I’ve had a busy couple of weeks in the constituency during the Parliamentary conference recess. My meetings and visits have included schools, farms, County Council, Rother District Council, Environment Agency, homeless support groups, village groups, Sussex Police and local business. I’m very grateful to everyone who has given their time to update me on important local issues and highlight the great work that goes on across so many communities.
Last Friday, I got to meet members of the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce over a business breakfast. Micro, small and medium sized (SMEs) businesses are the keystone of the British economy. At the start of 2023 there were 5.6 million small businesses in the UK (with 0 to 49 employees), 99.2% of the total business population. In East Sussex there were around 23,000 enterprises - 90% of which employ nine people or fewer. Given the importance of SMEs to our local economy and employment, it’s important that I am well-connected to the local business community and work to support them.
During the business breakfast, I heard about some of the challenges our local high street businesses face, including shop-lifting and the challenges of parking in Bexhill. On parking, business owners do not think that the County Council have got the controlled parking areas right. I am told that too many town centre streets in Bexhill are empty of cars all day as too many spaces have been designated ‘resident permit’ only. I will be speaking to our local county councillors for Bexhill to see how this can be addressed.
Shop-lifting is a real concern and I want to see a crackdown on individuals who think they can walk into our local shops and steal with impunity. It is not a petty or victimless crime - the victims are small business owners who lose revenue, their staff who face abuse, threats and sometimes violence, and shoppers who are intimidated and shocked by these brazen thieves. This crime may be considered fairly low-level when it comes to court sentencing but for many who are involved, it’s the start of a life of more serious crime. The day before the Chamber breakfast, I had met with the Hastings and Rother District Commander for Sussex Police. We discussed the police response to reports of shop-lifting and the penalties for repeat offenders. They have agreed to work with me to encourage local shop keepers to report shoplifters and to ensure every opportunity to prosecute is taken. I know some people have given up on the assumption nothing will be done and I want to turn that around.
Many shop-lifters are repeat offenders so I am pleased to hear that facial recognition technology for shops is about to be rolled out in Bexhill thanks to Levelling Up Partnership funding. This technology, known as DISC, has been successful in Hastings by alerting shop-owners to known criminals entering their stores and this information is shared across town businesses. Even with this in place, it is really important that every incident of shop-lifting is reported to the police. For repeat offenders, the more evidence gathered the better the chances of a conviction and stronger sentencing and, ultimately, getting these criminals off our streets and neighbourhoods.
