HIGH STREET BRITAIN: 2015

House of Commons
All-Party Parliamentary
Small Shops Group

Report Summary

This report provides the analysis of the evidence, both written and oral, submitted to the Inquiry held by the All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group, entitled ‘High Street Britain: 2015’, concerning the long term prospects of the United Kingdom’s small retail sector.

Concern for the future of traditional shopping areas arose amidst recognition from many in, and associated with, the retail industry: ‘traditional’ local small shops or independent convenience stores are disappearing rapidly. Once a ‘tipping point’ is reached many small shops could be lost instantly as wholesalers no longer find it profitable to supply them, resulting in the urgent need for a review of the market.

The vast majority of contributors agreed that all small shops are important to, and influenced by, economic, social and political trends. The small retail sector is a key driver of: entrepreneurship, employment, skills, local economies, innovation, and sophisticated business networks, as well as accessibility to vital goods and services, diversity, social inclusion and community activities.

However, contributors are concerned by the intense pressure small shops face, from both market-led forces and external (macro-environmental) forces. Witnesses cite the aggression of larger competitors, distortion of the supply chain, the cost of property, crime, poor planning decisions, a lack of appropriate business support and disproportional regulatory burdens as problematic.

There is widespread belief therefore, that many small shops across the UK will have ceased trading by 2015 with few independent businesses taking their place. Their loss, largely the result of a heavily unbalanced trading environment, will damage the UK socially, economically and environmentally. People (as consumers and members of communities) stand to be disadvantaged the most with restricted choice, entrenched social exclusion and a vulnerable supply chain caused by consolidation.

We make the following recommendations:

• Implement a moratorium on further mergers and takeovers until the government has brought forward proposals to secure the diversity and vitality of the retail sector
• Establish a retail regulator
• Revise the two market ruling
• Introduce comprehensive codes of practice across the retail sector
• Review the tax system and close the Jersey VAT loophole
• Review application of rate relief system as applied to independents trading on the threshold of viability
• Introduce a new requirement for all local authorities to adopt a retail strategy within the Unitary Development Plan
• Develop regeneration units in all local authorities within the UK
• Develop retail focused regeneration units in all RDAs within the UK
• Delegate greater decision-making power to people locally (consumers and communities)
• Rapidly implement the recommendations of the Hampton review
• Make revisions to the retail property market
• Encourage the transformation and innovation of the Post Office network
• Implement measures to restrict the environmental impact of shifts in the retail sector

Read Full Report:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/15_02_06_highstreet.pdf

பாலகர்களைக் குதறும் வத்திக்கான் பாதிரிகள்

அவுஸ்திரேலிய நாட்டின் விக்ரோறியா மாநிலத்தில் சுமார் 80 ஆண்டுகாலத்தில், 72 பாதிரிகளால் பத்தாயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பாலகர்கள் பாலியல் வதைக்குள்ளானது தெரியவந்துள்ளது.

1) இது ஒரு பாவம் அல்ல, சமூகக் குற்றம்.
2) இது சில மனிதர்களின் தனிப்பட்ட நடவடிக்கை அல்ல ஒரு நிறுவனத்தின் நடத்தை.

இதனால்தான் குழந்தைப் போராளிகளைத் திருச்சபைக்குப் பிடிப்பதில்லையோ!

Pope Benedict XVI is seen in Sydney in 2008. The Catholic Church in the Australian state of Victoria has revealed that at least 620 children have been abused by its clergy since the 1930s, sparking a fresh call Saturday for an independent inquiry.

Catholic Church in Australia reveals 620 sex abuse cases


AFP - The Catholic Church in one Australian state has revealed that at least 620 children have been abused by its clergy since the 1930s, sparking a fresh call Saturday for an independent inquiry.

The Catholic Church in Victoria revealed the number in a submission to a state parliamentary hearing on Friday but said the instances of abuse reported had fallen dramatically from the "appalling" numbers of the 1960s and 1970s.

"It is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their families, was committed by Catholic priests, religious and church workers," Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said.

The full submission was not released publicly but the church said most of the 620 claims it had upheld over the last 16 years related to incidents 30 to 80 years ago, with very few related to abuse that has taken place since 1990.

Hart said the church had taken steps to redress the issue, including a programme implemented in the 1990s involving an independent investigation, an ongoing programme of counselling and support, and compensation.

"This submission shows how the church of today is committed to facing up to the truth and to not disguising, diminishing or avoiding the actions of those who have betrayed a sacred trust," he said.

But victims' supporters say the number of children abused was likely much higher than that confirmed by the church in its own inquiries.

President of the Law Institute of Victoria, Michael Holcroft, said there was a need for more independent investigations.

"Obviously there's a public perception that the church investigating the church is Caesar judging Caesar and I think that the community is now looking for somebody external, someone independent to get to the bottom of what's obviously been a big problem for a long, long time," he told the ABC.

The Victorian state government announced the inquiry into the handling of child abuse cases by religious and non-government bodies after the suicides of dozens of people abused by clergy.

Last year Pope Benedict XVI told Australian bishops that their work had been made more difficult by the clerical sex abuse scandal which has rocked the church as he exhorted them to "repair the errors of the past with honesty".

The pontiff met victims of abuse when he travelled to Sydney in 2008.
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Australian church admits child sex abuse
Sunday, September 23, 2012
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: The Roman Catholic Church in the Australian state of Victoria has confirmed that more than 600 children have been sexually abused by its priests since the 1930s.

The Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, described the figures as “horrific and shameful”. They were released in a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry into the handling of abuse cases.

Campaigners say the true number of abuse victims could be up to 10,000. In its submission, the church said the 620 cases went back 80 years with the majority taking place between the 1960s and the 1980s.

It says it is still investigating a further 45 cases. In a statement, Archbishop Hart said it was important to be open “about the horrific abuse that has occurred in Victoria and elsewhere”.

“We look to this inquiry to assist the healing of those who have been abused, to examine the broad context of the church’s response, especially over the last 16 years, and to make recommendations to enhance the care for victims and preventative measures that are now in place,” the statement said.

Campaign groups say that many cases of abuse have gone unreported, and they believe the true number of victims is closer to 10,000 in Victoria alone.