to meet the minimum number, but that ought to be soluble with a little creative thinking from local authorities and LEPs working hand in hand with business.
