Director
CurrentKeystone Consulting provides a bespoke service that helps our clients to engage with political decision-makers. Sectors covered include small businesses, retail, education, freight & clinical research.We have had a number of successes including the following clear wins:Keystone Consulting successfully lobbied for a change in the business rates threshold in order to provide relief for all businesses under a rateable value threshold of £51,001, up to half of their total bill. This was then extended to total relief in the 2020 Budget.Developed a strategic campaign to highlight the weaknesses of having a £200 threshold for shop theft. The Government recognised this campaign in their response to the Call for Evidence on Violence against shopworkers (July 2020). They are now "writing to PCCs and Chief Constables setting out that the theft of goods valued up to £200 from a shop should be prosecuted as a criminal offence and therefore should not constrain the ability of the police to arrest or prosecute someone in the way they feel is most appropriate". This is a good move forward for all those affected, especially independent shops and newsagents who are the least able to absorb the costs of these crimes.A successful campaign to ensure education for excluded children was addressed by the Government. Online/blended education became part of the guidelines of the Children and Families Act 2014.Other highlights have been:Looking to ensure the Government continues to support our post office network by extending the subsidyRaising the profile of light rail freight in Parliament with the aim of establishing the need to get freight off the road and onto rail due to environmental impact. This campaign is underway and gaining strength all the time.Establishing the principle that competency within clinical research is key through engagement with Parliamentarians and key industry stakeholders.