MONMOUTH’s Labour Party candidate for next year’s Assembly elections has expressed concerns over what she describes as: “Monmouthshire County Council’s failure to provide an effective system of support for small businesses.”

Catherine Fookes met Kate Humble at her Penallt farm, Humble by Nature, as part of a drive to understand the issues involved in running small businesses in the Monmouth constituency ahead of the forthcoming Small Business Saturday, which she will be supporting.

This year, Small Business Saturday falls on December 5th.

Catherine said: “Kate explained she and her husband Ludo bought the farm in 2010, after persuading then owners, Monmouthshire County Council, not to divide it up when the farmer retired.”

Kate Humble said: “We felt this asset was too important to the area and to farming for it to be broken up and sold off, so we persuaded the council to sell us the whole set up. We wanted to bring it back to life and create a business that would showcase rural skills, cookery and learning”.

Kate described the huge challenges faced by people running small, rural businesses. The biggest problem is the total lack of effective telecommunications in large parts of the countryside. They had to install a satellite dish to receive broadband. Further challenges include restrictions on planning, endless red tape and spending hours on the phone trying to find the right council officer to help solve a particular problem.

Catherine said: “It’s clear that small businesses like Humble by Nature need a more joined-up system of support from the local authority so they can flourish. Providing such support will lead to business growth and an increase in jobs. I’d like to see the equivalent of a Citizens Advice Bureau for small businesses, which would enable entrepreneurs to support and advise each other. If I am elected to serve the people of the Monmouth constituency I will set up a support network that will do just that.”

The picture shows Kate, right, with Catherine, left, in the Aquaponics Solar Greenhouse, opened in July 2014. This hugely productive and efficient farming system helps grow sustainable food using aquaculture and hydroponics. The system requires few inputs and creates many high value outputs.