ACS has responded to the government’s consultation which sets out their proposals to change the range of sanctions available to tackle the illicit tobacco trade, calling on them to focus their resources on making better use of existing sanctions.
The Home Office have published the latest figures from the 2016 Commercial Victimisation Survey, showing that there were around 3.5m incidents of customer theft against businesses in 2016, up from 3.4m in the year before, with a total of 5.2m crimes committed against wholesale and retail premises.
ACS has called on energy regulator Ofgem to ensure that local shops and other small businesses are included in proposals to limit backbilling of electricity and gas. Currently, suppliers have signed up to voluntary agreements to only backbill domestic consumers for a maximum of 12 months.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released crime figures for the year ending December 2016 in England and Wales, revealing an 8% jump in recorded shop theft incidents. The figures show that there were approximately 358,235 incidents of shop theft in 2016, which is over 25,000 more incidents than in 2015. The figures support ACS’ own crime survey which also showed an increase in shop theft.
Prime Minister Theresa May has today announced plans to hold a General Election on June 8th this year, with the primary intention of securing a mandate to deliver the UK’s exit from the European Union. For an election to take place, two thirds of Parliament must approve the plan. It is likely that the plans will go through, as all major parties have welcomed the Election announcement.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have published their new strategy to tackle litter in the UK which includes the creation of a working group on the feasibility of a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has warned the Labour party not to play politics with the Living Wage, as Jeremy Corbyn announced Labour would increase National Living wage to £10 per hour. The policy would see the introduction of what Jeremy Corbyn calls the ‘Real Living Wage’, replacing the existing National Living Wage if Labour were to win a General Election in 2020.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to ensure that councils have full discretion over the business rates relief fund announced at the Budget, and that decisions about the eligibility of retailers are made quickly to support those facing the biggest increases.
The Association of Convenience Stores and the Scottish Grocers Federation have called for plans to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) to be scrapped after conducting extensive research into the impact of a scheme with both consumers and retailers. In a detailed submission to the Environmental Audit Committee, ACS and SGF have outlined evidence from both consumers and retailers which demonstrates how expensive, impractical and ultimately ineffective a deposit return scheme would be for the UK.
The Association of Convenience Stores has responded to the publication of a House of Lords Committee Review into the Licensing Act, raising concerns about recommendations made on alcohol promotions and licensing fees. The 168 page review recommends further restrictions on alcohol promotions (which are already in place in Scotland), whilst also recommending giving power to local authorities to increase licensing fees in their area, resulting in additional costs for local shops, pubs, and restaurants.
