MP Michael Connarty Backs" Business Buddy" Scheme

Linlithgow and East Falkirk MP Michael Connarty supports a local Grangemouth business as part of the Business Buddy scheme.

Linlithgow and East Falkirk MP Michael Connarty has spent an interesting and informative afternoon with local businessman Gordon Bennie (pictured with Michael Connarty) the owner of Grangemouth based Blue Olive Technology / Big Fish which supplies and maintains office equipment such as printers and toners.

Michael Connarty is one of the first of more than 100 politicians to sign up to the Forum of Private Businesses "Business Buddy" scheme as part of their campaign to Get Britain Trading. The aim of this new initiative is to allow MPs a first hand insight into the day-to-day practicalities of running a business and how best MPs can assist local businesses in their individual constituencies.

After showing Michael Connarty around his business Gordon Bennie said "We talked about a wide range of subjects, such as cash flow, which can create real problems for smaller firms when bills don't get paid on time."Other issues discussed included how procurement rules are, says Mr Bennie biased against small local firms, leaving the field open for large, international businesses. Mr Bennie added "The Business Buddy scheme is a fantastic idea. Letting politicians see how businesses like ours run will put them in a better position to ask the right questions. Michael Connarty is to be applauded for taking an interest".

After his time spent with Gordon Bennie at his Grangemouth based company Michael Connarty said "As an Economics graduate I have always worked with the local business community, but often the agenda has been set by the concerns of the larger companies. The Business Buddy scheme is a great way of allowing us to obtain a closer understanding of the way smaller businesses like Blue Olive / Big Fish operate and of the issues faced by Gordon Bennie in growing his business. I look forward to the learning process and hopefully being of some help to Gordon."