I am immensely proud that South Leicestershire is a home to a wonderful array of small, independent businesses and SMEs as well as other larger organisations such as Next, Everards and Britvic.
This brilliant mix of businesses in the constituency provides a wealth of choice for constituents and visitors alike as consumers, but it also crucially provides valuable employment and investment to the area.
I always strive to engage with local businesses, both large and small, alongside organisations such as the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Business (FSB), both of whom do excellent work in support businesses in the county and the region.
Since my election in 2015, I have been delighted to support the annual FSB-led initiative of Small Business Saturday - organised to promote the small, independent local businesses in our community.