Dame Sharon says rising crime, unfair business rates, tourist tax and sclerotic planning rules are affecting high streets
High Streets are at risk of becoming a «robbery hotspot» for gangs of criminals, the John Lewis boss has warned, as the department store calls for a Royal Commission to review moribund town centres.
Dame Sharon White, chair of the John Lewis Partnership, said high streets are suffering from a rise in shoplifting and anti-social behavior after years of store closures have left towns and centers with boarded-up shopfronts or «seemingly endless» rows of shops. charity shops and vape retailers.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, she calls on ministers to set up a Royal Commission to look into the health of cities — and how to revitalize them — for the first time since the Victorian era. era.
More than 6,000 stores in the UK have closed in the past five years as shoppers increasingly choose to shop online, according to industry data.
As well as rising crime, Dame Sharon said «unfair» business rates, sclerotic planning rules and the government's introduction of a «tourist tax» were also to blame for the deteriorating health of high streets.
She added that clean air zones, such as Ulez Sadiq Khan's controversial scheme in London, and other traffic changes must be implemented «in such a way that no one is left behind».
Without a «comprehensive plan» to stop the rise in shoplifting, high streets risk «becoming a robbery scene for intrepid shoplifters and organized gangs», she said.
0208 Number of shoplifting offenses in England and Wales
Her warning came after the co-op said it had hired undercover security guards to patrol grocery aisles for thieves following a 35 rise in theft and anti-social behavior % in the first half of this year. one.
The Royal Commission, an independent public inquiry, could best look at high streets in the round, boss John Lewis said, adding: “High streets are more important to us than the sum of their parts; they help define our cities and towns and create civic pride.
“They are vital to us as a nation, and so piecemeal solutions to individual problems will not work.”
Royal commissioners are appointed by the king to collect evidence. on the topic and prepare a report with recommendations.
The last time a Royal Commission looked into urban health issues was 180 years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria.
It focused on public health issues. The investigation led to the passing of the Public Health Act 1848, which was instrumental in improving sanitation conditions in England and Wales.
This will be the first Royal Commission since 1999, when Tony Blair set up a commission to reform the House of Lords.
The Conservative Party has promised to establish a Royal Commission into the Criminal Justice System at the 2019 election. However, work was suspended due to the pandemic.
Dame Sharon's warning is the latest in a series of calls to action from leading UK retail executives.
Last month, a report commissioned by the Retail Sector Council, which includes the chief executives of Sainsbury's, Boots and Primark, warned that Oxford Street's decline risks becoming a template for Britain's high streets unless ministers support recovery efforts
Richard Pennycook, the co-op's former chief executive and co-chairman of the board, said more towns and villages were at risk of becoming «wastelands» due to a lack of incentive for retailers to invest in stores.
Meanwhile Marks & Spencer is embroiled in a row with Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove over his Oxford Street store after he blocked multi-million pound regeneration plans.
Tags & Spencer has launched legal action against Michael Gove blocking the redevelopment of her Oxford Street store. Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg
Chief executive Stuart Machin said Mr Gove's decision would have a «chilling effect» on investment across the country. M&S is challenging the decision.
Dame Sharon said planning laws must «provide clarity and certainty to support businesses when they want to invest in regeneration.»
She said this also applies to the M&S development on Oxford Street. as is the case with the John Lewis Partnership regeneration project in West Ealing, where the company is trying to build more than 400 apartments above a Waitrose store.
A government spokesman said: “Our leveling program is revitalizing high streets around the world. across the country, and our £830 million Future High Streets Fund is helping to renew and transform town centers and high streets in ways that stimulate growth and improve the quality of life for local people.»
The spokesperson added, that recent planning changes have supported High Streets to be able to respond quickly to changing consumer demand, while the Business Rates Reduction Scheme announced last year is helping businesses in town centers.
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