The 3 actions Penzance Town Centre needs from Cornwall Council

My name is Rob Simmons and I'm a candidate for Penzance East in this Thursdays Cornwall Council election and these are my 3 priorities for our town centre: 

1 Action on reducing Parking Fees 

2 Action on unfair business rates

3 Action on empty shops and buildings. 

I firmly believe that Cornwall Council ought to do more to support Penzance Town Centre and these 3 changes would be a massive leap forward.

1. Action on Parking Fees, Penzance has some of the highest parking fees in Cornwall, we all know that it puts people off coming to town and crucially shoppers from staying for longer periods. With out of town retail parks popping up everywhere and the lure and convenience of the internet our town centre needs help. Cornwall Council must do it's part in supporting the town centre. Penzance needs a Cornwall Councillor that will lobby to change this and find a solution that benefits us and stops CC seeing Penzance as a way of making money. We need to see a major overhaul of parking pricing in town, not yet more charging as the current Liberal Democrat/ Independent administration had planned recently.

2. Action on Business Rates. Rates are a massive obstacle to doing business in Penzance Town Centre. It's not a fair system and it's one that greatly benefits large chains and out of town stores and penalises the beating heart of the local economy; small and medium enterprises. I heard various Conservatives talk about non-domestic rate reviews during general election debates 2 years ago, now is time to see some action. Pressure needs to be put on government to review how business rates effect town centres and simply there needs to be a reduction in how much smes are charged. Business rates are decided by central government but Cornwall Council can lobby for change and I would join with other councillors, local businesses and other organisations to call for this change. 

3. Action on Empty Buildings, we need and deserve a vibrant town centre and empty, crumbling and frankly derelict buildings are a major obstacle. There are a range of powers that Cornwall Council has to deal with this problem but they're seldom used. Pressure needs to be put onto absentee landlords to be responsible for the properties in Penzance Town Centre. We all want a town centre we can proud of, we need a Cornwall Councillor that will push for this. 

Penzance Town Centre is a vital asset for this town we are one of the biggest shopping destinations in Cornwall. We need more focus from Cornwall Council in this town, they are taking much more than they are giving, this needs to change. These are 3 simple actions, that I believe would turn around this town centre, please vote for me, Rob Simmons, on May the Fourth.

Penzance Business Improvement District goes to the vote

It's an interesting time in the town of Penzance, the Neighbourhood Plan process is being launched and has a great new website here and business in the town centre are going to vote on becoming a Business Improvement District (BID). It's easy to assume that people know what a BID is, it's been well publicised in the local press and a consultation has taken place with the businesses in the area. However there are a lot of people that are not aware this is going on and they really should, because it's an important development in the town and although I have a number of reservations about the structure and process, I think it could be a very good thing for Penzance.

As a short description a BID imposes a levy on business (2% on top of rates in our case). It then takes that money and uses it for the good of the area and specifically the businesses in it. There's a lot more information on the process in Penzance and the plans on the BID website here. There are some really interesting ideas for the town and how to improve it in the plan. The process is coming to the end and after consultation sessions, it has now come to the vote. The rules for the vote are quite simple businesses are asked whether they support a Business Improvement District yes or no. Then if there are more than 50% indicating yes and of those they represent more than 50% of the rateable value of all votes cast. Then it comes into being on the first of June.

On the one hand I think this is a very good thing, if passed the BID will run for five years and have a total budget of £800,00 for that period. That is a lot of money and it will mark one of the most major investments in the town centre for a long long time. It also represents a great opportunity for businesses to come together and work towards solutions, which should have benefits wider than the BID itself.

On the other hand the whole of the BID set up, is part of a growing and in my opinion (and that of MK) a worrying trend in public spending in recent years. The BID is a not for profit company, much like Local Enterprise Partnerships and NHS Trusts, they are not democratically elected by the people, they are not accountable to the people. I write this with some caution I know a few of the members of the BID steering group and I don't mean this as a personal reflection on them or their motives or judgement. However it is a worrying trend to removing democratically representatives from the decision making and spending process.

As with all votes, I hope there is good turn out for the BID's postal ballots. I hope that all of the businesses in the proposed area take a great deal of time to consider the merits of the BID process and the business plan that has been written. There is great potential with that amount of money but there is also a great cost, it might only be 2% of rates on top but nevertheless it is another cost. We live in interesting times!

N.B The Penzance Town Council has no part of the BID process, the BID Steering Group choose not to have a town council representative.