Saving our high streets

When the high street is sick, so is our community. Shopkeepers are finding the economic climate very tough at the moment, and of course, face increasing competition from the large supermarkets and chains.

Small high street shops are a vital part of the community and provide employment and income to the borough. We notice when there is, for example, no local butcher, no post office, no chemist, or no greengrocer.

Small shops are more than just places to buy goods and services - they are places to socialise and turn neighbourhoods into communities. They are also highly individual and as such, add character to our high streets, making them places that others want to visit, and thus attracting trade to the borough.

Our small high street shops are also under assault from bluntly applied parking regulations which stifle trade and commerce. We do need some controls but all of this has to have a balance. I plan to look at:

• Business taxes;
• Parking controls;
• Planning and development;
• Policing and local services.

I believe the system is broken when it is easier to park at an out-of-town supermarket, than outside your local greengrocer. I also believe it is government’s job to level the playing field and enable small businesses to compete on the same footing as large corporations.

That is what compassionate local Conservatism is about.
 

Deborah Thomas

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Twickenham

Contact me
Tel: 020 8878 7866
Fax: 020 8878 5054
Mobile: 07590 642038

You can write to me at:

372 Upper Richmond Road West
East Sheen, London, SW14 7JU or send an e-mail to:

deborah@deborah4twickenham.com

Please contact me directly for details of campaigning, social events, other political activities or if you would like to become more involved.

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