Labour leader hopeful Lisa Nandy has called for an overhaul of the business rates system and more investment in the retail sector to help the struggling high streets.
Writing in the Mirror, she said communities should be involved in the decisions about the future of high streets.
“For the sake of the three million people who work in retail, and for the countless others who look to their high streets for a sense of pride about where they live, we urgently need to get a grip on this crisis,” she wrote.
Nandy said the reform in business rates system should be the first priority in tackling the crisis, adding that high street shops are unfairly penalised compared to online retailers as a result of the current system.
“Amazon pays just 0.7% of its turnover in business rates, a drop in the ocean compared to what high street shops have to pay. That simple injustice is ripping the heart out of our towns,” she noted.
Nandy called for the rates to closely match the local economic reality.
She said more investment is needed in the sector commensurate with its contribution to the larger economy.
The investment should focus on a “serious skills strategy including higher-quality apprenticeships and training to harness new technology” to benefit the workers, she said.
She also urged the industry to ensure higher pay and an end to zero hours contracts for the workers.
Nandy suggested more involvement by local communities in deciding the future of high streets.
“Let’s recognise the deep attachment communities have to their high streets and insist they’re involved when it comes to making decisions about the future,” she wrote.
“We need to ensure that community groups have a seat at the table when local plans are drawn up.”
Nandy, a 40-year-old former Labour policy chief for energy and climate change, has represented the northern English town of Wigan since 2010.
The Labour leadership ballot will run from Feb. 21 to April 2, with results announced on Saturday, April 4. The party will also elect a new deputy leader.
