County Council wants to increase council tax precept by 1.9 per cent (From Andover Advertiser)

I don't whether to laugh or cry reading this bit of news? H.C.C are going to ask the taxpayers for additional 1.9% on the percepts since when have any council asked its voters?. as this is becoming a ghost town you only have to look at the amounts of shops that are closed because of far to high rents? This council need to wake up & smell the coffee and invite such companies as Primark & TK MAXX & HMV this town needs new blood & not high rents?

Is it not time that the Councils actually provided people with the grounds for these increases, and exactly what the funds generated are actually going to pay for.

I a town that I frequently visit, (Chelmford) about 1/4 of the shops which used to exist are now "vacant possession"; in fact the main high street and the two shopping centres are looking like ghost sites.

This has been partly exacerbated by both Essex County Council and Chelmsford Borough Councils, together with the freeholders of those premises for ever increasing rents. Rather like the Andover, almost all the free one hour parking has gone. Most of this parking has been released by ticket machines and meters. Unsurprisingly fewer people shop in Chelmsford.

If fewer people shop in a town centre then by definition shops will not have the turnover besause the those who have a car will shop where the parking is free. Of course the people who are hit hardest are those who do not have access to a car.

The problem has been compounded by both the Council and the owners of the freehold and head-leases asking for absurd levels of rates.

Councillors are notoriusly greed; nothing has changed in that area. However, what they are forgetting that by paying themselves ever greter salaries and taxing people out of the town, is actually shooting themselves in the foot. Rather like our National Government, Councils have forgotten that they are there to HELP people, not look after their (MP or Coucillors) own back pockets.

Regrettably town centres across the country are facing exactly the same problem as Andover and its neighboring towns. The likes of the large stores such as TK Maxx, Primark, HMV and Marks & Spencer are leaving town centres because it is no longer viable for them to stay their.

If ALL Councils recognised that less, is actually more, then towns woud thrive. However since their megolmania and desire of greater income actually back fires since fewer shops take up operations in the town centres. The Council get NOTHING for a shop or office which is vacant possession; come to that neither does the lessor.

Perhaps it is time that Government Officials, local or national, should take a significant pay cut and have their expenses more closely investigated. Then Councils would have more money available to let shops at a lower rate.

In the long term both County and Local Councils, together with the public would benefit. However, they will never do so since the members of those organisations will never understand the needs of the town.

Indeed when was the last time the owners of shops were actually consulted by the Council on what they require?

It is because of the Governments' whether Local or Nationonal greed that most manufacturing industry has gone off-shore to call centres etc.

In Chelmsford, we have lost 5 major employers: Marconi, Hoffmans (which was a huge loss being a 24 hr, 7 day a week operation), M&G Funds, Woolworths, and a local Department Store. If course it is not just the fact that those operations have closed, it is the knock-on effect that it has on the town generally.

In fact Chelmsford has now become a commuter, dorimitry town; I fear that Andover is heading, if not already in the same position.