Meeting face-to-face with MPs and showcasing the industry is a central plank of Bacta’s political engagement campaign. What better place than the award-winning Clacton Pier to demonstrate the leisure industry at work, the revenue generating impact the industry has on regional economies throughout the country and what we mean by the very serious ‘business of fun’?
‘Engaged, informed and extremely supportive’ is how Bacta President Joseph Cullis described last week’s meeting with Nigel Farage, MP for Clacton-on-Sea and Leader of Reform UK.
Joseph, together with Bacta’s Director of Communications Allaster Gair, met with the politician that successive opinion polls are predicting is on course to be the next Prime Minister, at the award-winning Clacton Pier – the major employer in the Essex town and a year-round tourism beacon attracting visitors from London and throughout the south east.
Reflecting on the meeting, Bacta’s President said: “Showcasing the industry at its best to MPs is vital in raising awareness of our sector and really pushing home the pressures that our members face, the dire consequences of any increase in taxation, but also how our industry can support the Government’s growth agenda.”
He added: “Our message to politicians and policymakers is simple: Bacta members are making a difference in every town and city across Britain. They create jobs in areas where they’re needed most, they help revitalise struggling high streets, create and operate the entertainment equipment generating machine income that’s keeping thousands of pubs solvent, sustain Britain’s wonderful piers and coastal heritage and in the process, boost UK tourism. It’s a fact that with the right conditions and fair regulation, our industry’s talent, commitment and drive can help power Britain’s economic growth.”
The MP for Clacton-on-Sea is a high-profile supporter of the Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign which is highlighting how an increase in taxes will decimate high streets, lead to widespread job losses, cripple sport, reduce tax-takes and drive people to unlicensed gambling sites.
Urging Rachel Reeves not to decimate the industry in her Autumn Budget, Nigel Farage said: “The proposed tax will close down thousands of high street shops. My Pier and arcades in Clacton will be seriously hurt despite being just innocent seaside fun.”
In a rallying call, he added: “At the heart of this problem, we have a political class who know nothing about business and many of whom have never had a proper job. We are led by human rights lawyers, not entrepreneurs”.
Farage up for the fight…
Nigel Farage said……. “The proposed tax will close down thousands of high street shops. My Pier and arcades in Clacton will be seriously hurt despite being just innocent seaside fun……
