A Lib Dem Perspective - Value our Community Businesses

So all of a sudden it’s time to say a sad ‘goodbye’ to summer and start planning for Christmas! To all those young people about to embark on a new school or college year, good luck, and make the most of every opportunity you have.

Unfortunately for many people the omens for the coming winter are not great. Inflation is down a little but still exceeds income growth especially for food. Mortgage rate increases are biting harder as old fixed rate deals run out, and energy costs are expected to rise again.

As the cost of living crisis continues, the summer has seen a steady procession of major High Street closures across a wide range of businesses including Boots, Iceland, Wilko, Clintons, Argos, Wetherspoons, and Barclays.

One positive outcome from the Covid-19 lockdown was a greater appreciation of small local independent retailers, many of whom responded flexibly by introducing home delivery and online purchasing services. If we don’t want our friendly local shops to go the same way as their ‘big brother’ chain stores, it’s important that we keep supporting them.

To be really successful a High Street needs teamwork, from retailers, landlords and rating authorities, as well as customers. Retailers need to create welcoming environments with attractive stock, reasonable prices, and a creative approach to marketing. One outstanding example of this is Sarah’s Cellar in Battle: who in their right mind would have opened a High Street wine shop in the dark days of November 2020?! And yet last week we celebrated Sarah’s move to larger premises to accommodate her expanding business. A strong and creative Chamber of Commerce can also work wonders, with community events, markets, and loyalty schemes.

Landlords play a pivotal role. In Battle, many retail premises are owned by local landlords, not faceless PLCs. Some are very flexible, helping tenants through difficult times and not seeking to impose unreasonable terms. Others hold out for terms that no longer reflect the realities of retail life, and while empty shops usually have just three months’ exemption from business rates, empty shops in listed properties – like most in Battle- remain permanently free of business rates, removing much of the incentive to fill them. Unfortunately although it is Rother’s responsibility to collect business rates, and while they do have a limited role in assessing eligibility for reliefs, the rules and the rates themselves are set by central government so Rother has no say.

Ultimately though it’s up to us. If we don’t want our High Streets to be lined with empty shops and restaurants, we need to use them. Battle is about to welcome a new Italian restaurant and rumours of a long-awaited curry house are rife, so we hope they will both find a warm welcome. Conversely we also need to keep supporting our Foodbanks for those in need of help. Our community is whatever we make it. Don’t leave it to someone else.       

Cllr Kathryn Field