On a day that saw nearly 300 jobs cut from a leading Wyre Forest employer, Wyre Forest's Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman brought Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Alan Duncan MP to Stourport to meet with local business leaders.
The Conservative Business Spokesman was brutally honest in his outlook for the British economy. "The British economy has gone from overheating to permafrost. The lifeblood of the economy - liquidity in the financial system - has completely frozen. This will mean a very tough time for business in the UK," he said.
"Small businesses will suffer as they cannot get overdrafts and loans for short term working capital. Unemployment may rise across the UK substantially." Mr Duncan was also clear as to the cause of the problems: "We have seen a debt driven economy for the last ten years - from the Government borrowing when it should have been building up surpluses, to banks over lending, to private individuals running up vast personal debt. We are in a real mess."
Alan Duncan also supported Mark Garnier's local campaign to reduce the number of post office closures. "The post office is an under used commercial network, and I am waiting for the government to renew the post office card account. I want post offices kept open and I am pleased that Mark Garnier is taking the lead on the sensible line of striving to reduce local closures. Conservatives are working both nationally and at a local level on this important issue."
Mark Garnier continued: "Bringing Alan Duncan to Wyre Forest is important for local residents and businesses. The reason I brought Alan Duncan here is because Wyre Forest needs to get its voice heard by the people that matter. I want Wyre Forest's interests to be served by Conservative policy.
"On a day that saw the loss of 300 jobs locally, it is important to remember that Wyre Forest has a wide range of important issues that need addressing. It is my job to make sure that Wyre Forest is heard at Westminster on all the issues."
Mark Garnier organised a private meeting amongst a select group of Wyre Forest business leaders who represented the tourism industry, employment, recycling, finance, manufacturing and property development. Following that, Alan spoke at a meeting of the Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce.