Clarion Article
March 11, 2009 11:01 AM
By Annette Brooke in The Clarion
By Annette Brooke in The Clarion
Sadly more and more people are beginning to contact me about the impact of the recession. Businesses are experiencing cash flow problems and some banks as yet are still not prepared to lend, sometimes even when businesses have full order books. I have urged local councils (Dorset and Poole) to offer support and advice and as your MP I have been encouraged to direct businesses within my constituency to Business Link via 0845 600 9006 or www.businesslink.gov.uk for a free review of their business with an adviser. Businesses interested in registering for loans under the Working Capital Scheme should call the helpline on 0845 459 9780. In addition a new MP's hotline has been set up and so if you need help please do not hesitate to contact me.
Obviously the economic situation is dominating my thoughts and work at the moment but I have also had some other interesting experiences in the last few weeks. I led for my Party on the Autism Bill and made a detailed speech in the House. The Government tried to upstage the Bill by announcing a whole package of measures to improve support for children and adults on the autistic spectrum. I believe this has resulted in a win -win situation, as even if the Bill doesn't complete its passage through Parliament the Government has committed to introduce vitally important measures.
Today, I attended a reception in 10 Downing Street hosted by Sarah Brown. The event was to celebrate 200 years since the invention of braille and involved the RNIB. During the event an announcement was made that the Government is setting up a pilot project in three local authority areas to improve access to textbooks for visually impaired young people. I have been campaigning with the RNIB for several years on this issue and so I was absolutely delighted. 10 Downing Street is pretty impressive inside with a very grand entrance and beautiful reception rooms.
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