Opinion, Watford Observer, 5th April 2026 'Business rates are a big cost in Watford town centre' | Watford Observer
For all the talk about welfare reform, it is all too frequently forgotten that the single most effective social tool to reduce poverty and improve our standard of living is a good job.
This is why a pro-business strategy for economic growth is also a pro-family policy to help people improve their lives and those of their families and communities.
Sadly though, too many on the left fail to value businesses and hard-working small traders and entrepreneurs. Instead they see them as simple targets to raid for more taxes to raise money to pay out ever more in welfare to people who would be better served by having a job.
It is tragic. Labour, for all its talk about trying to stimulate growth, fails to join the dots. Instead it keeps increasing burdens on business through taxes, employers’ national insurance contributions, and environmental costs, cheered on by their fellow travellers in the Greens and the Lib Dems.
Rather than simply increasing the welfare burden, the Government should be backing our hard-working families.
We see this here in Watford where insufficient support and encouragement is given to our local businesses. Take the never-ending local war on motorists for example. By constantly making it harder to park outside shops, the Lib Dem mayor and council are hurting local businesses.
Business rates are a big cost on local businesses before they sell a single thing. This is why the Conservative Party is promising to eliminate rates for thousands of high street shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs.
We alone understand that Britain’s future - and the livelihoods of us all - depend on a thriving business community who generate the jobs and economic growth that will enable the whole nation to prosper. And this support should start locally by backing Watford’s local businesses.
Stephen Woodard
Chairman, Watford Conservatives
