Sutton Council takes a lead on business - Brake

9.57.37am GMT Thu 16th Nov 2006

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake was a key contributor to a debate about Councils and business at the annual Local Government Information Unit Conference last week in central London.

In his speech, Tom touched upon Sutton's own example of the Sutton Business Forum which recently held a briefing session explaining how businesses could work with the public sector. Tom also stressed that although the Government's White Paper on Local Government was a missed opportunity because it did not scrap the unfair Council Tax and for imposing 200 targets on Councils, the paper has a potential to strengthen local authority-business relationships.

Tom finished by saying, 'We need big business to once again play a leading role in regenerating our towns and cities, re-building the Victorian infrastructure that we have lived off for over a century. Do Tescos, WH Smiths, BP and Sainsbury's have the vision of their Victorian forebears? We will have to wait and see.'

In addition to his constituency duties, Tom is the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government.