Supermarket Levy

Posted on: 21st February 2014

Local Works is a campaigning organisation encouraging local councils to use the Sustainable Communities Act to ask Government to give them powers to levy a small additional annual charge on large out of town supermarkets. Since this was drawn to Sue’s attention she has been prodding various people in the Council to consider taking this forward.

Sue attended the Devolution and Localism Portfolio Committee this week where it was discussed. It is going to be recommended to Full Council that the Council tell Local Works it supports the campaign and that once they judge enough Councils are behind it then support would be given to ask Government for the power. It could produce millions of pounds of revenue for Cornwall without hurting the large out of town supermarkets. If legislation is passed to allow Councils to place this additional levy of supermarkets, it would not force councils to take the action, it could be used by councils where they judge that to have the money would help local towns compete more fairly.

This maybe a way to reduce the Council’s dependence on car park charges thus making it easier for people to spend time in our towns? www.localworks.org/pages/supermarkets