Shoppers urged to stop decline

A Rugeley businessman has claimed the town centre is dying and something must be done to halt a rapid decline in trade.

John Reader, aged 56, who sells hot potatoes in the Market Square, claims shops on the outskirts of the town are preventing people from visiting the town centre, creating a vacuum which is killing business.

Mr Reader has been trading on his spot in the town for seven years and the business in Rugeley dates back 21 years.

He claims the last two years have seen trade drop rapidly in the town and something radical needs to be done.

Mr Reader, of Coalway Road, has taken his warning to Rugeley Town Council where he told members more needed to be done. He said: "The town centre is dying. I have been here for the last seven years and the figure for the first few years were steady but I have noticed a real drop over the last six months. I would say my figures are down 40 to 45 per cent and my wages are probably half what they were."

Mr Reader says the problems have been caused by too much development on the outskirts with nothing to make people come into the town centre. It has killed passing trade and is pushing more and more businesses to the wall.

He added: "Rugeley people have got to think about what they are doing too and make a point of using the town. It needs a major regeneration in the heart of the town centre, I know Pritchards are looking at something at Wellington Drive and that might help to some extent but if Tesco comes to Rugeley it will be a disaster. If they build a big store, with a petrol station, food and clothes then why would anyone want to come into Rugeley."

When he started trading Mr Reader paid a rent to Cannock Chase Council totalling approximately £3,000 a year.

From April this is likely to increase up to approximately £4,500.

He added: "There are car parking charges in the town now and I know they are talking about lowering them but in opinion they need to be abolished totally to try and help the town.

"There are already a lot of shops that are shut up and if it carries on like this you might as well just put gates on at both ends and shut the town for good."

Cannock Chase Council is working on regeneration plan for Rugeley but no details are available yet.