Press Releases

New figures published today by the Home Office have revealed that just 7.8% of crimes reported in the last year resulted in a charge or summons for offenders, down from 9.1% in the previous year.

The Crime Outcomes in England and Wales report from the Home Office outlines the different ways that reported crimes are dealt with by police. Across all crime, 44.4% of investigations result in no suspect being identified, rising to 74.4% for theft offences.

The Association of Convenience Stores has urged Environment Secretary Michael Gove MP to re-think his support for an “all-in” deposit return scheme in England and Wales.  Speaking at Kew Gardens in London today, Mr Gove outlined his support for an approach that could require retailers to take back plastic, glass, metal, HDPE bottles and other containers as part of the proposed deposit return scheme, with no limits on the size of the container that can be returned.

The Government has responded to the House of Lords Rural Economy Committee’s final report about how Government policy could strengthen rural businesses and communities.

The 2019 ACS Rural Shop Report reveals that rural convenience stores provide flexible jobs for almost 140,000 people, have invested over £271m in improving their businesses, and continue to provide a wide range of services despite slow broadband speeds and unreliable mobile connectivity.

The Low Pay Commission has visited an East of England Co-op store in Gorleston as part of its Visits Programme in Great Yarmouth. ACS supports retailers to take part in the Low Pay Commission Visits Programme to provide first hand evidence about the impact of the National Living Wage and employment costs.

A group of businesses and trade bodies representing the retail sector have written to the Home Secretary and other Ministers, calling for more to be done to tackle widespread violence and abuse against shopworkers.

ACS has given evidence to the Non-Domestic Rating Bill Committee, welcoming the move to more frequent revaluations on business rates.

The evidence session comes after the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed changes to the frequency of business rates valuations earlier this month. The next revaluation, previously scheduled for 2022, will be brought forward to 2021, with revaluations taking place every three years thereafter instead of the current five year period.

New figures from the Association of Convenience Stores have revealed that fewer than one in ten retailers are planning to invest in their business in the future, a record low.

When asked about their business plans in the quarterly Voice of Local Shops Survey, only 9% of independent retailers said they planned to invest in their stores over the coming year. This is the lowest level seen since the survey began in 2012 and a decline from 16% last May.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has submitted evidence to the Low Pay Commission as part of their consultation on future minimum wage rates, calling for the process to remain independent, evidence-based and free of political pressure.

Minimum wages are expected to reach the Low Pay Commission’s target of 60% of median earnings by 2020, a rate which is currently predicted to be £8.67 for the National Living Wage.  The Commission is currently consulting on its future remit post-2020.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed an announcement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on changes to the frequency of business rates revaluations. The next revaluation, previously scheduled for 2022, will be brought forward to 2021, with revaluations taking place every three years thereafter instead of the current five year period.

The Government has received approval from the Supreme Court to appeal a £300 million court dispute over business rate bills for cash machines outside shops.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is set to challenge a ruling from the Court of Appeal which confirmed that through the wall ATMs should not be subject to a separate business rates assessment.