Lords called on to help small retailers
The House of Lords is being urged to vote for a Bill designed to support small shops. The Retail Development Bill, which receives its second reading in the Lords on 22 February, sets out measures that would ensure small retailers have a chance to compete against large supermarkets. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on the Lords to give the Bill their backing. The provisions of the Bill would see a business rates review based on annual turnover and floor space; the introduction of retail development plans that put the interests of local communities first; and the creation of an independent Office of Retail Planning. At the moment the UK is shedding some 2000 small shops a year. The annual rate of decline, the FSB said, is such that soon there will be too few local retailers to make the wholesale market viable. Clive Davenport, the FSB’s trade and industry chairman, said: “The Retail Development Bill offers a lifeline to many local communities that are rapidly losing their local shops and services. The future of 50,000 small shops hangs in the balance, so we call on Peers to support this Bill in the hope that it will gain Government backing.” Mr Davenport added: “We need a review of business rates to ensure that small shops at the heart of the community are not paying over the odds, while out of town supermarkets pay rock bottom rates. We also want an independent Office of Retail Planning to consider the wider impact of retail developments on local economies and communities. “It is frankly absurd that on the one hand we are told to reduce our carbon footprint, whilst on the other we are haemorrhaging our independent retailers, which are based on our doorsteps and source local produce.” Date:22 February 2008
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