Backing business in Mid Sussex - why support matters

Last week, I visited Olga from Burgess Hill who owns LOH Salons on Keymer Parade. From the beginning of our conversation, it was clear that she is passionate about the hairdressing business. Whilst I was in the salon, I could see that the long-standing customers really value the warm welcome, perfect cups of tea, and excellent services from Olga and her team.

However,despite Olga’s tenacity and love for her craft, she shared how the future was looking extremely uncertain for the hair and beauty business. The sector, which struggled through the pandemic, has been hit hard by the government’s recent Employer National Insurance Contribution increases.

As Olga herself explained, apprentices are the future of hairdressing. Being an apprentice provides a path into work for young people giving them skills, customer service experience and the chance to start earning for themselves.

Olga currently has one apprentice and would love to be able to offer more opportunities for young Burgess Hillians. However, she believes this “dream has gone,” due to a lack of support from the government for salon owners to enable them to hire apprentices. The increase in NI contributions that she is now subject to, alongside the increase in the apprentice wage, has led to many salons struggling to make ends meet.

Whilst Olga has been trading for many years, new figures show that more than 150 businesses were created across Mid Sussex in the final quarter of last year. This is a testament to the robustness and entrepreneurial spirit of people in Mid Sussex, and is an outlier compared to the national picture which showed that in the same period, the number of new companies across the UK hit a record low.

I am sure that many local businesses can recognise the concerns that Olga raised with me. The changes to employer NICs that came in last month is hitting the bottom line of businesses, social care providers and charities right now. I want the government to foster the enterprising spirit of Mid Sussex, not dampen it. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, the beating heart of our local communities, and they create the jobs we all rely on, whether we are young or old.