Better Support for Businesses Needed

10.58.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Jun 2009

The council's new business rate relief scheme could be far more ambitious. Local Lib Dems called for the scheme to be increased to help more struggling local businesses, after the council committed just £2,000 to help keep people in their jobs.

Bob Griffin, Merthyr Lib Dem Business Spokesperson, said, "This scheme is a great opportunity to bring in support for struggling local businesses. It helps people stay in their jobs if the business they work for is suffering short term difficulties. Committing just £2,000 is a missed opportunity to keep people in work in these difficult times."

The scheme is sponsored by the Welsh Assembly, so for every pound the council offers in rate relief, the Welsh Assembly will give three. So if the council had increased the scheme's budget to £10,000, as the Lib Dems proposed, there would have been £40,000 available to help local small and medium businesses.

Lib Dem Group Leader, Kevin O'Connor, added, "It is so disappointing that the council has once again the council has failed to take an opportunity to help businesses in Merthyr. They are spending over £200,000 a year propping up the Orbit Centre, which isn't helping struggling businesses at all. But they claim they cannot find £10,000 to help keep people in their jobs through the recession."