Annette Backs Protection For Small Shops

12.00.00am GMT Tue 8th Feb 2005

Annette Brooke MP is supporting the MP for Weston-Super-Mare, Brian Cotter, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Small Businesses, who today will introduce a Bill to protect smaller shops in local communities.

With the opportunity to introduce a so-called "10 Minute Rule Bill", Mr. Cotter is drawing attention to the fact that an estimated 50 independent shops have gone out of business every week since Labour came to power and he will be calling for legislation to counter this by:

1. Requiring local authorities to develop retail plans for their area (as proposed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and building on from the Local Communities Sustainability Bill.

2. Additional planning requirements - Enacting legislation to ensure that local communities have the final word in any decision on whether to allow the construction of a large shopping centre exceeding a certain size (as proposed by NEF).

3. Local money flows' analysis - Requiring local authorities and public agencies to use tools such as those developed by NEF to track local spending and then favour local retailers whose businesses ultimately leave more money re-circulating in the local economy especially poor areas (as proposed by NEF).

4. Rate relief - Providing rate relief for shops and businesses with a rateable value of less than £25,000 as proposed by the FSB to take into account recent rate hikes and to redress the balance between smaller shops and big supermarket stores.

The New Economics Foundation has published a series of reports on the situation entitled, "Ghost Town Britain" which highlight the changing face of Britain's towns and villages.

"Ghost Town" refers to the fact that in the past decade, the nation has lost nearly 30,000 independent retailers, including a 30% reduction in the number of independent food, drink and tobacco shops, amounting to about 50 closures of such specialist shops each week.

Twenty traditional pubs are closing every month and general stores are closing at a rate of one per day. Over 800 communities no longer have a bank, and over 1000 have just a single branch. With about 345 post offices closing each year, in spite of interventions and the endeavours of committed locals, some villages have no bank or post office left.

Sadly, as smaller towns and villages lose their butchers, bakers, newsagents, tobacconists, fishmongers, greengrocers and family-owned general merchandisers, they will be permanently replaced by carbon copy retailers, fast food outlets, fashion stores and supermarkets. Such a decline in the number of local shops means that many of the most vulnerable groups in society, the elderly, the infirm, young people and mothers with children, often are forced to travel further for their goods and services.

Local MP, Annette Brooke is a signatory of Brian Cotter's '10 Minute Rule Bill' and continues to campaign to prevent the closure of local post offices and to oppose proposals to de-regulate the community pharmacy sector which could seriously impact smaller, independent pharmacies and lead to their closure.

Brian Cotter's 10 Minute Rule Bill reads:

SMALL SHOPS (PROTECTION) BILL

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require local authorities to develop plans to support small shops; to amend the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to impose additional planning requirements in relation to large shops and shopping centres; to make provision about retail purchasing by local authorities and other public authorities; to amend the Local Government Finance Act 1988 in relation to non-domestic rates for small shops and related businesses; and for connected purposes.