“A Southport Councillor leads action to combat Car Parking Catastrophe & support for Retail Sector Plight

A Southport councillor leads action to combat car parking catastrophe

A campaigning councillor has won a commitment from the Government to work with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to review the business rates for properties across Southport town centre.

The commitment comes after Cllr Barton travelled to London to meet with the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It was confirmed in a letter from Marcus Jones MP, Minister for Local Government and Jake Berry MP, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth.

They pledged that as a result of the meeting, the Government would urge the VOA to undertake detailed research into reassessing the present designation parameters for struggling town centres in view of competition from other sources such as the internet.

If it can be demonstrated that a significant number of property owners and tenants could not operate under existing parameters then it has been suggested that this could be radically altered at the discretion of the VOA.

Cllr Barton, who represents Dukes Ward on Sefton Council, said: “I met with Government representatives on behalf of the local business community and various neighbourhoods here in Southport in order to lobby for more direct support for both Southport and Sefton Council.

“I raised a number of items ranging from town centre business rates, to funding subsidies for both the public and private sector regeneration of our hometown’s grand Victorian architecture and a better model upon which to formulate a Local Plan that ultimately best protects the greenbelt whilst providing housing in targeted brownfield sites and any new construction to adopt a more historically in keeping design.

“I am pleased to say I have since been received a letter from the Communities and Local Government Department pledging their support over these issues.”

“Whilst Ministers have no direct jurisdiction over business rates, assurances have been provided that reductions have been made wherever possible since 2016.

“I am now urging businesses to collectively report back on potentially miscalculated values, on the basis of changing financial climates, to the Valuations Tribunal Service whereby this may entail possible reductions should the rationale for this be prove to be justified.

“During my time with the Ministers I have also echoed my previous proposal to Sefton Council to provide any incentives for property owners to reduce business rents, for instance on an incremental scale of 100% for a full year followed by 90% the next year, so on and so forth of business rents, to provide all business communities the best possible chance to become established for the long term.”