On 7th October, Kwasi was pleased to be able to visit a number of businesses on Shepperton High Street. He was delighted to see some of the varied and flourishing local businesses, including Jamz Café and Bakery, James of Shepperton Butchers, Palmer's Dog Grooming and EM2 tanning.
All of these businesses were beneficiaries of the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), which the Government introduced to help businesses that were severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions. Spelthorne Borough Council received £3 million of ARG funding, and two-thirds of this was transferred directly to local businesses to support their employees and to ensure that these vital businesses survived the pandemic.
The remaining third of funding is being used to deliver various types of business support, such as free professional business advice clinics, business cost reduction clinics and social media training, as well as more practical help such as equipment grants, replacements and repairs of shop fronts, and 30 free websites for businesses that could benefit most from an online presence.
High streets are a vital for creating a sense of local community, and they also form the backbone of the local economy. Kwasi was very pleased to see that Shepperton High Street continues to thrive, and he would like to thank Spelthorne Borough Council for their tireless work in supporting and reviving town centres across the borough.