Trade group the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called on the government to delegate more powers to local communities to boost smaller retailers.
A poll carried out on behalf of the ACS by ComRes found that 77 per cent of MPs would support the idea of giving communities greater control over what shops trade in their local area. However, the organisation warned that the government’s current localism plans are unlikely to deliver sufficient reform.
“Communities want to be able to encourage the right balance of businesses - large and small, discounters, specialists and national brands - but they are currently frustrated by the limits of the planning powers available to them,” said ACS chief executive James Lawton. “This problem will not be addressed by the localism reforms enacted so far.”
Mr Lawton addressed MPs and retailers at last week’s Heart of the Community conference at Westminster, outlining proposals that the ACS believes could prevent towns from simply becoming clones of one another.
Last week, the British Retail Consortium welcomed the government’s decision to remove a clause from the Localism Act which would have allowed residents to call referenda on any chosen issue.
