Liberal Democrats launch plans to revitalise Britain's high streets

9.42.00am GMT Sun 14th Feb 2010

Liberal Democrats in South West Wiltshire have today set out plans to revitalise Britain's high streets, protect the future of the Post Office, and help small businesses establish and grow in a fairer marketplace.

The announcement comes as research shows one in eight shops is now empty after the recession. The report, published by the Local Data Company (LDC), says vacancies shot up by 24% in the second half of 2009.

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for South West Wiltshire Trevor Carbin said:

"Even before the credit crunch hit, small independent shops were struggling to survive on our high streets.

"The Government's skewed planning system has seen supermarket giants squeeze the life out of towns like ours and now almost every high street in Britain is an identical collection of chain stores and coffee shops.

"We need thriving town centres in Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster and Mere so local businesses can survive and grow.

"The financial crisis has exposed Labour and the Conservatives' folly of being entirely dependent on the City of London. The Liberal Democrats understand that it will be small businesses that are key to building a healthy and balanced economy."

Commenting, Nick Clegg said: "Thriving high streets are at the heart of local communities.

"But it has been our high streets that have borne the brunt of this recession, with boarded up shops scarring towns and villages across Britain.

"I believe that people value the wide range of goods and services available locally and want to see their high streets thrive and prosper."

The document includes proposals to:

• Encourage the development of a PostBank and free the Post Office from the Royal Mail to enable it to develop new business

• Introduce a local competition test for all planning applications for new retail developments to establish a fairer balance between local independent stores and large supermarkets

• Establish a system of Local Enterprise Funds and regional stock exchanges to ensure small businesses get access to cost effective equity that meets their needs.