sustainable huddersfield | Barry Sheerman

Tag: sustainable huddersfield

Small businesses and the social good

Posted at 8:35 am by thomascritchley, on Dec 5, 2020

As a lifelong social enterpriser, I believe in the power of small businesses working for the social good.

This Saturday 5^th December is small business Saturday, a day to celebrate the benefits that small businesses bring to our town in terms of social purpose, high quality products, employment, training and community identity.

As a Labour and Cooperative MP, I am proud of the contribution that Huddersfield’s 3,350 small businesses, mutual and coops make to the town. Along with local partners, I founded the Huddersfield Enterprise Foundation 15 years ago to provide mentoring, advice and financial support to start-ups and I am honoured to have seen many of them grow into flourishing enterprises.

Local businesses have adapted brilliantly in the past year, supporting the effort to tackle the virus, keeping local communities safe, and ensuring no child goes to bed hungry. Yet after eight months of difficult trading conditions, I know many are facing a serious cash crisis.

On the national stage, Labour is calling for an emergency support package tailored to small business needs. We are determined to stand up for shops, pubs and restaurants, manufacturers, hotels and hairdressers, beauty salons and suppliers, breweries and bakeries and many more small businesses of all kinds.

That is why, in conjunction with friends and partners from the Sustainable Huddersfield initiative, I am relaunching our start-up support service.

As we rebuild from the pandemic and shape a ‘new normal’, I believe we need new ways to support businesses and to tackle the key social, economic and environmental sustainability issues we face: the climate crisis, systematic inequality, food poverty, precarious work.

We are working towards a local start-up and business support hub called the Huddersfield Green Enterprise Foundation that will particularly target enterprises which want to prioritise sustainability in their development, mission and practices. Ethical business is a powerful tool for good and one that will be vital in revitalising our local economy.

I am proud of the innovations, skills and knowledge we have in our town and I am determined to play my part in supporting local businesses to excel, creating benefits for all of us.

Posted in Uncategorised | 0 Comments | Tagged Labour, small businesses, sustainable huddersfield

Achieving a Sustainable Town: Global Goals and Local Action

Posted at 12:34 pm by thomascritchley, on Nov 24, 2020

What would it mean for Huddersfield to become a truly sustainable town? A thriving, healthy community where people of all ages lead fulfilled lives. A place where the natural environment is protected and tackling climate change is a priority. A town full of pioneers of responsible businesses and opportunities for young people.

Last year, I set up the Sustainable Huddersfield project to start a conversation with local residents, activists, students, businesspeople, frontline workers and policymakers. Together, we have discussed what a sustainable future for Huddersfield looks like and how we get there.

As a result of those conversations, we have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to help us imagine that more just, green and inclusive future. The goals break down all the aspects of sustainable growth into specific targets and concrete action points; they give us the tools we need to make local sustainability a reality.

We want to share these plans more widely and hear from more people. On Wednesday 2^nd December at 5pm, we are holding a webinar called ‘Achieving a Sustainable Town’. We have invited a panel of sustainability experts to share their experiences with us, from researching the value of the SDGs locally, through city-wide projects to end youth violence, to working with businesses to reduce their environmental impact. There will also be a chance to hear more about the Huddersfield Sustainable Town project. I warmly invite you to register for the talk if you are interested in finding out more about our work or about local sustainability issues more generally.

I hope to see many of you at the talk next week. If you would like more information about the project, do get in touch at contact@huddersfieldsustainabletown.co.uk – we would love to hear from you.

Posted in Uncategorised | 0 Comments | Tagged local, SDGs, sustainability, sustainable huddersfield