Ashton-under-Lyne, Supporting Local Businesses?

Our business is in the town of Ashton under Lyne in the Borough of Tameside and we have grown year on year since our formation in 1988. Not even the recessions managed to curb our enthusiasm to grow our business; always increasing our customer base and influence across the region. The big but in the equation is the lack of support from the public sector in Ashton under Lyne and Tameside; for our business and other local commercial companies.

Several years ago, Tameside Council invited many local merchants to quote for the new schools being built in Ashton under Lyne and the Tameside area. Like so many others we got on board with this push to buy locally. After attending meetings with the Council and main contractor over months and putting in over 100 man-hours in doing quotes and meetings. We managed to do a total of £1200 in orders and rued the day we believed our local Council Officers and their big sell.

Ashton-under-Lyne, For All Your Pipeline Requirements

Since then we have seen little or no work from either Tameside Council, Tameside Hospital or the area’s largest builder of social housing, New Charter. This hasn’t been for want of trying and the barriers remain between Ashton under Lyne industrial business and the wider Tameside public sector. It is estimated that this year alone £48m will be spent on building projects in the centre of Ashton under Lyne; with most of the work being done by Carillion. The business was introduced as the company that would be spending with local industrial suppliers so many years ago.

Besseges (Valves, Tubes & Fittings) Ltd don’t supply material for buildings or fabricate the steelwork that is the framework for these huge projects. But we can offer the pipework, fittings and valves that put together a commercial heating system. We can offer the same again in approved products for gas and water pipework; and of course, every part of the materials for a sprinkler system installation.

What we can offer applies to commercial plumbing and heating engineers, gas engineers and sprinkler engineers. But our experience in the past has been that these businesses are nearly always based outside the Tameside area. They already have preferred suppliers and although they had been told to give us an opportunity to quote in the past; orders were almost non-existent.

Ashton-under-Lyne, NHS Supplier

The circumstances are no different where our local hospital is concerned, successive PFI projects have excluded local suppliers from even the possibility of quoting material. In addition, we have been told on each occasion we have approached them that we are too small a supplier to offer the service they require. This is despite the fact we have supplied NHS Hospitals and Trusts all over the region, and given valuable technical support.

The Local NHS in Ashton under Lyne are part of a National whole and would benefit from supporting local suppliers. They believe incorrectly that buying from a national supplier reduces their costs. They could buy at a better price and benefit from carriage-paid deliveries from vehicles travelling shorter distances. So, reducing the pollution levels from road vehicles has such a huge effect on the potential health of the community they serve.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Fine Words and Awards

Ashton-under-Lyne and Tameside industrial businesses employ local people and pay business rates to the local council. These businesses are a major part of the local community but are not supported by the public sector in Tameside. This is a fact that needs addressing, businesses like our own and others across Tameside are brought together at events supported by Tameside Council.

The local Tameside Business Awards giving accolades to Tameside businesses for their successes is all well and good. But without real support from the Tameside public sector, it means very little; fine words don’t pay wages and increase the possibility of growth. Words mean very little without real investment into Ashton under Lyne and Tameside companies, something we should be seeing from our Local Authority.

The answer should come from the leaders of Tameside Council on how it supports Tameside business. All we see are headline-grabbing events that tell us how great they are at creating apprenticeship schemes. Again, a worthy cause but how many more apprenticeships would there be if; Tameside businesses benefitted from work in the Ashton under Lyne and Tameside area?

Ashton-under-Lyne, Vision Tameside Missed The Point

In conclusion, Ashton-under-Lyne and the wider Tameside community would be better served by local businesses big and small. These companies support the local council financially and employ local people. Here at Besseges (Valves, Tubes & Fittings) Ltd at present, all the staff and directors live in the Borough of Tameside and without exception pay council tax. Presently that is over £14000.00 per year in Council Tax alone for the Ashton under Lyne and Tameside Exchequer.

We are just one of the many Tameside-based businesses employing Tameside residents. Successful thriving businesses see little in public sector spending because; buyers at the heart of this sector do not consider spending in their communities. It is time directives came from Councils and other public-sector bodies to give greater opportunities to the businesses at the heart of their communities.

Presently in Ashton under Lyne we are seeing construction on a grand scale under Vision Tameside; but how much of the tens of millions being spent is coming to Tameside business? Whose employees would then be spending in the retail and services sectors in Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hollingworth, Hyde, Mossley, Mottram and Stalybridge.

Growing Ashton-under-Lyne and Tameside businesses is a goal we should all have; with increased growth, we will see more job opportunities in Ashton and the wider borough. This will bring greater prosperity to the people of Tameside for generations to come, and creating job opportunities will reduce inequality in the area; another goal that Tameside Council and Tameside business should share. If your business is working in Tameside we are very well-positioned for trade counter and delivery services; contact our sales team to price or provide your current requirements.