Here at Your Local Link, we’ve been proudly championing local businesses for 23 years now, connecting our readers with the finest homegrown businesses the city has to offer. Despite the fact that many local businesses continue to turn a roaring trade, the city’s post-COVID business climate has certainly thrown up its own unique challenges, and it’s never been more important for Yorkies to support the independent businesses operating on their doorstep. Our city is home to thousands of businesses, and more than half of these are independently run. While tourism has long been a key driver in the city’s economy, the earning potential of our local businesses cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to the hospitality and retail sectors, which account for a sizeable portion of overall spending for visitors to the city.
Just last month, the government announced that it would be scrapping plans to introduce a much-maligned 76% increase in rates bills, which local publicans and restaurant owners deemed potentially catastrophic, forewarning the closure of many businesses due to unsustainable rates.
While the rates U-turn has been warmly welcomed by York businessowners and publicans (and the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to providing a financial support package for pubs), Your Local Link readers are encouraged to get out and about and support local businesses in their own way – by spending those pennies!
Let’s consider some of the key benefits of shopping, eating, and drinking locally…
Local businesses create local jobs – Wherever you live, the chances are that by supporting the local businesses operating around you, you can help to create jobs for the people who live in your area.
Local businesses can be more environmentally sustainable – Given the fact that many independent local businesses rely less on international supply chains than large corporations, you can help to do your bit for the environment by shopping local, reducing shipping miles and production costs in the process!
Local businesses provide added convenience – Rather than dealing with long-distance deliveries, pesky tracking emails, and hard-to-reach corporate customer support departments, you could cut out the middleman and find extra convenience by staying local.
You could help to strengthen your community – As well as creating jobs for local people and boosting the local economy, local businesses can help to provide a stronger sense of community, by connecting with local customers in a meaningful way and providing a friendly, familiar face on the high street.
You could boost the efforts of budding entrepreneurs – By supporting existing local businesses, you could help to create a favourable business climate in your area and pave the way for the local businesspeople of the future!
Visit www.york.gov.uk/council-plan-1/one-city-2023-2027/7# to learn more about our local business climate and see which steps are being taken to improve our local economy.
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