On Thursday, 2nd May I went to the launch of the ‘Start-ups in London Libraries’ initiative. This initiative linking help for people setting up a small business with their local library, has already been linked with 12 central libraries outside London- including, I am delighted to say, Northampton Central Library!
The launch was held at City Hall in London in conjunction with Arts Council England and the British Library. Some businesses kicked off the three-year project designed to help people from all walks of life to turn their business ideas into reality through the help of an established and coordinated network of business support services held in public libraries. Open to aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups the new free service will be available from 60 public libraries across London initially.
I have long been a supporter of libraries - far from just being a place to read and borrow books, libraries offer their communities vital services such as internet access and personal support services. This new initiative will now help libraries to offer even more services by giving aspiring business people skills, information and the know-how needed to build a viable business. As well as supporting libraries in the area, the initiative will help to boost the economy. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and throughout my 9 years as a Member of Parliament I have continually supported policies to help small business. There are over 1 million more businesses here in the UK created since 2010 thanks to such initiatives as small business rate relief; the cutting of corporation tax; and the British Business Bank which helps to finance the creation of businesses.
You can read more about this initiative using the following website link: https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre/start-ups-in-london-libraries.