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Wrecking our high street

9:18am Wednesday 11th May 2011 in News

Witham high street has been neglected and left scarred by empty premises claimed a local politician.

In a parliamentary debate on small and medium sized businesses in Witham MP Priti Patel called on the Government to take action on tax, regulation and access to credit to help save them.

She also asked for Essex to be considered as a prime candidate to become an enterprise zone which would stimulate the area through tax breaks, reduced planning restrictions and the introduction of superfast broadband.

Comments(11)

The Stinker says...
12:56pm Wed 11 May 11

I have heard, and I might be wrong, that larger chain stores have applied for premises in Witham and Braintree and been turned down by the council. If this is true then it is no surprise that our town centre is run-down and full of betting shops, cheap clothes shops, charity shops and fast food outlets, which all generally come and go.

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ravenmorpheus says...
1:10pm Wed 11 May 11

I find this quite rich coming from Ms Patel. She's a Tory, the party who is in power in BDC is Tory and has been for a long while.

The only thing tax breaks do is make the existing business people wealthier, they won't employ anyone on anything much higher than minimum wage, nor will they employ more staff where they don't need to.

Reduced planning restrictions will only suit the developers who wish to stick as many houses into a small space as possible.

And superfast broadband - given the prices companies charge for such services (BT, Virgin etc.) who in Braintree can afford it? From a business perspective it's not really required either unless you are transmitting high levels of data, and I don't think we have much of an IT industry in Braintree.

It all stinks of hypocrisy, "being seen to do be doing something" and self promotion (which Ms Patel seems to be very good at) if you ask me.

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Balexan says...
3:54pm Wed 11 May 11

Why not just offer tax breaks for companies which bring some niche skills into the town. I am a little old fashioned with this, but with all the raving patrionism in England, would old school manufacturing not be a good thing? We were great engineers at one point, as well as manufactures, car designing, metal works etc...So where are these companies? Yes it's cheaper to produce abroad, but people are always moaning about foreigners, why not put their money where their mouths are and start demanding British made products? I'd pay a bit extra if something was made local (something I actually need that is), and if it kept people employed and brought some skills back home. How about that Ms Patel? Let me guess, you didn't even give it a thought,
I am not so sure about large chains being turned turn, although that would be nice, but as Ravenmorpheus says, this would be unusual for the Tories to do, they seem not to have cared in the past. We're getting another Sainsburys in Braintree soon, just what we needed. I don't know of another town that has so many supermarkets (large ones) in such a small area. There are 3 Tesco's, 2 Sainsburys, an Iceland, Lidl, and a co-op. not to mention Freeport, a place I seem to leave empty handed a lot, shame i'm not a tracksuit and trainers man, i'd be in heaven there! Jaegar is nice though.
Another power hungry MP, who like all the others, thinks that we don't see straight through them.

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The Stinker says...
4:23pm Wed 11 May 11

I was thinking about better but affordable fashion outlets like Next (not the rubbish they put out at Freeport), Gap (ditto), Fat Face, Blacks, M&S, etc. That would bring jobs to Witham and raise the quality just a tad. But I heard that there was opposition to this (probably from the Councillors who have a vested interest in the current old cack we're offered).

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Balexan says...
5:04pm Wed 11 May 11

I think that when a town has money, and unemployment is low in the area, good shops tend to turn up of their own accord. Retailers will check things like local employment, average wage, crime levels etc... before they open shop.
I'm lucky to have any spare cash to spend in any of the naff shops left, but there are not many that can. There is a link between high unemployment, and poor retail facilities. If the town gets a good reputation for low unemployment, a good average wage (are you listening Ms Patel? jobs that pay just minimum wage are not the be all end all!), it will show very quickly!
Too many people commuting out of the town is bad news. Local employment, with decent wages and skills is what will help rejuvenate the towns. If people do a job that pays well, produces something worthwhile having, and gives them a decent skill, then they will be happier and have spare income to spend in shops like you mention. letting supermarkets open and justifying it by saying it will create jobs is utter bo!!ocks. Low wages, low skills, and tax credits is all that encourages, and generally results in the loss of a local trader somewhere else!
I agree that the councillors must have some kind of vested interest in leaving shops empty, or having "cack" ones left in place. It justify's there arguement to let the franchises open, and to sell buildings and land to developers to make a quick buck.
Ms Patel, stop acting a silly school girl trying to get a gold star from us and do something useful.
Sometime I wonder if you become an MP by finding a gold ticket in a random box of corn flakes? because that seems to be the only justification for why we get lumbered with these morons!

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ravenmorpheus says...
6:34pm Wed 11 May 11

"Balexan, Braintree says...
5:04pm Wed 11 May 11

I am not so sure about large chains being turned turn, although that would be nice, but as Ravenmorpheus says, this would be unusual for the Tories to do, they seem not to have cared in the past."
---

Er no that's not what I said at all Balexan.

And there have been rumours going around for decades that a certain Mr Townrow and his cronies on the Braintree Chamber of Commerce have vetoed certain stores from opening in Braintree when they have expressed an interest in doing so.

Whether those rumours are indeed true, who knows, but where there's smoke...

And as for the large number of supermarkets - have you seen Sainsburys and Tesco in the town centre on a Friday or Saturday, especially at Christmas?

Seems to me a couple more supermarkets in strategic positions around the town are necessary. Perhaps when the new Sainsburys is built, providing they don't close the town centre store, Sainsburys won't be so busy as it is at times.

I do agree with your point about min. wages. though. Even if jobs require low skills the min. wage. is not a living wage, not in the slightest.

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Micci64 says...
1:15pm Thu 12 May 11

We could have told her this long before we'd ever even heard of Patel! Sick of hearing/seeing her name. Anyone would think no other councillor has ever done anything for the area. She is not interested in Witham, just in gaining attention for herself. Go away Patel you stupid woman

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The Stinker says...
1:42pm Thu 12 May 11

Lovely to hear from you again Micci

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Bitbytr_1 says...
4:00pm Tue 17 May 11

Who said Ms. Patel was stupid?

Oh, yeah - that'd be the dimmest denizen of deepest, darkest Witham, Micci64.

Sheesh.

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The Stinker says...
9:17am Wed 18 May 11

Bitbytr, lovely to hear from you again - must have been on holiday, or is that "vacation" where you are?

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Bitbytr_1 says...
1:03pm Thu 19 May 11

This thread brings up several good points.

I wouldn't normally do this but I'm sitting outside at The Bull in Braintree and would like very much to pursue the discussion face to face. Belexan, RM and Stinker: over the next few weeks I'd like to invite "y'all" for a drink. My email is t.w.s@cfl.rr.com. Drop me a line!

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