Put emphasis on local support
There have been many changes over the last 10 years, too few, alas, which enhance and strengthen communities. Especially hard hit are the small towns that feature large in Shropshire.
Travel along most high streets, or stop at the market square and what do you inevitably see? That the bank has gone, and in nearby villages the post office to make matters worse, and where is that good greengrocers?
Yes, some of the empty spaces are now charity shops but they don’t revive what was once there. What is more, many of these losses were long established and occupied substantial buildings which defined the character of these places.
The carnage is especially hard too on the smaller villages,where there is a reliance on the bus service now their village shop has gone. If no buses run it’s the elderly and the young that have extremely limited opportunities. Car ownership becomes a must and this is not as it should be.
It is to be applauded where communities come together to save their local pub or village shop. But not every village is able to do this and more could be done by councils to support and supplement local effort.
What is currently on offer is the so called, Stronger Towns Fund that in no way compensates either for the loss of EU regional funds nor for the ten years of austerity which has destroyed libraries, youth centres and much that makes for the quality of small town life.
That said, The Stronger Towns Fund isn’t nothing. £1.6bn, of which £212 million will go to the West Midlands, albeit spread over six years, is worth having. But the relevant context is that councils in England have lost about £12bn in government funding since 2010.
This new money does little to cover that gap. It is also time-limited: cash for six years but at the end of that six years local authorities in receipt of these funds will be back to square one and still dealing with the cumulative year-on-year cuts.
What would help is local banking focussed on investment in the local infrastructure, enabling the low-carbon economy, and helping local small businesses.
The Green Party wants policies that enable stronger communities and thriving local economies, such as local services based in as many towns and villages as possible, along with excellent bus and rail services.
We want council tax banding and stamp duty to be fully devolved, as well as powers to determine new taxes like a land value tax, which could replace business rates and council tax with a much fairer system.
John Lloyd, South Shropshire Green Party
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