Right to Retail
June 21 2011 saw the launch of the ResPublica Right to Retail report in Parliament. The meeting chaired by Stephen Gilbert MP heard speeches from ResPublica Think Tank Director Phillip Blond, Labour Planning spokesman Jack Dromey MP and James Lowman.
Phillip Blond explained the importance of the report in setting out how a ‘new economic settlement’ is required. He stressed that grocery is a market where we are in increasing danger of seeing competition without competitors as small businesses see their share of the market squeezed by the large multiple chains. He set out the report’s recommendations which provide a policy framework to promote growth of smaller businesses, a new approach to competition policy and greater power for local communities to shape the local economy.
Jack Dromey explained why he had championed legislative changes in the Localism Bill. His proposal is for a new legal duty on Councils to put in place a retail diversity scheme as part of their local plan. The scheme to be developed through consultation with the community is in his view ‘the way to ensure local people have the power over the way retail is shaped in their community.
James Lowman took the opportunity to highlight the risks of Government ‘sleep walking into a flight from our town centres.’ He stressed that he believed Ministers are committed to the high street but that they needed ‘waking up’ to the loopholes that would be created in existing policy. His plea was that the Localism Bill was ‘Tesco-proofed’ to ensure that Councils had the tools they need to be in control of the decisions that are made on retail development in their neighbourhoods and town centres.
Steven Gilbert MP echoed the panels concerns about community involvement and explained how he felt that communities must also be given a ‘right of appeal’ in the planning system. He stressed that the system was ‘asymmetric’ with councils faced with the threat of expensive legal action from well resourced developers and yet the community had no recourse if they felt a decision was wrong.
The Report which was first published in April has sparked significant debate about the importance of choice and diversity on the high street. The report was funded by ACS but the recommendations are independent. Share your views on the report with ACS at acs@acs.org.uk