Rachel is continuing her work to back local businesses by holding a Q&A with business leaders.
The Q&A took place at Thorlux Lighting earlier this month and was hosted by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.
At the event, Rachel discussed the challenges facing local businesses, as well as future opportunities and growth.
Most recent data from the House of Commons Library found there were 3,920 VAT or PAYE registered enterprises in Redditch in 2022. That’s compared with 3,325 businesses in 2017 when Rachel was first elected.
Redditch is also home to many manufacturing businesses, and the UK has recently overtaken France to become the 8th biggest manufacturing sector in the world.
Rachel said:
“As someone who worked in business for decades before entering politics, I have always championed and supported our local businesses.
“It’s vital I hear from them directly about their concerns and about their positive plans for the future, so I’d like to thank Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce for organising the Q&A with local businesses.
“Redditch is home to thousands of successful businesses, and they are part of the driving force behind the economic growth we’ve seen recently.
"Revised GDP data for the UK shows our economy has grown more quickly than Germany, France and Italy as we emerged from the pandemic. In fact, our economy is 2% bigger than previously thought!”
