Eng. Councils Urge Action To Prevent `Ghost Towns`

The Local Government Association has called for town halls to be able to take over premises that have been empty for three months.

Local authorities in England want powers from the government to use shops for community facilities in the face of an increasing number of retail premises being left vacant because of the recession.

The Local Government Association has called for town halls to be able to take over premises that have been empty for three months. It has also called for VAT on the cost of refurbishment to be cut to 5 percent from 15 percent to encourage re-use.

"Decisive action must be taken to stop our high streets turning from clone towns into ghost towns," said LGA Chairman Margaret Eaton.

"The aim would be to get businesses back into these shops, but at the very least councils would be able to make sure that buildings aren't allowed to fall into a state of disrepair that ends up blighting a whole town centre."

A survey by the association, which represents councils in England, found more than four out of five areas had seen an increase in closures, with two thirds reporting a significant or moderate impact on high streets.

Council leaders worry empty shops risk becoming a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

It wants local authorities to be allowed to step in where landlords are failing to take "reasonable steps" to find new tenants and turn the premises temporarily into training centres, libraries or youth clubs.

It has also called on ministers to help prevent struggling retailers from going bust in the first place by allowing councils to offer business rate breaks.

"If ever there is an image that symbolises the times we are in, it is desolate town centres with rows of empty shops where once there were small local retailers, a Woolworths or a Zavvi," Eaton said.

The survey of council leaders, published on Saturday, found 85 percent of the 129 respondents had seen an increase in empty shops. Of the 105 who reported an impact, 21 percent said it had been significant, 44 percent moderate and 32 percent slight.