Dan regularly meets with local businesses in Suffolk and last week he visited two successful businesses in Claydon, the Ant Group, which is a technology and packaging specialist, and independent chartered accountants Larking Gowen.
The Ant Group’s companies include Antistat, which specialises in high-end technology-led packaging solutions, electrostatic discharge consumables and clean room supplies, and Cyberpac, which supplies specialist packaging to the creative industry. Dan met with Ron Tosh, Operations Director at the group, along with staff, and discussed the importance of making sure our young people are vested with the proper practical, vocational and technical skills to succeed in the work place. He also spoke about the necessity of making it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to borrow money at cheaper rates from banks, to enable them to invest and grow. The Ant Group was named Business of the Year at the 2011 Anglian Business Awards, and Dan was encouraged to hear how it has continued to go from strength to strength.
Dan also visited local business Larking Gowen, which is one of the Eastern region’s largest accountancy firms. The company offers a range of specialist services across a number of areas, including personal taxation, corporate finance and business recovery. Dan spoke with Partner Luke Morris, who outlined some of the difficulties facing local start-up businesses before emphasising the need for further deregulation so that businesses are able to grow.
Small and medium sized businesses form the backbone of our economy by providing jobs for people living in Suffolk, driving economic growth and supporting our schools and hospitals through the taxes they pay. Dan will continue to do all he can in Parliament to ensure that our local businesses are not hampered by unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, but are instead allowed to continue creating jobs and investing in our communities for years to come.