SOUTH Lakeland’s leading businessmen have said National Insurance rates and bureacratic legislation will be key issues in the forthcoming election.

Charles Crewdson, chairman of Kendal’s 157-year-old engineering firm Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon, said: “We are the wealth generators for the British economy and it’s really easy to hit us with extra NI.”

He said South Lakeland had been neglected over the past 13 years by the Government in favour of regeneration on the west coast of Cumbria.

Jonathan Denby, who owns three hotels in South Lakeland, said: “We would like to see a halt and reversal of all the nonsensical legislation.

“We are up to our elbows in rules and regulations.

“My second priority would be someone to take responsibility for tourism and recognise its importance to this economy.

“Thirdly, in Europe one of the reasons hotel accomodation is so much cheaper is they have five per cent VAT rate, whereas we have 17.5, so how can we compete on fair terms?”

Ian Dillon, managing director of Cumbria Crystal in Ulverston, said: “As a small business and given that I end up doing lots of different things, I would like to see a change in the amount of bureaucracy and legislation, as there is just more and more of it.”

On NI, he added: “I wouldn’t say it would cost jobs but it puts up the cost of employing people.