The Green Party of England and Wales has unveiled a plan to rejuvenate struggling high streets by creating 'affordable' leases for local businesses. The proposal, announced ahead of May's local elections in England, focuses on using compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to bring long-term empty shops back into public ownership.
Under the plan, Green-run councils would acquire vacant properties through CPOs and lease them to small businesses at rates deemed affordable by the local authority. The party also proposes establishing citizen assemblies to give residents a direct voice in shaping their high streets.
Green leader Zack Polanski, announcing the policy in Manchester alongside newly elected MP Hannah Spencer, stated: 'We will use the powers local authorities have to buy empty and derelict properties and get our high streets thriving again. Our three-step plan will keep wealth in the very communities that generate it.'
However, CPOs are considered a last-resort tool by councils due to high costs and legal complexities. The Local Government Association has previously noted that these orders require 'considerable resources' for effective use. The Green Party has not specified what constitutes an 'affordable' lease.
The party is also calling for government powers to allow councils to control rents for small businesses, preventing landlords from inflating prices. Currently, English councils lack such authority over private sector rents.
High streets have faced prolonged decline, with 12,804 shops closing in 2024 compared to 9,002 openings, according to PwC. Other parties have also proposed solutions:
- Labour: Plans to expand CPOs and give councils power to block certain shops like vape stores.
- Conservatives: Propose scrapping business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses up to £110,000 annually, along with cutting electricity bills and hiring more police.
- Liberal Democrats: Call for a temporary VAT cut to 15% for hospitality and a new business levy shifting tax burden from tenants to landowners.
- Reform UK: Would abolish business rates for pubs and plans further proposals.
The Green Party's initiative aims to address empty shops and declining town centers, with the local elections serving as a key test for the policy.