It’s been a busy week for Fed members when it comes to raising their concerns about retail with MPs and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).
Cleveland PCC Matt Storey (pictured on call below left) met with representatives from the Fed (Federation of Independent Retailers) online on Monday (2 February), to discuss the impact of shop theft and harassment of retail workers and the local partnership’s response to it.
Storey serves the Cleveland Police area which includes Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland boroughs - spanning around half a million residents.
He spoke with Fed National President Hetal Patel, local Stockton retailer Stephen Tate and the Fed’s political engagement coordinator Doug Oliver.
During the call, the Fed team spoke about the direct and indirect impacts of stolen items as well as the links to drug and alcohol misuse and sometimes organised crime. Tate spoke about the need for a strong deterrent to discourage retail crime.
The discussion also touched on the need for a visible police presence, rehabilitation for offenders and the importance Cleveland place on Restorative Justice which allows victims to discuss the impact of crime with perpetrators.
Storey said: “Tackling business and retail crime cannot be solved by policing alone, and I was pleased to develop our broader partnership approach by speaking with the Fed’s team, and to learn more about the issues from a business perspective as part of my engagement work.
Also, on Friday (30 January), former government minister and Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge MP, Sir Gavin Williamson, met with Narinder Randhawa, a key Fed official, at his business, Haywoods, in Great Haywood, Staffordshire to discuss concerns about theft, business rates and other rising costs.
Randhawa was frank about the challenges caused by rising costs, including the recent budget where the Government failed to support small retailers with relief from rising business rate bills.
Sir Williamson had recently raised this in Parliament, brought about by the three-yearly valuation rise, loss in RHL relief and also a disappointing cut of the multiplier paid by small retailers.
He said: “It was a really useful and wide-ranging discussion with Narinder and Ajay Singh who runs the business with him.
“We discussed the pressure caused by rising rate bills, as well as other pressures like the National Insurance Contribution rise as well as new regulations coming down the line from the Employment Rights Bill.
“It’s clear that for shops like this to survive in the future the Government has more to do. I will continue to work with the Fed as an opposition MP to ensure the concerns of their members like Narinder and Ajay are heard in Parliament.”
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