Croydon shopkeepers call on council to protect their livelihoods

by Aline Nassif

aline.nassif@essnmedia.co.uk

Independent shopkeepers are campaigning en masse to urge Croydon Council to "opt in" to a piece of legislation their survival depends on.

Angry managers and employees took to the streets of South Croydon, Thornton Heath and Addiscombe to register the strength of their feelings on Wednesday.

Time is running out for the council to sign up to the Sustainable Communities Act, which could give struggling local businesses a direct line to powerful Government officials.

The 2007 act would allow shopkeepers and other community members to set up panels that would report "business proposals" to the council.

These proposals would then be formally approved by the full council and cabinet, and forwarded on to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Major issues such as business rates and competition from supermarket chains – that are crippling many small businesses in Croydon – would therefore have a much greater chance of being acted on by the Government.

With the deadline to sign up running out on July 31, the council's reluctance to confirm whether it will "opt in" has infuriated shopkeepers.

In Addiscombe, owners of the parade of small shops on Lower Addiscombe Road are backing a petition spearheaded by the Green Party.

Eddie Fuhrmann, co-director of VA Gibson Butchers, is collecting as many signatures as he can.

He said: "I feel really strongly about this act and I hope the council has the good sense to sign up to it.

"It's important that we have a voice so that we have a hope of resolving issues that are really affecting us.

"Where's the logic, for example, in allowing the big supermarket complexes on the Purley Way free parking, when our customers have to pay for meters and are constantly on the lookout for traffic wardens?

"The council is not remotely supporting us and this is our last chance to have our voice heard by the people in government who can make a difference."

Caterina Piccone, manager of Bloomers bakery a little further along the road, has lost several long-standing employees because business is so bad.

"How can we survive the recession with so much competition from the supermarkets and extortionate business rates?" she asked.

"The community will suffer if the independent shops go. The beauty of what we have here in Addiscombe is specialised shops where everyone knows their neighbour.

"There is so much more at stake here than just business – we don't need CCTV cameras because everyone looks out for each other and the area is safe.

"If the council does not opt in it will be killing our community big time."

Married couple Jill and Steve Yeeles, who own two adjoining premises – Card Shop and Pets & Plants – are also feeling the pinch.

Since they acquired their second business last April they have been forced to pay top business rates which amount to £100 extra each month.

Steve said: "It's ridiculous because we're in partnership. We're being taxed as though we were running a chain of shops.

"They're allowing supermarkets to forego paying for parking space and yet we're being charged to the limit.

"I'd love to be able to lobby central government, but I'm not convinced the council wants to give us that opportunity.

"They probably want to keep us where we are, so they can continue to grab as much money as they can."