Learning from the businesses at the heart of our high street

Last Friday, I sat down with representatives from the local hair and beauty industry for a round-table event, to hear first-hand about the challenges facing the sector here in Chichester and across the country. 

Hairdressers, barbers, and beauty professionals are at the very heart of our high street communities, providing skilled work and supporting wellbeing as an important social outlet. Salons also help to drive much needed regular footfall for other high street businesses, contributing significantly to our local economy.  

But despite their importance and resilience, many businesses continue to face challenges, from rising costs to recruitment obstacles, which are threatening livelihoods, employment opportunities, and the social fabric of our high street communities. 

Within the context of these challenges, the roundtable meeting was an opportunity to listen and learn from those working in the industry, and to explore how government and local partners can better support such an important pillar of our community and economy. 

Apprenticeships play a pivotal role in the hair and beauty industry, with many attendees at the meeting telling me that they had in fact trained under one another before going on to set up their own successful businesses. 

However, many within the industry now feel that this system is under threat, with rising costs meaning that many salons simply cannot afford to take on trainees, despite wanting to invest in the next generation of professionals. This risks creating a severe future skills shortage, threatening the long-term future of the industry. 

The experiences of those who have seen this shortage first-hand are supported by alarming data, which indicates that the number of people starting apprenticeships and traineeships in the Chichester constituency fell by almost 30 per cent between 2016 and 2024, according to the Government’s own education statistics. 

We naturally also discussed the challenges that are shared with all businesses in the City, such as the traffic, the parking and engagement with the Business Improvement District (Chichester BID, who also came along).  

We cannot take the presence of these businesses on our high streets for granted, and I am proud that Liberal Democrats are committed to expanding apprenticeships, ensuring that young people have the opportunity to gain practical experience and qualifications while also earning a wage.  

I’d like to thank all of the representatives from our city’s hair and beauty sector who came along to the roundtable event, and in particular Emma and Carolyn from Creation’s Hair Salon for helping to organise the event.  

Jess Brown-Fuller MP with representatives from the local hair and beauty industry