Labour Leader Sir Kier Starmer at C&W Berry in Leyland (Credit: Neil Cross).
Last week, as we all know, a General Election was called outside of number 10 by a very damp Rishi Sunak, current UK Prime Minister, and since then it has been hard not hear from Mr Sunak and Kier Starmer, Leader of the Labour.
However, what you will all be wondering is “how will this affect me”, and Labour has outlined its plans for British high streets.
Inside its impressive-sounding “Labour’s five-point plan to breathe life into Britain’s high streets” the party explains that Britain’s high streets are on the decline but it has a plan which it hopes will turn this around.
At the top of its to-do list is to tackle anti-social behaviour and address the shoplifting issues. It stated: “So that people feel safe when they go out to shop, eat or socialise in their local high street, putting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat, paid for by cutting police bureaucracy and outside contracts, and scrapping the Tories’ £200 rule which stops shoplifting being investigated.”
Second on its list is to roll out banking hubs: “Thriving high streets need banking services for local businesses and customers. Labour will roll out banking hubs to guarantee face-to-face banking in every community boosting local high streets and shops. The cost of opening and operating the hubs will be met collectively by the banks.”
Business rates have been a bone of contention for a while now and Labour has realised this, it said: “Labour will replace business rates with a new system of business property taxation which rebalances the burden and levels the playing field between our high streets and online giants.”
The party will also look to stamp out late payments: “Small and independent retailers shouldn’t be forced to wait months to be paid for work by big clients. Labour would introduce tough new laws to stamp out late payments and make sure more money gets to high street firms.”
Finally, the party wants to revamp empty shops, pubs and community spaces. It stated: “People won’t visit high streets blighted by unsightly boarded up shops. Labour will give communities a strong new ‘right to buy’ beloved community assets to revamp high streets and end the blight of empty premises.”
If you have any thoughts on these points and want to share your thoughts, contact our Editor Will McGill at WMCGILL@Datateam.co.uk
