MP responds to “bizarre” request for more details on CPS Centre closure

WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has responded to a “bizarre” request for more details on the closure of the CPS centre at Culcheth.

Independent local Cllr. Neil Johnson challenged the Warrington North MP to give more details on follow-up actions for the CPS Centre following her recent Prime Minister’s Question where she highlighted the plight of traders in the CPS Centre.

On Wednesday 12th February, Charlotte Nichols asked the Prime Minister Keir Starmer:

“Long standing traders in the CPS Centre in Culcheth were devastated to receive an eviction notice giving them just 28 days to vacate entirely out of the blue and on a spurious pretext by the new owner, shell company Shivat Haminim Capital. So far, the owner and legal representatives have failed to hear tenants’ concerns and mine, and to negotiate a way forward. So, does the Prime Minister share my concerns at this situation and will he set out our plans to protect independent businesses which are at the heart of our high street and communities?”

Keir Starmer replied:”We do, Mr Speaker, expect landlords to meet their obligations to make buildings safe and we support robust enforcement action from the regulator if they fail to do so. I will make sure that she gets a meeting with the minister to discuss what steps can be taken in her particular case to support the business that her constituents rely on.”

Cllr. Johnson said:”Charlotte Nichols read out a question to the Prime Minister from her iPad over a month ago, to great fanfare by her supporters. This was being treated as a crucial intervention in the campaign to save the CPS Centre. However, since then, we have heard nothing more, either from the MP, the Minister she was due to meet, or in fact anyone in the Labour Party.
“Simply asking a question to another MP, even if he is the Prime Minister, does not achieve anything. What has happened since?
“I am asking Charlotte Nichols to publicly provide more details on the outcome of her question. Residents of Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft deserve clarity.

“Specifically, can she tell us:

1) Which Minister will you be meeting (or have you met) and when did/will the meeting take place?
2) What are you asking the Minister to do? What outcome do you hope to reach from the meeting?
3) Has the Minister agreed to take any action in respect of the CPS Centre or the landlords? If so, what action have they agreed to take and when will this happen?
4) Can a representative from the Save Our Shops campaign attend your meeting with the Minister, if it has not already taken place?
“I believe these questions are fair, balanced, and reasonable. They can be summarised in two words: ‘What now?’.
“I look forward to Charlotte providing clear and unequivocal answers to these questions. If we are going to safeguard our shops, and protect our village identity, we must know what our MP and the Government are committed to doing.”

In response to his questions regarding the CPS Centre Ms Nichols said: “I find Cllr Johnson’s assertion that “we have heard nothing more” frankly bizarre, not least because I remain in regular contact with affected businesses, but because among the meetings I have had since raising the issue at PMQs was with Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council where Cllr Johnson was actually present.
“Since that meeting, I secured an extension to licenses and access to storage for affected businesses to allow them greater time for making arrangements. The landlord has stated that the evictions remain necessary for improvement works to the building, however, and a period of closure will be going ahead. There is not, politically, anything further that can be done to challenge this decision – it would require a successful legal challenge by the affected businesses through the courts.
“I met with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government), Alex Norris MP, and his departmental officials on 25 February. This was to discuss greater protection in legislation for small traders, independent businesses, and our high streets more generally, and where there are opportunities for this in upcoming legislation on planning and English devolution to stop a situation like this from being able to happen again.
“Under the framework for High Street Rental Auctions, established in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and brought into force in December, local authorities have been given greater powers to take action where landlords have not taken sufficient steps to rent property – auctioning off leases on premises that have been vacant for more than a year – and granting local businesses and community groups the ‘right to rent’ empty commercial lots at market prices. We discussed how these existing powers could be used if the CPS Centre is left vacant, in order to ensure the building works are undertaken in a timely manner and the centre brought back into use as soon as possible for the community it serves.”