SAVE OUR SHOPS ...PORTRAIT OF A GHOST TOWN

As virus lockdown hammers economy, SNP told: Get beleaguered high streets back in business

NICOLA Sturgeon is under pressure to save Scotland’s shut-down high streets from the threat of extinction.

As thousands of stores anxiously wait to reopen for business, experts have warned that shops at the heart of many communities are facing a challenge to survive.

Estimates suggest Scotland’s shops are losing around £20 million in trade each day.

The Scottish Conservatives have now launched a campaign aimed at boosting beleaguered shopping hubs.

The move comes as the First Minister faces increasing pressure to change the two-metre physical distancing rule, which businesses fear will be disastrous for any recovery.

The Tories’ demands include a Scottish Town Centre Rescue Plan, similar to one established in Wales.

They are also urging councils to make plans for social distancing on pavements and in town centres. Other policies could include relaxing the licensing rules to help pubs and restaurants, plus an end to town centre parking charges.

The Tories want the Scottish Government to launch a campaign reassuring people it is safe to get out and shop, as long as social distancing is observed.

That could be further incentivised by a Government-backed scrappage scheme, with people trading in unwanted white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines, for money off new ones.

Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: ‘The Scottish Government must step up to the plate with a radical plan to rescue jobs and the economy. The aim should be clear – to do everything under the sun to help small, ‘The longer the lockdown, the harder it will be to reopen’ local businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities, but are going to go under without help.’

Last night, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) also called for parking charges to be scrapped, as well as more clarity from the Government about exactly when small and large shops will be able to open. Shops in Northern Ireland opened on Friday, with English ones following tomorrow.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to announce on Thursday that Scotland will enter phase two of her ‘route map’ out of lockdown.

That should allow small shops to reopen, with bigger stores following in phase three, potentially next month.

But shopkeepers say that they will need absolute clarity in order to prepare.

SRC director David Lonsdale said: ‘Our high streets and town centres have been left reeling by coronavirus.

‘Many shops have been shuttered and the longer the lockdown, the harder it will be for them to reopen at all.

‘A plan with an indicative timetable is a necessary first step to breathing life back into our high streets. Tourism and hospitality firms have been given a clear date to work towards, but retailers haven’t.’

Both the Tories and the SRC want to see efforts to encourage shoppers back to the high street, with the SRC even calling for direct payments from the Government to poorer families, to give them spending money.

‘People need a compelling reason to visit our high streets and to spend money,’ Mr Lonsdale said. ‘That means measures which reassure shoppers they can return safely, making it easier for them to do so by slashing parking charges, and stimulating consumer demand through cutting income tax or VAT.’

The high street was already in a state of turmoil before the coronavirus crisis hit and the rise of online shopping has been boosted further by lockdown.

Scotland had a shops vacancy rate of 12.9 per cent in March before the crisis hit, higher than the UK rate of 12.2, with 6.2 per cent empty for more than two years. Total sales in April fell more than 40 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Professor Leigh Sparks, deputy principal in marketing and retail at Stirling University, warned a radical rethink was necessary, saying: ‘High streets face a particular challenge and they were working with an uneven playing field to start with.

‘People like town centres, but there has been a rapid move to online.

‘We could open up outdoor space, allow retailers to be outside as well as inside, blocking off streets, bringing vibrancy – high streets will need a sense of place.’

Last night, council umbrella body Cosla said: ‘We support local authorities to identify flexible solutions to allow businesses to reopen safely.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We understand how difficult it is for retailers and Ministers are listening to their concerns.

‘Our total package for businesses during this unprecedented crisis now exceeds £2.3 billion. This support, which is under constant review, includes almost £900 million of nondomestic rates relief and a £1.3 billion business grants scheme.’