Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Arfon Hywel Williams has raised the plight of his local Debenhams store with the UK government, as the high street giant looks set to close its 124 UK stores including its shop in Bangor city centre.
Raising the matter during an Urgent Question in the House of Commons, Hywel Williams MP said: “Debenhams is a cornerstone employer in Bangor city centre. Its closure will be a severe blow to staff who’ve worked there loyally for years.’
“Even more so, given that the North Wales Business Council report this week that across the region 17% of businesses in retail and hospitality have already made redundancies.
“However, thinking creatively, what consideration has the Minister given to material government support for repurposing large retail spaces into smaller, short-term start-up units and that alongside practical support for those made redundant.”
Hywel Williams MP added: “’The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the closure of retail stores for prolonged periods has undoubtedly contributed to this announcement. Now more than ever, our town centres need urgent and targeted government support to help them recover post-Covid.’
“Plaid Cymru have proposed a series of measures to address the difficulties faced by our high streets and help rejuvenate town centres.
“These include providing out-of-town businesses with targeted support to relocate to central locations to help regenerate town centres and a radical overhaul of business rates, providing high street firms with a fair renting framework.
“Repurposing large retail spaces into smaller units, some specifically for short term start-ups would enable new local people to enter the sector and provide many new retail jobs. And local start-ups are more likely to stay than the large multiples which have been closing one after another.”
