Businesses encouraged to help us buy local

1.24.00pm GMT Wed 26th Nov 2008

Liberal Democrat County Councillor Allan Witherick is calling on local businesses to sign up to the Herts County Council procurement portal, http://hertscc.g2b.info, so that the council can be encouraged to buy local.

"The creation of a website to help encourage competitiveness for council taxpayers' money can only be seen as positive. However, I don't feel that the Tory County Council has done enough to encourage local businesses to register and help support our local economy."

As part of the group looking into the system Cllr Witherick is personally calling for two measures to be included to improve the new system:

1) That the supplier portal be actively advertised to local businesses, for example via Business Rate bills;

2) That, where viable, the council should always when tendering seek quotations from suppliers based in, or having offices in, Hertfordshire.

Cllr Allan Witherick added: 'This is a good scheme but is in danger of letting down local residents because of a lack of promotion to local businesses. We need to make it easier for local suppliers to provide goods and services to the county council, which is the largest organisation and thus biggest spender in the county.'

Across the border in Essex have been promoting their own portal for some time with www.paessex.gov.uk. which Hertfordshire businesses are also encouraged to look at.