On Tuesday 18th October Cllr Tim Harris of the Conservative group will put a motion to address the issue of being a clone town. The Conservatives will call for the council to investigate how RBC can use business rates to enhance the individuality of Reading through reducing business rates for local smaller, unique shops, bars, restaurants and other businesses.
New Economics Foundation said Reading was the 2nd worse town in the UK on their diversity scale
http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Reimagining_the_high_street_0.pdf
Cllr Tim Harris says “I genuinely believe the report by the New Economics Foundation is not a true reflection of Reading, however, but it effects how we are perceived. If we can both change this perception and increase the number of niche traders, we can improve people’s experience when in town and increase peoples choice when shopping, eating, going out or just grabbing a coffee. We can get Reading people to make more visits to the town centre and attract more visitors. We can make people proud (I am already) of Reading and how it continues to evolve
Tim was recently in Brighton visitng an area called the Lanes, which is a wonderful hotchpotch of traders. He commented "the shops are buzzing and you really notice how proud people are to live there. Obviously Reading is different to Brighton, but I genuinely believe such a motion will create a foundation for Reading to really stand out as a place to be."
Localism Bill – Use of Business Rates
Councillor Harris to move:
“This council understands that some people perceive Reading as a ‘clone town’. In reality Reading has a host of unique attractions ranging from the Abbey, through to a shopping hub that can easily compete on a national scale, already with some independent traders.
Being a perceived as being a ‘clone’ town has been incredibly difficult to address as a local authority, as RBC has not had any control over business-rates.
However, as the result of the Coalition Government’s ‘localism’ bill it may now be possible for local councils to use business rates to enhance the individuality of Reading through reducing business rates for local smaller, unique shops, bars, restaurants and other businesses.
Therefore this council instructs the relevant lead councillor to investigate how Reading can significantly benefit from this, and present their findings and a ‘plan of action’ back to full council by March 2012.”