“L.I.V.E” High Streets:
Living streets, local food
Introduction
"Between 1995 and 2000, we lost one fifth of
our local shops and services including post-offices, banks, butchers and
grocers."
"Ghost
Town Britain", New Economics Foundation
"In 1960, small independent
retailers had a 60% share of the food retail market. By 2000, their share was
reduced to 6% while the multiples share increased to 88%."
"Grocery
Retailing 2002: The Market report" IGD
I1. Our local high streets and shops are dying.
Independent shops in the town centre are closing down and taking cinemas, cafes
and banks with them. They leave behind deserted high streets and communities
who are isolated from essential services.
I.2 Local food producers are also dying. We lose on
average 17,000 farmers per year. These are overwhelmingly the small and family
farmers who face such low farm gate prices - often below the cost of production
- that they either intensify or go bankrupt.
I.3 Both local high streets, and local food producers
are being damaged by chains and large out-of-town superstores. These attract
customers away from independent shops and overwhelmingly source their produce
from abroad, and services "in house".
I.4. The net result is that money is being drained out
of the local economy and redirected towards just a few large farms or large
businesses. We do not think this is progress.
I.5 Greens believes Real
progress is a vibrant local economy, with locally sourced and organic produce
being sold in thriving independent shops. We believe that having shops and
services within close reach for all isn’t a luxury: it’s a necessity.
I.6 A Green local authority will implement the LIVE action
plan: a 2 pronged action plan for localshops and local food, which will make
sure your area has a Local Independent Vibrant Economy (this desperately
needs to be reworded !)
Background
1.1 Chain superstores
and edge-of-centre malls are indisputably helping to kill local
economies. Edge-of-centre superstores are drawing customers away from the High
Streets to the outskirts of town. Chain supermarkets - in or out of the town centre - are forcing the closure of independent
shops through their aggressive pricing tactics and brand familiarity.
1.2 Chains overwhelmingly source their produce from
abroad, use "in house" services and delivery networks, and favour the
larger producers. The net result of edge-of-town superstores and chain
supermarkets is the same: money that could be circulating around a myriad local
shops and services, instead circulates around a few large businesses.
1.3 Just one unsuitable out-of-town store can:
- Close down every village shop within a seven mile
radius[1]
- Generate
£25,000[2] of pollution damages per week (mainly through car
trips)
- Lose a
community 276 jobs [3]
1.4 On the other hand, local, independent shops bring
enormous social and economic benefits to the community. Money spent in a high
street circulates around the local economy and generate more jobs: 81 shops in
Suffolk employed 548 people[4]
and sourced food from 295 local producers.
1.5 Local
authorities often grant planning permission to superstores and edge-of-centre
malls because they mistakenly believe that they are good for the economy, or
because the superstores offer vast amounts of money towards, for example, a new
library in return for planning permission.
1.6 A Green local authority will make a difference. We
will reject unsuitable supermarkets and out-of-town shopping developments. We
will promote local, independent shops and services using every means at our
disposal.
Action plan
Get strategic
-
Conduct comprehensive local retail audits, to assess the
health of the local economy[5]
-
Conduct supermarket impact assessments
-
Draw up a "maximise local" plan
- Use PPS6 planning guidelines - "encouraging a wide range of services in a good environment, accessible to all" - to promote local and independent shops.[6]
-
Reject all supermarket planning applications that
threaten independent shops and services.
-
Use our local retail audits as a tool against unsuitable
supermarket planning applications.[7]
-
Refuse to accept financial "sweeteners" from
large companies, in return for planning permission.[8]
Background
2.1 Local farmers and producers are increasingly being
cut out of the food chain. 75% of the grocery retail market is dominated by
just 4 big supermarkets, who overwhelmingly source their food from abroad and
who tend to favour big producers and processors.
2.2 Meanwhile EU procurement rules ban local authorities
from favouring food from local sources
over non- local sources.
2.3 Local food schemes - such as farmer's markets, local
procurement, and organic box schemes - are overwhelmingly beneficial. The
benefits are:
Economic
- £10.00 spent an organic box scheme will
generate £24.00 for the local economy. £10.00 spent at a supermarket will generate
just £14.00 for the local economy [9].
- A farmers
market can generate 30% more for local business [10]
Environmental
- Local food travels shorter distances and creates less
pollution
Health
- Local, organic
school food schemes have doubled the school meal uptake[11]
- Local food is less processed
2.4
Green local authorities will implement a range of creative “look to the local”
schemes to rejuvenate the local economy and make healthy, local food the norm.
We will:
Action plan
Locally grown
- Fund and
promote farmer’s markets [12]
- Promote
organic box schemes
- Encourage
local allotments and community gardens schemes
Locally sourced[13]
- working around
EU laws to procure local and organic food for hospitals and schools, including:
- proving that local and organic is
"best value"
-
putting environmental clauses in tendering contracts
- Buying lots of little contracts, not just
sourcing from one big firm
Draw the customers in
Make High Streets attractive to shoppers through
progressive transport and "built environment" schemes.
[1] Porter, Sam, and Raistrick, Paul: The Impact of
Out-of-Centre Food Superstores on Local Retail Employment, The National Retail
Planning Forum, c/o Corporate Analysis, Boots Company Plc., Nottingham – as quoted
in “What’s wrong with supermarkets?”, Corporate Watch, 2003 http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/pages/whats_wrong_suprmkts.htm
[2] Raven, H, Lang, T and Cumonteil, C. 1995. “Off our
Trolleys? Food retailing and the hypermarket economy”. pp 8 and 11. IPPR
[3] “ What’s wrong with supermarkets?”, Corporate
Watch, 2003
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/pages/whats_wrong_suprmkts.htm
[4] See Cranbrook
C. 1997. The Rural Economy and
Supermarkets. Great Glemham, Suffolk
[5] We will use a “Plugging the Leaks” survey
designed by the New Economic Foundation which measures the amount of money each
pound generates for the local economy, using the multiplier index.
See “Plugging the
Leaks” a briefing by the New Economics Foundation at
http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uploads/Plugging%20the%20Leaks%20News2.doc
[6] Resisting new supermarkets on the basis that
they undermine the local economy, can be justified with reference to Planning
Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres and Retail Development (1996) paragraph
1.16, which states that proposals for new out-of-centre superstores should be
judged not only on their likely impact on the vitality of town centres, but
also on the impact on the rural economy. A
recent survey by the Planning Policies Research Group has found that few
planning authorities are using this tool, perhaps because there is no
established methodology for measuring the impact on the rural economy. Any
assessment of this should include the impact on local food producers; both
those that sell directly to the public through farm shops and farmers' markets,
and those who rely on local shops to sell their produce
We can also use
assessment of environmental and heritage aspects.
See Directory for Local
Campaigner: Chuckout Checkout at corporatewatch website
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/pages/check_out_chuck_out/local_campaigns.htm
[7] See above
[8] Some examples: East Finchley residents and traders are fighting fiercely to save the
High Road with its independent shops from destruction by a proposal for an
oversized Waitrose supermarket. With about 150 parking places the supermarket
would also suck trade from businesses in neighbouring Highgate and Muswell
Hill. The offer of a new library has failed to win over residents who are happy
with their existing one.
In
East Dulwich a large group of local people recently campaigned to prevent their
independent shops, especially hardware and home furnishing businesses, being
killed off by a proposal for a large Homebase DIY store. Campaigners insisted
that the promised new football stadium and 5-aside football pitches would not
make up for the damage to local shops, extra traffic and loss of green space.
See
“Where have London’s local shops gone?”, A report from the Green party Group on
the London Assembly. Available on request
[9] The New
Economic Foundation has conducted research that measures the local economy
multiplier of a local Organic box scheme. This showed that £10 spent in a local
organic box scheme in Truro (Cornwall) generated £25 for the local economy,
compared to approximately £14 generated if £10 was spent in a local supermarket.
See “Plugging the
Leaks” a briefing by the New Economics Foundation at
http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uploads/Plugging%20the%20Leaks%20News2.doc
[10] WHSmith and Debenhams in Winchester reported
that during the Sunday morning farmer’s market, their takings were up by 30%.
See National Association of Farmer’s Markets website.
[11] The catering manager at St Peter Church of
England Primary School, East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
started to source her
meat locally and food organically. The take up of these healthy school meals is
now 80%, as opposed to the national average of 45%
[12] Local authorities can be instrumental in setting
up farmer’s markets, in an almost endless variety of ways, including
signposting the markets, providing parking space, helping with traffic,
procuring a suitable venue, promoting, funding, helping to set up the market
[13] European procurement rules, which define local
sourcing as an illegal barrier to free trade of foreign goods between member
states, make it extremely difficult for Local Authorities to procure locally.
However, there are a number of creative way to get around procurment laws which
have been implemented by local bodies.
They include:
1.
Proving that local
and organic food represents “Best Value” (a legitimate ground for tendering)
See Powy’s Public
Procurement Partnership’s “ Public Procurement” report
http://www.organic.aber.ac.uk/library/Powys%20public%20procurement%20partnership.pdf
2.
Creating
environmental tendering grounds that favour local produce
3.
Including “local sourcing” provisions and clauses in
agreements with larger contractors: i.e “secondhand” local sourcing
As East Anglia Food
Network and South Gloucester county council have done
4.
buying lots of
little contracts rather than sourcing all from one big firm
Advice gleaned from
Local Food Network website, Soil Association officer
Please see “Local
Food Network” http://www.localfoodworks.org/Web/SA/SAWeb.nsf/localfoodworks_info.htm?OpenPage&charset=iso-8859-1