Liberal Democrats put forward plans to "save small shops"

11.22.09pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 26th Feb 2008

Stuart Bodsworth Stockport's Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson has welcomed the Retail Development Bill put before parliament by Liberal Democrat peer Brian Cotter.

"Small shops are important to communities, to customers and to the economy." Said Stuart Bodsworth. "The Liberal Democrats want to help start-up businesses and small shops at the heart of our communities compete."

The new Bill seeks to protect the future of independent retailers and enable local communities to have a voice and a significant influence, where new supermarkets are planned, or existing large retail outlets wish to expand to the detriment of the local area and people. Lord Cotter's Retail Development Bill passed its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday and now progresses to its committee stage. There are three main proposals in the Bill:

· Business rates review, with three classes of shops

· Each local planning authority will have to produce a plan of retail development for their area. This will help to give safeguards to resist the over expansion of large supermarkets, where they are not appropriate.

· Creation of an Office of Retail Planning to see there is a final arbiter to ensure the Retail Development Plans are formulated and carried forward.

In proposing the Bill Brian Cotter said "We have an urgent situation which needs addressing. It is estimated that 2,000 local shops are going out of business every year, while the grocery market is being saturated by the big four supermarkets. They dominate 75 per cent of the market. A recent survey by the Association of Convenience Stores found that 69 per cent of people supported the idea of the local community becoming more involved with local planning decisions, a key ingredient of this Bill."

"Without Government support this bill will never make it through both houses of Parliament." Said Stuart Bodsworth "It's time for Labour to put local communities ahead of their friends in big business."