Almost 30 per cent of businesses in Reading are independent according to Reading UK CIC as it hit back at a ‘clone town’ report.

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) report titled Re-imagining the High Street, Escape from Clone Town Britain, identified Reading as lacking retail diversity.

Released in September, it put our town second only to Cambridge as the area most dominated by large chain stores at the expense of independents.

Guy Douglas and Tim Smith from Reading UK CIC – the town’s economic development company –  gave a short presentation at the council’s corporate community and external affairs scrutiny panel last Wednesday in response to the NEF report.

They played three short video clips showing what Reading had to offer including the Open for Art scheme, the Third Thursday programme due to launch later this month, Eat Reading and the Outside:Inside  event run in 2009. Reading UK CIC said out of all businesses in Central Reading 28 per cent of them were independent traders. It also found Reading had five per cent of retail units vacant in September this year, compared to 14 per cent during the same period last year.

And research from Experian showed the town had the fifth highest growth of micro-businesses in the UK at 179 per cent in the last five years.

Executive director Mr Smith said: “We think the report is laudable but we are very proud of our retail in Reading.”

He added: “We recognise nothing is perfect and we want to improve.”

Green councillor Rob White said: “I think the question of whether Reading is a clone town is a bit divisive and doesn’t necessarily move this forward.

“I think we all agree we would like to see the town centre improving.

“The report has generated some debate locally.”

He added: “One of the things I think is positive in the town centre is the work that jelly is doing teaming up with CIC and other partners, and the open for business project is a real positive thing making use of vacant shops and changing that into an opportunity.”

Paul Harper, from Greater Reading Environmental Network (GREN), said: “When I read the report [from Reading UK CIC] it sounded like it had a defensive tone that we are doing this and doing enough but I wasn’t sure it showed issues of sustainability.”

Ward councillor Tony Page responded: “I don’t think it was particularly defensive. I think it’s wanting to remind us about a lot of good work that’s been done over the years. The council has been conscious for many years of the need to protect local, independent retailers.

“But we are not the landlord in many cases. We have a planning role but in terms of land ownership we have to work with the public sector, with UK CIC and some of the large landowners in the town centre.”

Scrutiny panel chair Cllr Gareth Epps passed a motion with recommendations to the cabinet, but the panel voted to refer it to its management panel.

lauraherbert@trinitysouth.co.uk

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