Welshpool has ‘too many’ charity shops
Monday 15th November 2010, 11:55AM GMT.
Councillors in Welshpool are urging the Government to act to stop large numbers of charity shops taking over town centre sites and affecting trade.
They fear the market town is becoming overrun with stores raising money for good causes and trade is being affected as shoppers go elsewhere.
The town council claims like so many town centres all over Britain, Welshpool is being swamped with charity shops taking advantage of rate relief and squeezing out regular traders.
Robert Robinson, town clerk, said today that the council was not against having the shops in the town but there should be a limit. He said the town currently had six charity shops.
Mr Robinson added he was now preparing a report for the Welsh Assembly on the subject of unfair trading conditions between private shops and charity shops.
He said he feared many businesses were being turned away from the town’s main Broad Street because they could not compete with charity shops offering cut-price goods.
He added that the report would be handed to government officials before the end of the year.
“Charity shops get 80 per cent rate relief, so when it comes to paying rent they can afford to pay more,” he said. “I think there needs to be more control over what shops we have in the town because if we’re not careful many people will end up going to shop elsewhere — that’s if they don’t already.
“I’m not against charity shops and it’s not their fault but I just think we as a town need a bit more variety here.
“When it comes to rent reviews it’s the other businesses that suffer because the landlord expects them to pay the same rent as the charity shop.”
He added that it was a problem nationwide.
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Welshpool is no different to any other town in the country. The High Street as we knew it crica 1970 no longer exists, the age of the internet has seen to that with online buying growing year on year.
Therefore, what choice do the council have, empty shops or a few charity shops? It’s no good complaining or asking the Government for help, they should look at reducing rents and/or rates and stop greedy landlords from trying to exploit businesses already in situ.
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I agree.
But if there was a limit to charity shops, then landlords would become liable for the rates instead of them being waived. This may actually be the incentive needed to make them lower rents as you suggest, so that they can get a tenant in to take over responsibility for payment.
And you’re right – it’s not government’s fault, it’s controlled by local government policy. This is a private market and private landlords are only taking advantage of the law that allows charities to not pay rates and also keeps their buildings occupied and less costly to insure.
If councils were to become more business orientated, then they would give new start-ups some rates benefit to encourage them to come into the town.
Lower rents through limiting charity take-up of empty shops coupled to rates benefits for new start-ups would probably lead to an increase in shops being used as places of trade and commerce.
The councillors should consider that course of action rather than asking government to fix a problem, the solution to which can be found in their own hands.
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This is caused by greedy absentee landlords. They know that due to charity shops paying very little in rates, they can charge quite high rents to the charities.
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