UK Parliament / Open data

The High Street

Proceeding contribution from Simon Danczuk (Labour) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 21 May 2013. It occurred during Adjournment debate on The High Street.

It is neither. My hon. Friend the Member for Blackley and Broughton (Graham Stringer) made the point that Amazon is not paying full corporation tax, and there is a discrepancy in business rates, so I suggest that we need to overhaul the whole business rates system. It is simply not fit for purpose.

I am aware that many other voices are not locked into the myopic consensus that characterises Government thinking on the high street. One of them is that of Bill Grimsey, a turnaround specialist, who was formerly the chief executive of Wickes, Iceland and other companies. I met Bill recently, and he explained that town centres cannot be saved as pure retail destinations. Technology is already influencing how we shop, and in the future everything will change. What is required, he argued, is a holistic approach to creating vibrant high streets that addresses housing, education, health, entertainment and shopping.

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
563 c88WH 
Session
2013-14
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
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