The communities and local government minister Bob Neill says the Coalition is committed to helping to secure a more level playing field for Britain’s small shops
In his ‘Saturday Essay’ article for The Grocer, Neil says that initiatives such as the £20 million High Street Support scheme (introduced after the summer riots) and the doubling of small business rate relief are already benefiting thousands of small traders.
Neil says that Coaltion Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework is specifically designed to help protect local high streets. Under the new policy, “bureaucratic, centrally-imposed parking restrictions” will be scrapped freeing councils to set parking policies that are “right for their area and based on local needs”.
