ACS has welcomed the publication of a number of Bills in the Kings Speech, which would support local shops with issues like, crime, energy contracts, and late payments.
The State Opening of Parliament sets out the Government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead. Among the 37 Bills published today, the five most relevant to convenience stores are:
- Police Reform Bill: This Bill will scrap Police and Crime Commissioners, aims to put more police on the streets, and will set up a new National Police Service for serious crime
- Digital Access to Services Bill: This Bill will introduce a digital ID, accessed free of charge through the GOV.UK app, aiming to ‘be a convenient way for people to prove who they are’
- Energy Independence Bill: This Bill will aim to improve energy security and reduce costs, and will give Ofgem new powers to regulate energy brokers (TPIs) to stop unfair practices
- Competition Reform Bill: This Bill will aim to improve the work of the CMA so that market reviews can be conducted more quickly and in a more focused way
- Small Business Protections (Late Payments) Bill: This Bill will impose maximum payment terms of 60 days and mandatory interest for late payments at 8% above the Bank of England base rate
ACS chief executive Ed Woodall said: “Retail crime, the illicit trade and the cost of trading are three of the biggest issues facing local shops, so we welcome proposals set out in the Kings Speech today to make further progress on putting more police on the streets, protecting retailers from unfair energy contracts, and ensuring that payments are made to them on time. The convenience sector has a long track record of leading on age restricted sales policies, most recently through our Decline09 campaign to simplify the generational tobacco ban, and we will continue to work closely with the government on the implementation of digital ID acceptance in stores.”
The full Kings Speech document is available here.
