Alan Mak MP

Report on my work locally and in Westminster

Thank you to all the residents who came out to support my recent Havant Older Persons Information Fair. Next month, I’ll be hosting my Havant Small Business Awards, so make sure you pick-up the next Postcode Publications edition to see which of your favourite businesses won.

While the awards showcase the best firms in the local area, I am also taking practical measures to help our businesses grow and keep our economy strong.

To do this I have teamed up with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership to launch the first ever MP-backed fund specifically aimed at helping to grow local businesses.

So far only around half of the money from my Business Support Fund has been spent, yet the total investment in the economy is estimated to be worth close to £500,000. In total, the money has been used to create twenty-four new jobs at three local businesses.

During a visit to New Lane based exporter Straightpoint, I saw first-hand the benefits of this investment. This company is a world leader in industrial weighing equipment and has used money from the fund to invest in machinery that makes construction safer all around the world.

Three new highly skilled manufacturing roles and an apprenticeship all going to local people have come directly from the investment.

Straightpoint is currently growing at 20 per cent a year and is producing 15,000 units from its Havant factory; just another example of how well our local economy is performing.

Across the constituency just 1.6 per cent of people claim Jobs Seekers Allowance - well below the national average. The strength of our local jobs market was also on display in March when sixty mostly local businesses exhibited at my Jobs, Apprenticeships and Careers Fair.

So if you are part of a growing business that could benefit from my fund and just need the right investment to create more local jobs, then I urge you to visit: solentlep.org.uk/funding-support to find out more.

Posted on