Published at 15:53, Wednesday, 12 March 2008

MAKE A difference and get the pride back into Whitehaven – that is the message from the town’s Chamber of Trade, whose members have urged everyone to take ownership of the town.

Businesses are needed to pledge their support towards the Chamber of Trade – they would like to double the membership – in order to give the town a strong voice.

Thirty traders, councillors and other interested parties gathered this week to air concerns, discuss ideas and start to make things happen.

Chairman of the Chamber of Trade, Adrian Pavey, said: “I want to get a group of people together which can be a point of contact for people of this town. I want to put this Chamber of Trade back to what it was, not just for retail but for the whole business community.”

Also pledging support for a united front for the town was the chairman of the West Cumbria Branch of Federation of Small Businesses, Allan Mossop.

He is today (Thursday) speaking to Copeland MP Jamie Reed in Westminster about the decline of Whitehaven town centre before he takes part in a national drive lobbying Parliament about keeping trade local.

The Copeland councillor told Monday evening’s meeting of the Chamber: “Since the issue of Whitehaven town centre is so important I will use it for my theme for the lobby.”

He called for everyone to join together – the Chamber, councillors, local businesspeople and MP Jamie Reed – to take the town forward. “We need to impress upon him that the town is going downhill but now is the time to put a stop to it.

“Keeping trade local doesn’t mean that we don’t include the likes of Tesco etc – there’s room for all,” he added.

Mr Pavey, who manages Millets in King Street, said: “I have a vested interest in Whitehaven being a town of good morale but at the moment there’s low morale.

“The Chamber of Trade needs to prioritise what needs to be looked at – have the council got their priorities right? Do we need more flats and a hotel? Is it the rates that are really the problem or is it the rents being charged by private landlords? Should we contact private landlords and put some pressure on them? Can they give incentives for people to move into King Street?

“We really need to foster better links with Copeland Council and the County Council to build up two-way confidence because it doesn’t exist. My aim is to make the Chamber of Trade the first point of contact for Copeland Council and the county council when they are consulting on an issue. They need to start taking us seriously.

“We need more members on board to give us strength in numbers. We need a positive outlook so that we can all work together. And we need to keep our own members informed, talk to the people in shops, get a newsletter up and running. We need named officers at Copeland council and some central point of contact in the town.”

Gerard Richardson, of Richardson’s Wines, in Lowther Street, said: “We should be pressing for a marketing budget. It is wrong that Charlie (Maudling) should have to fundraise for Christmas lights. All this town’s events and festivals are run by volunteers and it’s starting to crack at the seams now.

“The more that we can keep in touch and work together, the better. The Chamber should be pressing for a specific marketing budget and we need it this year.”

Mr Richardson is calling for people to join the Whitehaven Business Community Network – an email database of businesses in the town. So far there are about 27 businesses listed.

He told The Whitehaven News: “It is being offered to Copeland Council as a means of communicating with businesses and it’s growing all the time. We intend to use it inter-business as well to try to drum up trade for each other.”

Membership is free, contact Gerard by emailing Gerard@ thefestival.org.uk

Jayne Laine, of Vanilla, said: “I would like to see funding for some sort of town centre person or group hired to market our town. People don’t know that we are here.”

Martin Gerrish, of The Tenth Bull gift shop, in James Street, said: “We as traders have to do something to make the town attractive, to make people come here, some sort of events, or summer festival, I am not sure what exactly. Whitehaven Maritime Festival has put the town on the map. We have got to make it an attractive town for people to come to.”

“Would we not be better having a town council?” asked Christine Minnorry, of Ellie Louise, in King Street.

There were calls for better communication and more openness from Copeland Council. Anne Laine, of Whitehaven Business Against Crime, said: “The council make all the decisions and then they come to the traders and tell them what decisions have been made.”

As for rates, Coun Henry Wormstrup said: “Many years ago we looked at rates to get business rate relief, we have achieved it a number of times. Business rates are relative to the rent.”

And Craig Kershaw, of Kershaw’s Healthfoods, in Queen Street, reminded people that Copeland doesn’t set the business rates. “They are the unpaid collectors. The rates are worked out by the district valuer. It is the formula and the particular district valuer that you need to work on.”

Andrew Davis, of the Glenfield Guest House, said he had about 14 visitors who had been coming many times to Whitehaven over the past five years. “Over the last two years the numbers have been dropping off and now there are only two that come. They say they don’t like the town any more, they have lost interest in it,” he said.

“A third of our business is people doing the Coast to Coast, but the feedback is that the town is too dirty and messy.” He said the council had been ignoring his emails requesting the dog dirt to be cleared from the Back Corkickle area.

Rob Romano said that if people had issues with Copeland Council then they should use the council’s complaints procedure. “They are, if you like, our servants, we put them there. If we don’t complain then nothing will happen,” he said.

Lack of cleanliness was an issue of great concern from traders. A town clean-up day was discussed.

Mr Pavey said: “It galls me every morning that the front of the shop is covered in litter and chewing gum. I cannot blame Copeland Council, they just clean it up. Something needs to be done to restore pride back in our town.”

Mr Wormstrup said there had been a problem with the council’s chewing gum machine but that it was fixed and ready for use.

He said the Whitehaven in Bloom committee had organised a campaign to restore pride back into the town. They have secured funding for litter pickers and after Easter are going to have a clean-up day in the town involving school children, Whitehaven Heritage Action Group and MP Jamie Reed.

“We will be helping to cleanse the town. We need to start educating people and get them to take ownership of their town,” he said.

Mr Pavey said: “I am going to get as many traders as possible to get outside their shops and clean up the same day as the children do it.”

Lee Hodgson, of Whitehaven in Bloom, said they would put some artwork in the empty shops to make them look better and brighten them up.

John Pollock, of CL Leathers, in Roper Street, suggested that the town should start fund-raising for a permanent facility such as an ice rink.

“The nearest ice rink is Dumfries. We have got to start somewhere,” he said.

But Jayne Laine said a temporary ice rink had been installed previously in Castle Park and was underused.

And Allan Mossop added: “There’s not enough people to support an ice rink full time. We will not get people from places like Keswick and Wigton to come to Whitehaven to skate.”

Coun Henry Wormstrup said as part of the Pow Beck study they had looked at facilities such as an ice rink but that it “didn’t stack up financially”. “We couldn’t get the numbers in,” he said.

Towards the end of the meeting, Craig Kershaw, who has been a member of the Chamber of Trade for 25 years, said: “I haven’t heard anything here tonight that I haven’t heard time and time again but I’m still optimistic.”

He said many things that have happened in the town have come as a result of the Chamber of Trade. “I am hoping that the membership can double but we can only achieve things if we work together. We used to have an excellent relationship with Copeland Council and we need to look at that.”

Mr Pavey added: “It’s filled my heart with joy because there are people here that love this town and I do think that we can make a difference.”

Fergus McMorrow, Copeland’s community regeneration director, said: “We take on board the comments of the Chamber of Trade and are keen to discuss these in more detail with them. We will be getting in touch to arrange a meeting where these issues can be addressed.”

The next meeting of the Chamber of Trade is on April 14. Telephone Mr Pavey on 01946 694655 for further details.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk