Times - Own your Own (Village Shop)

Own your village shop for £10!

By Kent Barker

They seem to have managed it in Ambridge.  The question is: can we do it here? Set up a community shop that is.

For some time a question mark has hung over the future of our little village grocers. The current owners – mother and daughter – wanted to sell up and move on and, not unreasonably, needed to achieve a fair price for their premises known as the Poplars. This is an old and attractive detached building with accommodation above, located in the heart of the village. So it was on the market for a fairly high sum. High enough to make the idea of continuing to run a shop there uneconomic.

So the ‘for sale’ sign was up for more than a year with no takers. And that was of growing concern to a considerable number of residents. There are several reasons why a village shop is important. Tradition obviously – and convenience.  But, to be frank, most people pop into the nearest town to Tesco or go slightly further afield to Waitrose for their shopping.

We are in a pretty wealthy area. Homes can change hands for around the million mark – especially if there’s a paddock attached for the ponies and room for the tennis court or swimming pool.  But there are also quite a few more modest homes and quite a bit of social housing. Not to mention the old council places which have been sold off but are still relatively affordable. So, hidden among the Range Rovers, BMW X5s and Porsche Cayennes are a number of elderly, down-at-heel Ford Fiestas. And there are a surprising number of people who don’t have a car at all - for whom popping out to a nearby town isn’t really an option.

Now, of course, you can get your shopping delivered from the big supermarkets. But that assumes you are computer literate. And the trouble is that the very people who don’t have cars and might want the delivery service are likely to be the very same people most unable or unwilling to shop online.

There is another factor as well. Loneliness. Elderly people living in the country often don’t have much social contact. A report from Age UK showed that half of Britons over 75 are living alone. And that 600,000 elderly people leave their houses just once a week or less. Proportionally, there are more elderly people living in rural communities than in towns. Half the population living in the countryside is over 45 compared to 36 per cent living in major urban areas. So the threat of closure of a village shop or post office – or both – is really serious for the elderly, the infirm or the poor, as it provides not just goods and services, but social intercourse and support. 

Now, I accept that a small business such as a shop cannot be run as part of our social services. (Well actually it could be, but not in our current political climate where individualism and self-interest seem always to trump communality and social caring.) But there are things that could be done. Using the Post Office to help hard-pressed local shops for instance. But, having privatised it, the Government has watched the Post Office embark on a massive restructuring known as Network Transformation, with 2,000 sub-post offices due to become ‘locals’ over the next couple of years.

The ‘local’ will be stripped of many roles, including handling international parcels and domestic ones over 20kg. The ability to pay bills manually will go, as will passport, car tax and DVLA services. And, most importantly, the retainer paid to the shopkeeper will also disappear.

Anyway, to return to the more parochial problems of our own threatened village shop, a working party was set up and reported that a community venture might be possible, but not in the old premises. The Parish Council looked at alternatives, but couldn’t see any viable sites. It was suggested that converting the public toilet block might be feasible – though the memory of its former use might have been a tad off-putting to shoppers seeking fresh produce.

And so things remained in abeyance until a chance discussion with one of our larger local businesses – Benenden Girls School. It seemed they urgently need more residences for staff and were prepared to buy the Poplars for the accommodation above. A slightly altered shop premises is to be offered back to a Community Benefit Society on a long lease at an affordable rent.

The new community shop will be owned by villagers who have bought £10 shares and who will elect a management committee to run it with volunteers and a few paid staff.  It seems a win, win situation, and I think we’ve been extremely lucky to find a local benefactor. Other equally deserving villages may not be so fortunate.