Small Business Saturday is fast approaching. For most people it is a welcome reminder to support their favourite independent shops. For me, it is something deeper. I run a small family business. I know the pressure of meeting payroll, paying rent, juggling stock, and staying competitive while costs rise and footfall fluctuates. Small businesses are an essential part of Croydon’s identity. They create jobs, keep high streets alive, and give our towns their character and energy.
Croydon has had a difficult few years. Labour bankrupted the Council and allowed standards in our public realm to fall. Confidence collapsed. But as Executive Mayor, I have focused relentlessly on restoring pride and rebuilding the foundations of a strong local economy. Supporting small businesses is at the heart of that agenda.
The first priority has been safety. If traders do not feel safe, and if customers do not feel confident walking our high streets, nothing else matters. That is why we are working with the Police to take a tougher, more proactive approach to crime. Officers are carrying out more targeted patrols in town and district centres. Live facial recognition is being used by the Police in key locations to help identify wanted criminals. These interventions are already leading to more arrests for theft, violence, and antisocial behaviour.
We are also campaigning for Croydon to be the first borough in London to pilot GPS tagging for prolific shoplifters. Sussex has shown how effective this can be, thanks to the leadership of Katy Bourne, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner who is now standing to become Sussex’s first Mayor. Her work has demonstrated that tagging gives enforcement real tools to stop repeat offending and protect shopworkers. Croydon wants to bring the same practical benefits to London.
Businesses also need high streets that look and feel cared for. Our district centre blitz cleans have been one of our most successful interventions. Instead of sending out fragmented teams, we bring everyone together, walk the area, list every issue, and then fix them in a coordinated way. Graffiti removed, paving repaired, bins replaced, signs cleaned, potholes filled. Traders tell me they notice the difference immediately because customers notice it too.
Parking matters as well. We have protected one hour free parking and we are standardising parking prices across the borough so the system is clearer, fairer, and easier to navigate for residents and visitors. The aim is simple. More footfall. More time spent on our high streets. More customers through the door.
We are also removing obstacles that make it harder to set up a business. Empty shops hold back investment not because of a lack of interest, but because identifying suitable units is often slow and confusing. For the first time, Croydon is launching a public website that brings together available commercial units in one place. Anyone can access it at any time. Prospective tenants can see size, price, ownership, and location instantly. This widens access for entrepreneurs, saves time, and helps more people imagine a future here.
These practical steps sit alongside a strengthening economic picture. Earlier this year GoDaddy research suggested that Croydon is becoming one of the fastest growing microbusiness hubs in the country. We saw a 24 per cent rise in microbusiness numbers in a single year, outperforming the rest of London and ranking third in the UK. It has led some to suggest Croydon could become Britain’s answer to Silicon Valley. That does not surprise me. We are London’s youngest borough with a long history of creativity and enterprise. When opportunity is matched by confidence and civic pride, growth follows.
Our inward investment figures tell the same story. Since I became Mayor, more than £1.2 billion of investment has come into Croydon. That is new jobs, new businesses, new development, and new confidence in our borough’s future. Gatwick’s expansion adds further opportunity, given our transport links and our existing business clusters. Westfield and the North End Quarter plan will also bring new life to the town centre. Each project builds momentum and signals to investors that Croydon is moving forward.
What Croydon lacks in central London gloss, it more than makes up for in creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit. When people are given the right environment and the right support, they choose to start and grow their businesses here.
But there is still a need for national change. High street firms face some of the highest tax burdens in the economy. That holds back jobs and investment. I am calling on the Government to update business rates so the system supports growth rather than penalising it. Croydon will keep pushing for lower, simpler, and fairer taxes that allow small businesses to thrive.
Taken together, our local actions form a clear direction. Clean, safe, confident high streets. More customers. Fewer empty shops. Stronger pride. A growing economy that backs the entrepreneurs who keep Croydon moving.
On Small Business Saturday, I will be visiting traders across the borough to thank them for everything they do. They work long hours, create opportunity for local people, and play a vital role in our communities. I want them to know their Council is backing them every step of the way.
There is still work to do, but we are making real progress. Croydon’s recovery depends on strong high streets, and strong high streets depend on the small businesses that bring life, colour, and hope to our towns. My job is to support them, defend them, and make it easier for them to succeed.
That is the Conservative approach. Practical action. Safer streets. Cleaner neighbourhoods. Real support for the people who build our economy from the ground up.
Croydon is rising again. And our small businesses will be at the centre of that renewal.
