WIREDGOV

LGA respnds to to research by the Association of Convenience Stores which shows that half of councils in England and Wales favour out-of-town superstores and retail parks as their main preference for deregulation of shopping location under devolved Sunday trading laws.

"Councils take their responsibilities to high street shops and local businesses seriously. This includes making hard decisions and carefully weighing up competing demands and the needs of different groups in order to benefit the whole community and local economy.

"It is right that councils, in consultation with their residents and local businesses, should be given the flexibility to decide how to drive growth and best attract business to their local high street. However, it is vital that, as the Government has previously indicated, any changes are a 'can do' choice rather than a 'must do' duty imposed by central government.

"It is now vital that government ensures that any proposals allow councils to meet the needs of their communities without undue restriction or unnecessary bureaucracy.

"Councils continue to work with government to agree devolution deals, making public spending on local services more accountable to local people.

"Taking decisions closer to where people live stands to bring significant economic and social benefits and is the most effective way to create jobs, build homes, strengthen healthy communities and protect the vulnerable across all parts of the country."

Related information:

http://www.acs.org.uk/press-releases/acs-calls-on-mps-to-reject-shambolic-sunday-trading-plans/