'We're busy with vape and mobile phone customers'

Vape, barber and mobile phone shops could be blocked from opening in Southend-on-Sea, if councillors get their way.

Following a motion tabled by Reform UK at full council, the Labour-led cabinet will now consider what powers it has to curb the "excessive" number of such shops it has on its High Street.

There are 16 mobile phone outlets, 11 vape units and nine barber shops on Southend's High Street, according to James O'Rourke, a Reform UK councillor, who backed the motion which called on the council to restrict these businesses opening in council-owned commercial property.

Labour leader Daniel Cowan said the motion, was "a position that we have held ourselves for a number of years". So, what do people in Southend think about the proposal - and what impact might it have on the city?

Waseeq Ahmed, 21, who works in one of the city's vape and phone shops said: "We are getting the vape customers, we are getting the phone customers - we are busy."

The business sells phone accessories, from chargers and cables to cases. It also carries out phone repairs as well as selling a range of nicotine and non-nicotine vapes.

Ahmed said: "This is a legitimate business, people need these accessories in their daily life."

However, he added that the proliferation of similar shops in Southend has undercut his business, meaning he has to reduce some of his prices.

Irina Korolkevica is a hotel housekeeping manager who has lived in the city for 16 years.

The 36-year-old said: "When I moved from Latvia to the UK, the amount of different shops was absolutely amazing.

"There was all sorts of shops from the baby stuff, Mamas and Papas - everything - and I think it was the pandemic that started all the closures."

She believes there are now far too many mobile phone, vape and barber shops.

Jasmine Maycock, 24, who works as a waitress in Leigh-on-Sea, agreed.

She said: "We are being overtaken by the mobile phone shops, the vape shops, they're rarely ever busy."

Ophelia Kops, also 24, said: "It's ridiculous. Ten years ago we had so many shops and the economy was good here.

"Now I dread coming here because there is literally nothing."

Southend City Council is run by a Labour-led rainbow coalition.

Cowan has been leader for the past three years. He said new powers which will come in from next year will mean the council can "say no to the sorts of businesses which we can't say no to at the moment."

Cowan said since the council bought Southend's Victoria Shopping Centre, it has had a much bigger say in businesses opening there.

However, currently it can only close down premises in conjunction with the police, where it can be proved that there are links to organised crime.

Cowan said: "[Next year] for the first time, we will be able to say no through planning to vape shops, which at the moment are treated the same way as anyone who wanted to open a shop for clothing or to sell cakes.

"No one wants to see 20 mobile phone shops on their high street, 20 vape shops, 20 fried chicken shops. People want a diversity."

Steve Millington, professor of place management at Manchester Metropolitan University, said it was important to remember that changing consumer habits had had an impact on high streets around the country.

He said as well as using the new enforcement powers, councils should set up improvement schemes, work with commercial agents to attract new uses serving the community and do research to make evidence-based decisions on what people want.

Millington warned that unless the cause of the depressed local market is resolved, towns will continue to attract low value businesses.

He said: "Ten years ago, there was concern about takeaways as being rogue businesses; now it's vape shops, or American candy stores.

"But without a clear plan or vision in place, then all that will happen is other low-value businesses will move into those spaces."

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