This month, we celebrated the best of small business in Streatham. Local businesses have been there for our community during a period of real difficulty, supported brilliantly by Streatham BID. Small independent businesses have been left struggling to cope with the pressures of the pandemic, Brexit and the cost of living crisis. I remember those uncertain early days of the pandemic when we saw local coffee shops providing free coffee to NHS workers, local computer shops repairing laptops at no cost, and a local firm laser-cutting PPE for local care workers facing a total shortage.

Streatham’s small independent businesses have proved that they are not just the lifeblood of our local economy but the lifeblood of the community. It’s really saddening to see the continued closure of local traders, who are being driven out by rising rents, soaring energy bills and above all, the very real financial uncertainty facing our country. It makes it all the more important to celebrate their contributions and remember we must use them or lose them.