Suella Fights for Local Businesses
The MP for Fareham Suella Braverman has recently stood up for local residents and commerce by advocating a reversal of the decisions taken to close local businesses. Having been made aware of the grave concerns of the residents of Portchester regarding the proposed closure of the West street Co-op and Lloyds, Suella has written to the CEO of both organisations.
The Co-op is vital for many local residents especially the elderly and many of these individuals cannot walk up to Aldi and Lidl. For these people the precinct is absolutely vital. Furthermore, there is a social aspect to their shopping and a communal experience surrounding the trip down to West Street. Therefore, the planned closure of this store would have an incredibly adverse effect on these individuals, negatively impacting their livelihood.
The closure of the Portchester store would also be a severe loss for the community, affecting a number of jobs, and the surrounding precinct would lose a considerable commercial centre which would be incredibly damaging for the Portchester’s overall footfall. For these reasons Suella continues to champion the cause of local residents to try and seek assurances that a serious revision of Co-op’s policy will be enacted.
Mrs Braverman has also drawn attention to the proposed closure of Lloyds also in Portchester. If Co-op is to close, the precinct will be left without banking facilities or an ATM for cash withdrawal. This is something that is extremely concerning for Suella and her constituents. Closure of the bank would drastically affect the commerce of the Portchester central precinct, as financial activity will be sucked from the heart of Portchester.
Similarly, Suella drew attention to the effect this policy will have on older people.
Commenting, Suella said:
“There are many elderly people in Portchester who rely on the bank to get their money each week. For these people, following the closure, the nearest ATM would be in Fareham or Cosham which are simply inaccessible for elderly people who struggle to drive. Similarly, it is unfair to assume that these people would be comfortable with switching to an online banking arrangement, which can be very confusing and undesirable for the older generation.”
Suella is waiting on response from both organisations, which will shortly be available upon request from her Westminster office. It is hoped that her interventions at this critical time will do much to encourage a reflection from Co-op and Lloyd’s HQ.
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