I'm the Labour candidate in Blackpool South by-election and I promise to revitalise high streets

Labour candidate Chris Webb pledges to breathe new life into Blackpool’s high streets if he is elected on May 2.

The Blackpool South by-election candidate said Waterloo Road and Bond Street would be a key priorities when he showed shadow Secretary for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds around the town.

Chris outlined the party’s five-point plan to revitalise high streets and reverse the Tories’ 14 years of decline on Britain’s cherished high streets.

Chris and Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, met with business owners to hear their experiences first-hand and discuss how Labour’s five-point plan to revitalise high streets could see them thrive again.

Last week, Labour’s Deputy Leader, Shadow Chancellor, and Shadow Home Secretary unveiled a five-point plan and pledged to use the “full force of a Labour government” to rescue retailers with a plan to: tackle antisocial behaviour and shoplifting; roll out banking hubs; replace business rates; stamp out late payments to small businesses; and revamp empty shops, pubs, and community spaces.

It comes as Labour exposes the extent of the damage under the Conservatives with a staggering 3,710 fewer fruit and veg shops, butchers, and newsagents since 2010.

Labour’s analysis has also found that since 2022 alone, an additional 385 towns have seen their last bank branch close, or announce that they will be closing imminently. This has left local people and businesses without any options to bank locally.

Labour promise to get a grip of the issues blighting Britain’s high streets and rejuvenate our towns and city centres with its plan to:

Tackle anti-social behaviour and shoplifting: so that people feel safe when they go out to shop, eat or socialise in their local high street, putting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat and scrapping the Tories’ £200 rule which stops shoplifting being investigated.

Roll out banking hubs: thriving high streets need banking services for local businesses and customers. Labour will roll out banking hubs to guarantee face-to-face banking in every community boosting local high streets and shops.

Replace business rates: Labour will replace business rates with a new system of business property taxation which rebalances the burden and levels the playing field between our high streets and online giants.

Stamp out late payment: small and independent retailers shouldn’t be forced to wait months to be paid for work by big clients. Labour would introduce tough new laws to stamp out late payments and make sure more money gets to high street firms.

Revamp empty shops, pubs and community spaces: people won’t visit high streets blighted by unsightly boarded up shops. Labour will give communities a strong new ‘right to buy’ beloved community assets to revamp high streets and end the blight of empty premises.

In 2011, the government commissioned retail expert Mary Portas to conduct an independent review on the future of our high streets. As part of this, she advised that the government should consider whether business rates could better support small businesses and independent retailers. It also advocated imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy.

The failure of the Tory government to deliver for high streets has seen big-name retailers shut-up shop and footfall decline. Labour’s plan will drive economic growth, and create jobs and opportunities for the future.

Chris Webb, Labour’s candidate on the May 2 by-election said: “The Tories have failed our high streets. Businesses here on Waterloo Road and Bond Street have been neglected and let down by this Tory Government.

“I remember visiting Waterloo Road as a child when businesses were thriving here. It doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve committed to breathe new life into all of Blackpool’s high streets and with Labour’s five-point plan for high streets, which acknowledges the big issues facing businesses here, our high streets can thrive again.”

Jonathon Reynolds, Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said: “Blackpool is a wonderful place to do business and under Labour it could be even better.

“Labour's plans will create the conditions to get retailers in Blackpool thriving again by replacing business rates and stamping out late payments to get them paid on time. Only Labour has a plan to get our town centres booming again by tackling the problems that are holding them back.”