There is nothing I love more than spending a Saturday morning strolling down the high street, popping into shops and grabbing a coffee and a bite to eat to keep me going.

Our high streets are the beating hearts of so many of our communities and the shops – whether independent or national, small, medium or large – play a pivotal role in keeping them vibrant.

Some high streets across Wales continue to flourish (look at Abergavenny for example, especially on Market days!), but others are struggling.

There is no single answer to why some high streets are flagging. It’s a multi-faceted situation.

Online shopping, especially since the pandemic, is certainly a big factor in reduced footfall in our shopping areas.

But it is also things like rising operating costs, crippling business rates, cost-of-living pressures, and the Prime Minister’s job tax which is forcing many to freeze hiring or reducing staffing numbers.

My Welsh Conservative colleagues and I understand the importance of high streets and why we need to do all we can to help them thrive.

As things stand, businesses in Wales are punished with the highest business rates in Great Britain.

The Welsh Conservatives, if fortunate enough to win next May’s Senedd election, would change that.

We would abolish business rates for small businesses across Wales and restore rate relief for the retail, hospitality and leisure sector to 75% following Labour’s decision to drop it to just 40%.

Not only that, but the Welsh Conservatives would scrap Labour and Plaid Cymru’s toxic tourism tax.

And we will make sure residents can keep more of their own money.

We will do that by delivering a 1p income tax cut, which would put an average of £450 per year back into the pockets of hard-working families.

The Welsh Conservatives would also force local authorities to hold a local referendum should they try to impose a council tax rise of more than 5%.

This all forms part of the Welsh Conservatives’ tax-cutting agenda, which will help get Wales back on track after 26 years of Labour mismanagement.

Labour – and their cheerleaders in Plaid Cymru – have broken Wales and only the Welsh Conservatives can fix it.

If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to get in touch by calling 01633 215138 or by emailing [email protected].