New figures show recession’s impact on Shropshire
Tuesday 6th July 2010, 10:32AM BST.
Shropshire has almost 90 fewer pubs and restaurants now than it did 12 months ago and the number of petrol stations, primary schools and banks has also fallen, new figures showed today.
Rural campaigners today called for more action to help safeguard services in the county and urged people to make the most of the facilities in their area or risk losing them.
The stark figures were released by the Commission for Rural Communities in its State of the Countryside report, which focuses on the circumstances of people living and working in rural areas based on official statistics.
Richard Sheehan, managing director of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, today said: “Any statistics of this nature where there is a decline in services overall is disappointing, though not unexpected given the economic climate.
“The rural community relies on these central services more so than probably somebody in a metropolitan area. The statistics also show that it’s vital we all get behind our local businesses and services.”
The statistics show that this year there are 60 fewer pubs and restaurants in the Shropshire Council area compared with 2009, in addition to one less bank or building society, 12 fewer petrol stations, and three fewer primary schools.
But there are 260 more cashpoints, 14 extra convenience stores, and three more supermarkets.
In Telford & Wrekin there are now 29 fewer pubs and restaurants, two fewer banks or building societies, two fewer petrol stations, 149 extra cashpoints, four more convenience stores and two fewer supermarkets. There has been no change in the number of primary schools.
Selby Martin, of the Shropshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “The most important thing is to shop locally and campaign against closures.”
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How do the figures for the likes of T@sco hold up against this, I suspect they’ll be the inverse. As the inevitable fly-in-the-ointment these global industries help destroy local services.
Chamber of Commerce please inform councillors of the real effects of taking the shilling off these organisations. Less of those self congratularity events (as featured so often in colour centre pages) and more pro-active activity to keep medium to large size businesses local please.
Pubs were mostly bought up by global sized companies for whom the context of the product is a now-meaningless ‘brand’ – when they see that pubs, a complicated long-term business can be closed and sold-off for housing for short term profit – it suits their short term thinking to do so. How about councils supporting locals running locally owned pubs and support from tax authorities and local planning to bring back real local businesses instead of global-brands.
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I don’t suppose for one minute that these pub closure figures could have anything to do with the discriminatory smoking ban could they ?
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