West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has backed a campaign to encourage local businesses to trade with each other to aid economic growth across the county. The MP was briefed on the campaign, run by the Federation of Small Business chairman Ken Wigfield, during a meeting in Malvern last week. The campaign follows hot on the heels of the successful ‘Trade Local’ campaign for shop-keepers across the county which encouraged people to buy their Christmas gifts in local stores. Large companies only spend a tiny fraction of their income locally but this campaign will hope to encourage employers to use local talent and local resources and keep cash in the region. Harriett commented: “We have a wide variety of small, medium and large companies across Worcestershire and it is important that we do our best to support one another. “If our larger companies spent a tiny fraction of their turnover locally, it would make a huge difference to the county’s economic growth and help generate wealth and opportunities for many people. “I am keen to support this FSB initiative and I hope that local councils and the Worcestershire LEP will join in too to encourage our local businesses to trade local.” Harriett met with the Federation to offer her support to this programme and to agreed to work together to campaign for rural broadband solutions and to repeat the support for small high street businesses. FSB regional chairman, Ken Wigfield, added: ”Procurement is not just about the public sector. Every business needs resources and the more we can source locally the better it is for businesses across the county, many of which are finding times tough at the moment. “If every large business in Worcestershire spend an additional one percent of their budget in the county the total spend would come to huge. How many jobs would that create?” Photo: (l-r) Ken Wigfield, Harriett Baldwin MP, Angela Fitch