Walsall South MP Bruce George has visited Trojan Diecasting to meet local business representatives to discuss the government’s help and support for small businesses.

As well as meeting Terry Moore, commercial director at the Premier Business Park-based firm, the MP also heard from Black Country Chamber policy director Charlotte Ritchie, Tony Brierley of Crane UK, and John Higginbottom from Prestwood Engineering.

Among the topics up for discussion were spiraling energy costs, with some businesses reporting a 100 per cent increase in three years; providing easier access to small business loans; and suspending corporation tax to help SMEs.

Pictured are: (l-r) David Jones, Terry Moore, Bruce George MP, Charlotte Ritchie, Tony Brierley, John Higginbottom.

As we start 2009 the economy is still in deep trouble, although there are some hopeful signs. I’m pleased the government is establishing a system that will help to train redundant workers for the job market. I welcome the announcement to help graduates gain valuable work experience before hopefully entering employment when hopefully the British and World economies will have recovered. I was also pleased to hear Gordon Brown’s announcement that employers would be given up to £2,500 for every person they trained who had been unemployed for more than six months. Hopefully this will help some people who have been out of employment for a while back into work.

The government has put significant amounts of money into the UK banking sector yet many of the banks hold on to the money steadfastly and refuse to increase lending to individuals and UK businesses. At least a number of those in high finance who helped contribute to the accelerated economic decline a few months ago, aren’t getting their fat bonuses which have been a travesty. I’m hopeful shareholders will ensure this won’t happen again. I hope as a result of all these actions the economy starts to perk up.

A few months a ago I sent off a number of letters to local businesses, the local authority, local banks etc, to ask them what they would be doing to help people cope with the consequences of the economic decline. Those that responded listed a number of positive developments and I met with the local Citizens Advice Bureau to see what advice they were providing. The Chamber of Commerce have developed a good programme of advice for the local business community and some of the local banks are clearly aware of where they can help their customers. Letters were sent nearly two months ago but there are still some who haven’t yet had the courtesy to respond. I will be writing a stiff reminder.

I spent ten days or so over Christmas visiting my in-laws in Chicago and Missouri and was able to have about a dozen meetings with election officials in both states and a number of cities and counties on American election standards. My visit to Chicago Illinois coincided with the arrest of now internationally infamous Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich, who it is alleged to have tried to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. I couldn’t avoid talking about this on my visit with various Illinois Boards of Elections.

I know people criticise the rail network in the UK, but its worse in America. During my visit I was determined to travel by train, having held a romantic vision of American trains largely based on watching endless railway movies. My love affair with the American train however came to an abrupt halt after just two journeys where my complaints included our train being sent up the wrong line and being forced to reverse; that same train slowing down to just five miles an hour due a previous storm leaving debris on the line that had not been removed forcing the driver to look for possible hazards.

The final insult was the announcement on our return journey that every toilet on the train was blocked up and this was a six hour journey! When people alighted from the train upon arrival you’ve never seen such a sight as two hundred people racing along the platform, wheeling their luggage, desperate to reach the “restrooms”.

I just repeat what I wrote in the New Year offering my best wishes for 2009. I hope this year is better for you and your family, and your place of work than the last quarter of 2008.