SHOPS Minister Jake Berry praised Wellington and local traders when he visited the town.

The Minister, who was on his first visit to the area, was in town to meet shopkeepers and help launch Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow’s Best of the High Street Awards 2018.

Mr Berry said: “Everyone can see here in Wellington how enthusiastic everyone is about their local shops and everything this brilliant town has to offer.”

Speaking to the WWN, he touched on some of the issues making life difficult for shopkeepers.

He said online retailing was a challenge for High Streets but it also offered an opportunity to contact and stay in contact with customers and understand what they want.

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister, who holds the High Streets portfolio, defended the Government’s position on business rates.

He said many shops benefited from the small business rates exemption and business rates were now being based on the Retail Price Index rather than the Consumer Price Index, which was higher.

The Government was committed to looking at business rates to make sure they reflect the modern economy and supported High Streets.

Councils had significant powers to reduce business rates on vacant shops to bring them back into use more quickly.

For the full story, see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.