AN article in the LET in April highlighted the vast number of empty shops in town centres.
It was suggested that landlords offer reduced rents for the first three years on a sliding scale. This could encourage the shopkeepers.
Would the council also be prepared to reduce their council tax on a similar scale? The council tax for a small shop can be as high as £1,000 for one room. There is no point in reducing one without the other.
This shouldn't be a problem, as major firms going on to industrial sites are often given the first year council tax free - so why not the small shopkeepers?
It could be a breath of life to the small towns dying in the Rossendale Valley.
KATHLEEN BULCOCK (Mrs), Wilkie Avenue, Burnley.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article