Business

rory_thehutThe economic profile of Penrith and The Border is unique. It has very low unemployment (with many people holding down multiple jobs) and more self-employed people than almost any other constituency in Britain. Approximately 23 per cent of the population work from home, and 93 per cent work for businesses employing less than ten. A large proportion of my time is spent working with and understanding these small and medium-sized enterprises; understanding where government can do more to help, and where it needs to step back.

I am concerned about the way in which out-of-town supermarkets are affecting our traditional high streets, the difficulty many businesses are still having getting access to loans and funding, and what I see as the dangers of trying to artificially pump prime into industries and economies which simply do not exist in most parts of Cumbria.

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RORY NOMINATES OUT OF EDEN FOR PRESTIGIOUS PARLIAMENTARY AWARD

Rory has nominated Out of Eden as his 2018 Responsible Business Champion, praising the company’s commitment to sustainability and its sensitivity to the environmental impact of its operations. Each year MPs are invited by the All Party Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group (APPCRG) to select an outstanding local business which, due to its work in their […]

RORY MEETS CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL​’S NEW ​CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Penrith and The Border MP ​Rory Stewart ​has met with Cumbria County Council’s new Chief Executive, Katherine Fairclough​.​Rory Stewart MP said: “It was great to finally meet with Katherine​​ and discuss the challenges we need to overcome in Penrith and The Border​ – ​​particularly ​around ​the lack of reliable ​broadband​ – ​and our ​ideas and ambitions for the region​ and […]

CUMBRIA’S INDUSTRIAL IDENTITY – HERALD COLUMN 6th JANUARY 2018

For many decades, Cumbrian planners have tried to create economic growth by backing large Cumbrian industries. This is understandable because our industrial revolution was a miracle. The slow growth of our traditional rural economy, celebrated by Wordsworth, was blown apart in the second half of the nineteenth century, as we tore into the land, extracting […]

WELCOME FOR HISTORIC BORDERLANDS DEAL IN CHANCELLOR’S 2017 BUDGET

Penrith and The Border MP Rory Stewart has responded to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget Statement, delivered this afternoon, and has in particular applauded the Chancellor’s commitment to progressing a devolved growth deal for the Borderlands region, including north Cumbria – a deal on which Rory has worked since initiating the proposal while a […]

RORY PRAISES RESILIENCE OF RICKERBY RETREAT

Rory Stewart MP last week paid a visit to the Rickerby Retreat, to meet with Spa Manager, Amy Bristo, and to look at how the spa and restaurant was recovering following damage sustained during Storm Desmond in 2015. The family business, owned and run by Rachel and Daniel Ferguson was launched in 2014 and was only […]

RORY STEWART VISITS ‘GAME CHANGING’ TYPHON TREATMENT SYSTEMS

Parliamentary Candidate for Penrith and The Border, Rory Stewart, last week visited Typhon Treatment Systems, a Penrith-based water treatment equipment manufacturing company specialising in using ultraviolet LED to remove harmful pathogens from water, to learn more about the company’s plans to reduce the cost of creating safe drinking water. Rory was shown around the company’s […]

RORY NOMINATES ATKINSON BUILDERS FOR PRESTIGIOUS PARLIAMENTARY AWARD

Rory Stewart MP has nominated Penrith firm, Atkinson Building Contractors as his Responsible Business Champion for 2017, praising the company’s community values and its sustainable vision for the future. Each year MPs are invited by the All Party Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group (APCRG) to identify an outstanding local business which, because of its positive impact […]

RORY PRAISES INNOVATIVE LOCAL BUSINESS PROJECT

Penrith and The Border MP Rory Stewart paid a visit to Penrith business Atlantic Geomatics on Friday to take a look at an exciting and innovative new project – to map every burial ground in England, and eventually the UK. Research carried out by Atlantic Geomatics shows that more than 90% of burial grounds in […]