A woke scheme from our Lib Dem-led Mid Sussex District Council to stop buying anything this month has fallen at the first hurdle following public criticism.
The left-leaning authority introduced a Buy Nothing New month for November. The aim being to “boycott Black Friday and the culture of impulse buys that goes along with it” as the council's publicity blurb put it.
Run in the right way, a scheme to promote local business could be a huge boost to the local economy. But we can't trust the Lib Dems to understand economics.
Within just a few days of going public with their 'green game plan' the reaction on its Facebook page and other social media platforms was so toxic that Mid Sussex bosses cancelled the entire project. In fact, they've even deleted the messages promoting it.
BIG FAIL as Conservative opposition leader, Cllr Gary Marsh, confirms: "‘It is blatantly obvious that the current administration and their coalition partners are anti-business with their latest initiative. Add this to the unjust raise in parking charges and we know the District is in big trouble, economically.’
The failing is making headlines already, such as the excellent report by Guido: https://order-order.com/2024/11/08/public-bullies-libdem-council-out-of…
If our inept council want some ideas, why not talk to the local chambers of commerce, meet shopkeepers and small business owners. Start a scheme to promote local shopping; encourage the use of independent shops; inspire purchase of goods made in the UK rather than Chinese imports. But, don't, under any circumstances, tell residents to boycott their local high street for an entire month and then wonder where all the shops have gone.
