Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Martin Vickers and Lord Foster of Bath

Monday 8th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Foster]

I certainly will, and I congratulate the people in St Eval for the enormously good work they are doing defending and providing real facilities for their local community. I will, of course, keep under review the issues raised by my hon. Friend.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

11. What steps he is taking to bring empty retail premises back into use.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Don Foster)]

In addition to the range of tools to tackle this issue that I mentioned earlier, we have cut red tape to help landlords make better use of their empty properties, and we have doubled small business rate relief for three and a half years.

[Martin Vickers]

I thank the Minister for his reply and for the initiatives the Government are taking. He will be aware that our provincial towns are scarred with empty shops as a result of changing shopping patterns. Are the Government considering further measures in partnership with the private sector and local authorities to deal with that problem?

[Mr Foster]

Indeed we are, and I am sure the hon. Gentleman will welcome our support for pop-up shops, including in the headquarters of our Department, as well as the financial support we are offering councils. We have set up two bodies—the future high streets forum and the industry-led distressed retail property taskforce—both of which will come forward with new ideas to help us develop the additional measures that he rightly says are needed.