Supporting Ramsey businesses

On a busy day in Ramsey, people can park close to the town, walk into Parliament Street, visit independent shops, have lunch or meet for a coffee without having to plan the whole trip around where they will leave the car.

That ease of access is one of Ramsey’s genuine economic advantages. It supports the strong independent high street and hospitality sector we are fortunate to have, and it helps make the town an attractive place to visit.

It must not be treated as incidental when major infrastructure, flood defence and regeneration projects are designed. I will continue to argue for adequate, free and accessible parking to be protected.

Ramsey is a fantastic place to live. We need to do more to ensure that also translates into business investment, employment and economic opportunities.

Broadening Ramsey’s economy

Retail and hospitality are important strengths, but Ramsey’s economic future cannot depend on them alone.

Changes in technology and working practices mean that professional, financial, digital and other service businesses no longer need every employee to be based in a large central office. There are greater opportunities for people to work from home, operate smaller offices or use shared work and meeting facilities closer to where they live.

I want Ramsey and the North to be seen as realistic locations in which to start, base and grow these businesses.

That does not mean promising a new business hub or relocating a government department without first understanding the need, the cost and the available premises.

It does mean examining whether there is demand for smaller offices, shared meeting rooms or a northern workspace that could be used by remote workers, businesses and public servants who do not need to travel to Douglas every day.

Government should not automatically assume that every new office or service must be based in Douglas. Equally, it should not create facilities in the North simply to say that it has done so. Any proposal must be supported by demand and a credible business case.

Making business support work

Government already offers a range of grants, loans, advice and other business assistance.

The test is not how many schemes can be listed on a website. It is whether businesses use them, whether they encourage private investment and whether they make a demonstrable difference.

The Department for Enterprise must publish regular information, without identifying individual applicants, showing:

• how many applications have been received, approved and refused

• how long decisions take

• how much funding has been committed and actually paid

• where supported businesses are based

• what investment, employment or occupied premises have followed

• why applicants withdraw or decide not to proceed

Businesses, politicians and the public should not need to submit Freedom of Information requests simply to establish whether public support is delivering what was promised.

Where take up is poor, government must find out why. That means listening to businesses, property owners and representative organisations, and then acting on what they say.

It may mean simplifying an application, changing eligibility rules, providing greater certainty before expenditure is incurred or accepting that a scheme has been designed around an administrative process rather than the practical needs of businesses.

The number of schemes is not a measure of success. Their impact is.

Unlocking sensible private investment

The cost of repairing and adapting older commercial buildings is a particular challenge in towns such as Ramsey. There is also a limited supply of suitable modern office space and smaller premises that can adapt as a business grows.

Before creating another initiative, government must establish whether existing assistance is reaching the businesses and buildings it was intended to help.

Public funding towards commercial property must be properly controlled. It should normally require a meaningful contribution from the owner, evidence that the work has been completed and a clear economic or community benefit.

Safeguards may also be needed to prevent public money being used to improve a private asset immediately before it is sold or put to another use.

Government can help make a viable project possible. It cannot guarantee that every business will succeed, remove commercial responsibility from owners or take on risks that properly belong to the private sector.

A positive case for Ramsey

Ramsey has much to offer businesses and their employees: an established independent high street, a strong hospitality sector, accessible parking and the quality of life that comes from living and working in the North.

Those advantages should be promoted confidently. I will always be prepared to support and help facilitate businesses that want to start, invest or expand in Ramsey, while being honest about what an MHK can and cannot deliver.

My approach is straightforward: protect the strengths we already have, broaden the range of employment available in the North and hold government support to account for what it achieves.

Government cannot create successful businesses by announcement. It can ensure that unnecessary bureaucracy, unsuitable schemes and poor coordination do not stand in their way.