Column: Why I’m trying to protect town centres

2:23pm Thursday 26th July 2012 in Jack Straw column Photograph of the Author By Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn

The first television set I bought for our home in Blackburn, shortly after we’d moved in the mid-1980s, was from a store in the town centre.

My then young children were desperate that I got it set up straight away. As we had walked into town, there was nothing for it but to carry it back the half mile to where we lived. It was large, and very heavy. My shoulder ached for weeks afterwards.

Years later, when this television had finally given up the ghost, I decided on the easy option.

I purchased my new television from a store on the Whitebirk retail Park, between Blackburn and Accrington, and took it back home by car.

Now that I’m campaigning, with Hyndburn MP Graham Jones, for restrictions on what the stores there can sell to stay in force, does this make me a hypocrite?

“No”, is my answer. The current restrictions on the Whitebirk site limit the stores there to selling “bulky goods” only – items like carpets, furniture, electrical white goods – and televisions.

These restrictions were imposed by Hyndburn Council (oddly, this bit of Blackburn comes within their area, for historical reasons) to protect the town centres of both Accrington and Blackburn. Broadly they’ve worked.

When the owners of the site, Peel Holdings, tried to have the restrictions lifted in 2005 Hyndburn pushed back. Peel lost their appeal before a planning inquiry in 2008, with the inspector saying that this would have “a negative and harmful effect” on the two town centres.

Since they lost that appeal, Peel have resorted to technical wheezes to get round the very clear decisions of both the council and the inspector – submitting 29 separate, and apparently minor planning applications in three years, which they now say gives them a right to sell anything from this site.

If Peel succeed in this strategy, it will damage our town centres. As the retail expert Mary Portas has showed, they are the heart of all our communities – in a way that a few retail sheds on an arterial road can never be.

Comments (8)

6:35pm Thu 26 Jul 12

mavrick says...

Since when was Mary Portas a town centre retail expert? We have more experts in the town halls than you need. We need decent paying jobs to put money in peoples pockets to spend in the high street. Not rocket science.
Since when was Mary Portas a town centre retail expert? We have more experts in the town halls than you need. We need decent paying jobs to put money in peoples pockets to spend in the high street. Not rocket science. mavrick

8:19pm Thu 26 Jul 12

Kevin, Colne says...

Another example of the power of corporations, which explains in part the collapse of faith in the political class.

As Mavrick says folks need decent paying jobs but they are few and far between. Moreover. many folks that are in employment have experienced a prolonged freeze in pay, or if they have received a rise this may well have been below the recorded rate of price inflation and certainly well below their personal cost of living. I am not sure that the elites grasp fully the implications of this.

We're in a depression, in my view.

I have to say that if George Osborne was the best candidate that the Coalition could muster for Chancellor of the Exchequer then heaven help us! I have to say in all candour that Ed Balls is hardly any better.

The political and media classes now talk endlessly about ‘getting the economy moving’ and ‘kick-starting the economy’; and Andrew Stephenson MP for Pendle writes enthusiastically about ‘investing in growth’.

All of this sounds plausible but is meaningless as it is not addressing the fundamental problem: the heavily indebted personal sector.

This debt must be repaid or defaulted, either directly or indirectly through inflation. The current policy is using a combination of all three approaches, and this is proving to be an exceedingly long and painful process for both borrowers and lenders.

Novel ways now need to be found to accelerate this process.

Although I am no fan of the National Lottery or Premium Bonds I am
surprised that policy makers have not considered altering the prize structure of these so that there are a much, much larger number of mid-range prizes around £25,000.

Leaders of banks, if genuinely sorry for the part they have played in leading us into financial ruination, could forgo their millions of pounds bonuses for a few years and the money could be used to create many thousands of prizes of £25,000 that could be allocated to account holders through a draw. Actions speak louder than words.

For many people a win or cash injection of this magnitude would either solve or assist markedly in helping them in ‘getting straight’.

We will not be able to generate any sort of meaningful recovery until the level of personal debt is reduced and this is something that the elites simply will not address.
Another example of the power of corporations, which explains in part the collapse of faith in the political class. As Mavrick says folks need decent paying jobs but they are few and far between. Moreover. many folks that are in employment have experienced a prolonged freeze in pay, or if they have received a rise this may well have been below the recorded rate of price inflation and certainly well below their personal cost of living. I am not sure that the elites grasp fully the implications of this. We're in a depression, in my view. I have to say that if George Osborne was the best candidate that the Coalition could muster for Chancellor of the Exchequer then heaven help us! I have to say in all candour that Ed Balls is hardly any better. The political and media classes now talk endlessly about ‘getting the economy moving’ and ‘kick-starting the economy’; and Andrew Stephenson MP for Pendle writes enthusiastically about ‘investing in growth’. All of this sounds plausible but is meaningless as it is not addressing the fundamental problem: the heavily indebted personal sector. This debt must be repaid or defaulted, either directly or indirectly through inflation. The current policy is using a combination of all three approaches, and this is proving to be an exceedingly long and painful process for both borrowers and lenders. Novel ways now need to be found to accelerate this process. Although I am no fan of the National Lottery or Premium Bonds I am surprised that policy makers have not considered altering the prize structure of these so that there are a much, much larger number of mid-range prizes around £25,000. Leaders of banks, if genuinely sorry for the part they have played in leading us into financial ruination, could forgo their millions of pounds bonuses for a few years and the money could be used to create many thousands of prizes of £25,000 that could be allocated to account holders through a draw. Actions speak louder than words. For many people a win or cash injection of this magnitude would either solve or assist markedly in helping them in ‘getting straight’. We will not be able to generate any sort of meaningful recovery until the level of personal debt is reduced and this is something that the elites simply will not address. Kevin, Colne

1:36pm Fri 27 Jul 12

Ken Shuffles says...

If we keep waiting for the elites to adress the situation we are going to need someone to manage our expectations for a long time. These elites have no solution that is going to stop greed. Capitalism puts no limit on greed. The lawmakers have not introduced one law on greed as far as I know in the last 2000 years.
If we keep waiting for the elites to adress the situation we are going to need someone to manage our expectations for a long time. These elites have no solution that is going to stop greed. Capitalism puts no limit on greed. The lawmakers have not introduced one law on greed as far as I know in the last 2000 years. Ken Shuffles

1:48pm Fri 27 Jul 12

Ken Shuffles says...

Morris Dancers would be just as effective at resolving this current crises which is largely due to financial institutions looking after other financial institutions first while the real community, which these leaderships no longer sees themselves as a part of, is left to fend for itself.
Morris Dancers would be just as effective at resolving this current crises which is largely due to financial institutions looking after other financial institutions first while the real community, which these leaderships no longer sees themselves as a part of, is left to fend for itself. Ken Shuffles

1:49pm Fri 27 Jul 12

Ken Shuffles says...

The Banks are busily helping themselves to recover.
The Banks are busily helping themselves to recover. Ken Shuffles

1:52pm Fri 27 Jul 12

Ken Shuffles says...

The last thing the elites want is everyone feeling prosperous.
The last thing the elites want is everyone feeling prosperous. Ken Shuffles

11:18pm Fri 27 Jul 12

manyarecalled says...

It is a bit late in the day , because all town centres look alike , with the same shops selling the same Far Eastern junk.
You're all right , Jack .
It is a bit late in the day , because all town centres look alike , with the same shops selling the same Far Eastern junk. You're all right , Jack . manyarecalled

1:53pm Sun 29 Jul 12

district01 says...

Does writing fairy tales come naturally Jack?

“The first television set I bought for our home in Blackburn, shortly after we’d moved in the mid-1980s, was from a store in the town centre” Anyone reading those few words and the rest would imagine that you have actually lived in Blackburn and that you still each evening on your way home from work call at your local chip shop to get your tea for the family then sit together watching that very same television set that you bought so long ago. Never having bought another from anywhere else but from the town centre. Telling fairy tales to mislead does seem to come naturally but can you say ‘honestly’ that you have never bought anything from an out of town shopping facility?

But colour televisions in those days were extremely heavy and only the wealthy could afford them. The majority in those days still had black & white ones and rented them because most people could not afford a car to go out and get one. But why should it matter where people shop these days because shopping out of town is just another form of shopping facility that people want otherwise they would not want to use them. People are now able to live away from town centres and out of town shopping is hassle free and usually cheaper. Shopping on the internet even more so where you also have the choice.

Unless of course what your really wanting to do is to take those options away from the shopper?
Does writing fairy tales come naturally Jack? “The first television set I bought for our home in Blackburn, shortly after we’d moved in the mid-1980s, was from a store in the town centre” Anyone reading those few words and the rest would imagine that you have actually lived in Blackburn and that you still each evening on your way home from work call at your local chip shop to get your tea for the family then sit together watching that very same television set that you bought so long ago. Never having bought another from anywhere else but from the town centre. Telling fairy tales to mislead does seem to come naturally but can you say ‘honestly’ that you have never bought anything from an out of town shopping facility? But colour televisions in those days were extremely heavy and only the wealthy could afford them. The majority in those days still had black & white ones and rented them because most people could not afford a car to go out and get one. But why should it matter where people shop these days because shopping out of town is just another form of shopping facility that people want otherwise they would not want to use them. People are now able to live away from town centres and out of town shopping is hassle free and usually cheaper. Shopping on the internet even more so where you also have the choice. Unless of course what your really wanting to do is to take those options away from the shopper? district01

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