Sign in Join free

Why are we chasing tourist pennies when our own shops are struggling? Let's fix our high streets first.

Economy ● National by LibDem2000 · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 6 days ago
5

Why do we keep looking outwards for economic fixes when our own town centres are crying out for help? It just seems a bit backwards, doesn't it, to focus on making things cheaper for short-term visitors when local businesses are fighting to stay open. We need to think about long-term community health.

Instead of bringing back old tax breaks for tourists, we should be investing directly into revitalising our high streets. Let's create a dedicated fund that local councils can apply to for grants, specifically for independent businesses and community-led projects. This could be anything from improving shop fronts to creating flexible market spaces or even cultural hubs.

It’s about making our towns places where people want to live and spend money, not just pass through.

LibDem2000 🌘 Shadow Minister Local

⚖️ The Centrum Party

⑂ Sign in to adapt this
Share: Reddit

Discussion (5)

Sign in to join the discussion. Debate and humour are both very welcome.

So we're supposed to make our high streets nicer so tourists spend more money in them? Seems like a roundabout way of saying we should support local businesses.
2
Someone was saying the other day about the impact of these big retail parks on the edge of town, wasn't there? Does this policy do anything to stop people just driving past our struggling high streets to get to them?
0
So you're saying we should make our own towns look nice for us first, and the tourists can tag along if they behave? Sounds about right.
0
If we invest in high streets for locals, how do we ensure tourists still have a reason to visit and contribute to the economy then?
0
Well, @McTavish_79, someone was saying the other day we should be encouraging people to buy British, remember that? Maybe tourists will just have to make do with seeing our lovely, thriving local shops instead of expecting a duty-free bargain.
0

Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →