Dear
Editor,
I
am writing in response to Mrs. Jean Sullivan’s letter regarding her support for
ASDA.
Firstly,
I would like to stress that the campaign to stop Walmart ASDA in Silverhill is
not and has never been political. We very much appreciate Amber Rudd’s support
but have also had support from Labour Councillors. An attack on any particular
political party is therefore uncalled for and totally irrelevant.
In
the current economic climate, and in Hastings in particular, we are all for
more jobs. Who wouldn’t be? But what we do not want is low paid, part-time jobs
at the expense of existing jobs and livelyhoods. The British Retail Forum has
found that on average 276 jobs are lost for every large supermarket that opens.
Incidentally, at the meeting in May we were told that the good jobs at ASDA – managerial
positions – would not be recruited from Hastings.
Small
businesses, including small shops, tend to employ proportionally more people in
relation to the size of the business. It is hard to see how supermarkets can
claim to “create” jobs if they are causing small retailers to close down. And
that assertion doesn't pass the "corporate ethics" test where cost
reduction, particularly of payroll, is crucial. We are losing these sources of local produce and local
employment in all our communities. In Hastings, we already have only 3 greengrocers left.
Isn’t it time we stop and think?
In
the current economic climate, we are all trying to economise but supermarkets
are not the answer to our problems. It is debatable that supermarkets are
cheaper than local butchers and greengrocers (in my opinion they are not and
they certainly do not match the quality). It is, however, a fact that 80% of
the money we spend in a supermarket leaves the local economy and only 20% is
left as wages, rates and services. Obviously, if those wages are in turn spent
in a supermarket, then 80% of that again leaves the town. If we were to look
past our own purse strings and consider the local economy as a whole, then we
should try to spend more of our money in local shops, where the trend is
reversed and only 20% leaves the local economy.
With
regard to free parking – how on earth can 300 spaces serving a large
supermarket and a very large medical centre leave much for those who want to
pop into the smaller shops? And who would want to cross a car park and eight
lanes of heavy traffic to do so anyway? And where will the ASDA staff park?
Interestingly, ASDA tell us that their staff and a potential 25,000 people in
Hastings are going to use their bicycles to get to Silverhill. Traffic surveys
carried out by Walmart ASDA have been inadequate and for this reason the County
Council’s traffic department are asking for
further evidence that the increase in traffic will be manageable – as yet this
has not been forthcoming.
Incidentally,
Mrs. Sullivan is listed as an interested party in the ASDA Planning
Application. It would appear that she stands to gain financially if this scheme
goes ahead, it is no surprise that she has been so supportive. Surely no
altruism there, or any concern for the local community, nor the economy of the
town as a whole. Support it all you like, but don’t attack those of us
who want a better future for this town.