A campaign to support businesses facing problems with anti-social behaviour and crime in Newport city centre has been launched by the area’s Welsh Conservative Member of the Welsh Parliament.
Working with businesses in the heart of the city, Natasha Asghar MS is calling for urgent action from the local authority and Gwent Police to turn Newport city centre’s current situation around.
The Newport politician decided to launch her Save Newport High Street campaign after being contacted by traders who are concerned about ongoing problems in the city centre including anti-social behaviour and lack of access.
By launching the campaign, Natasha hopes it will push Newport City Council, Gwent Police, and others to engage with businesses and come up with solutions to help the city centre thrive.
Natasha Asghar MS said:
“I am proud to be a Newportonian and our city has a lot to offer. It is full of amazing people, businesses, groups, charities, and organisations, but our city centre is in urgent need of improvements.
“Crime and anti-social behaviour are out of control in the city centre. I have seen it for myself, and it is something traders often contact me about because it is putting people off from coming to the city centre and is having a huge impact on business.
“We have people defecating in shop doorways in broad daylight, young people causing problems, drug dealing, drunks, beggars, regular fights, and all of this is damaging our city.
“This cannot continue. We need to see robust action from Newport City Council, Gwent Police, businesses, and other key stakeholders get together and come up with serious solutions to tackle this growing problem.
“That’s why I have launched this campaign, to put pressure on the powers that be to act. We need action, not lip services, because if we are not careful, we will not have a high street.”
One of the businesses concerned for their future within the city centre is Davies Florist, which has had a presence in the heart of Newport city centre for more than 84 years.
Johanna Davies, the third-generation owner of the florist, and her husband Andrew are concerned for the future of the city centre if things do not improve.
Andrew and Johanna Davies explained:
“Our business has been in Newport city centre since 1942 and we would be utterly heartbroken to have to leave, but we may not have a choice.
“The lack of access to the city centre is really taking its toll on all businesses in the area. Few people realise that the majority of the city centre is closed to all vehicles for 20 hours a day 365 days a year.
“Things are so bad that we now have to meet our deliveries from Holland at Magor Services because of the lack of drop-off points in the city centre, and then ferry the stock from our car, which we cannot park anywhere near the shop, to the florist.
“Anti-social behaviour is also a big problem in Newport which is undoubtedly putting people off from coming into the city centre. Not a day goes by where there isn’t some sort of trouble, crime, or drama here.
“We, and I know of many other businesses, want to work with Newport Council and other partners to make the changes our city centre so desperately needs and create a thriving area once again. The people in charge need to understand that business owners who open their businesses on a daily basis will not make suggestions that would be detrimental to the area or their business.”
Annette Farmer, from Xclusive Jewellery, has had her business targeted by criminals several times with thousands of pounds worth of stock stolen.
She explained: “In the last month I have been hit twice. They smashed the windows. They were here for 20 minutes smashing the windows. No police came. They damaged the shutters and they also stole some stock by pulling the shutter up and grabbing what they could.
“I have got to have new shutters and windows. Obviously, I have lost trade. If it happens again I will definitely shut and I will be gone.
“There seems to have been an escalation in the last six months. It has become really bad. We all want extra police.”
Tracy Stokes, from La Belle Femme clothes shop in the city centre, warned that anti-social behaviour was the biggest issue and insisted more needed to be done to prevent trouble makers from congregating in the city centre. She also said that the lack of visible policing was a big concern.
Tracy said: “People do not feel safe in town. It is a nightmare.
“I was 16 when I first started working in Newport and I can still name the police who were on the beat in Newport then. Now we don’t see them on the beat. I have seen them in cars. I have seen them in vans. We need them on the beat. They need to be coming into shops.”
Talking about potential solutions, Tracy said the police and council need to work together when it comes to removing trouble makers from the city centre and help attract more independent businesses to Newport.
Natasha has written to the Chief Constable of Gwent Police and the Leader of Newport City Council calling on them to take urgent action to make Newport city centre safer.
