EOW Reflections: Opportunity knocks

I’ve been around a bit this week: Darlington, Middlesborough, Newcastle, Worcester. Small business people are the same no matter which side of the country they’re on. Resilient, determined, tenacious in the face of all the challenges. And no sooner had I arrived back at my desk late Wednesday afternoon than the next challenge landed. The election was announced. It brings with it a further period of uncertainty and above all else businesses love certainty. So, what will the next few weeks bring?

This week and next up until 30 May when Parliament is dissolved, it will be business as usual. However, the pace may speed up as bit as everyone tries to get their business completed quicker and tie up any lose ends. After that MPs no longer have the right to represent you to Government and they get into their constituencies, as candidates, and start trying to make sure of getting your vote. In the meantime, Ministers continue to be ministers and although nothing new will be started, they will be on hand to carry on the business of Government. The Government is still responsible for governing and Ministers are still in charge of their departments.

If there are issues in the pipeline that a new government might want a say on, these will be held over until after the election, unless that delay might mean wasting public money or causing harm to the public interest. All in all, we’re not likely to see much difference apart from MP candidates trudging streets talking to prospective voters.

We here at the Office of the Small Business Commissioner will be carrying on as usual. We won’t be doing anything that might detract from the election campaign or that competes for public attention. You won’t see any social media posts from us, or any media or press interviews. But we’ll be here to help you because election campaigns don’t stop disputes over payments or overdue invoices, or enquiries about all sorts of challenging issues.

Once the election is over, MPs have seats and Ministers have been appointed or reappointed to their roles, operations will start cranking up again. Some of the candidates who turn up on your doorstep may be elected, become MPs and even Ministers. Over the next few weeks you will have the chance to talk to aspiring MPs or those standing again, on your own doorstep. Tell them about the business issues worrying you. Tell them your stories and experiences. If your candidate becomes an MP or even a Minister, even though they will be extremely busy and have a lot on their plate, they may well remember what you’ve told them and decide that it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

What’s the one thing you’d like to say to the next business Minister? Be ready in case the person who knocks on your door turns out to be the person given that power to make a difference. Don’t waste this opportunity.