ON FRIDAY 12 JULY 2013, Robert Walter MP (North Dorset) joined Prospective MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Michael Tomlinson, to hear more about the needs and challenges of small business from Dorset-based company, Leisure Controls International.
At the invitation of Directors John Brooks and Laurie Fairhurst, they took a tour of the site and found out firsthand how Leisure Controls International, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of timing controllers (principally operated by coins), is affected by local and national policy decisions and, above-all, red tape.
As current and prospective MPs, Bob and Michael are keen to hear about the priorities and concerns local small and medium-sized businesses in Dorset have and how they can support them and the local economy.
Leisure Controls International (LCI) Ltd is the trading name for the combined businesses of Wyvern Innleisure and Leisure Control Systems of Poole. The former was founded by Laurie Fairhurst and his wife in 1980 and the latter purchased by John Brooks in 1987. The two companies were joined in 2004, creating a major force in the design and manufacture of coin operated meters.
Bob commented:
“I am always keen to find out more about the work and challenges of small to medium-sized businesses in my constituency and am grateful for the opportunity to visit Leisure Controls International with Michael, who I know has a particular interest in the needs of Dorset’s small businesses.
"Small and medium-sized enterprises are vital to the UK economy, both in terms of the wealth they create and the jobs they provide. The Government’s ambition is to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business. In my view, MPs seeking out views at the coalface is a good way of finding out what’s working and what’s not.”