The 'Businesses Back Britain Group' is made up of key figures in the town who have launched a campaign to help struggling companies locally and across the UK amid fears of a recession looming.

The group is the brainchild of businessman and former district councillor Andre Camilleri and will be chaired by former Mansfield District Council chief executive Richard Goad

High-profile founding members include mayor Tony Egginton, estate agent John Sankey, Mansfield 2020 chairman Irvin Robinson and district councillor and new Mansfield Town FC chairman Andy Perry.

Said Mr Camilleri: "We believe that businesses cannot simply watch our clients and customers suffer severe hardship and our colleagues go out of business.

"Doing nothing is not an option for the movers and shakers of this town, whilst the country sinks from credit crunch to financial crisis, with a real danger of a complete slump."

'Less restrictive'

The group held its first meeting last week, where members set out their aims to put pressure on the Government to slash fuel tax and banks to be less restrictive in lending — and urged all local and national firms to join them.

Members plan to set up a website for their campaign and launch a helpline for local firms, where they can gain advice from successful businessmen and women in the area.

The group also wants to help first-time buyers locally to get on the housing ladder and wants to involve local lending organisations with more shared equity schemes.

Mr Robinson told Chad: "Pressure needs to be brought to bear on the banks and financial Institutions both to revise and ease their lending strategy and to start trading with each other.

"Easing back on businesses in trouble, while increasing their scope to offer financial assistance to first-time buyers in the housing market would be a major step forward in kick-starting a revival of the economy."

And Mr Perry said the spiralling cost of fuel and energy bills had affected almost every sector of the economy and said taxes should be cut.

"We need to see a reduction in the taxation of fuel to offset the higher crude oil and gas price rises, while alternative fuel sources are pursued," he said.

"The loss in revenue to the Government can be met by increasing income from luxury and non-essential items and the proposed 'green tax' on large cars."

And mayor Egginton told Chad the council would give the group its full support.

"We are in danger of seeing all the hard work to rebuild the Mansfield economy go to nought unless urgent and sustained action is taken by the Government and ourselves," he said.

Anyone interested in joining the campaign should email Richard Goad at rgoad54@hotmail.com.