Claim: Tamworth Borough Council Charge too Much Rent

This one is often bandied about as if it’s fact. Apparently if Tamworth Council charged less rent then there would be more shops in Tamworth town centre. The council own a handful of shops that it has any control over the rents for. A few of those are uninhabitable and falling to bits. The council doesn’t set any rents for any other shops in the town centre, because it doesn’t own them. They’re privately owned, and in the case of Ankerside, the land is leased to whoever owns Ankerside these days.

Only a few people have parcelled up the town centre and can call it their own and they’re the likes of the co-op and Smith Brothers. They charge whatever they like for the rental of the stores.

Of course the good denizens of Facebook groups apparently know better and think less rent should be charged and they’d magically get more tenants. Why didn’t these successful businesses think of this! (facepalm moment for them hey). Maybe it’s a big conspiracy. Or hang on a minute, just imagine they’d like their shops to have tenants too, because that’s how they get money.

Of course, everyone shops in the town centre for what they need and not online. So there should be lots of that consumer cash splashing around to pay the rent.