Dear Business Owner,
Re: Isle of Wight East Small Business Survey.
Small businesses like yours are the backbone of our Isle of Wight economy. You create jobs, drive growth, and generate the revenue that helps our Island thrive.
This last year has seen a series of cumulative measures imposed by government upon small businesses - including rises in National Insurance contributions, increases to the National Living Wage, and new regulations in the Employment Rights Bill introducing day-one rights. In addition to these changes, which significantly increase costs to small businesses, the Island’s reliance upon the increasingly expensive ferry service only adds to the challenges which you face as a small business.
Across the UK, businesses are closing their doors, with the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors some of the hardest hit. Based on industry analysis, approximately 84,000 UK hospitality jobs were lost between the October 2024 Budget and mid-September 2025, according to trade body UKHospitality. These burdensome taxes and regulations are damaging our Island economy. If nothing changes, more businesses will close, more jobs will be lost, our community will suffer, and opportunities for our young people to earn, learn and start their careers will be lost.
I’m backing small businesses across all sectors, and I will take every opportunity to press the Government for more support and lower taxes to promote jobs and growth.
To help me make the strongest possible case for our part of the Island, I would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete my Small Business Survey. Your feedback will help shape my discussions with the Council, Government, and organisations working to support our local businesses. Individual responses will remain anonymous.
We know there is still much more to do - and that’s why I want to hear directly from you. Island businesses are the heart of our community and must not be left behind.
Yours sincerely,
Joe Robertson MP