A SPECIAL meeting is to be held at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) after widespread concern over the impact of street furniture licence charges.

A drop-in session at the Shire Hall in Monmouth was held last Friday (14th July), presenting an opportunity for business owners and members of the public to voice their concerns.

It came after a peaceful protest held on Church Street, with traders and members of the community dressing in black to ‘celebrate the life’ of the street before the charges were implemented.

An online petition has been signed by more than 3,300 people to ‘help save Church Street and Monmouth’s charm’, and on 30th June, shoppers joined forces to show solidarity with the Church Street businesses and staged a ’sit in’.

A meeting of MCC’s strong communities select committee will now be held on 30th July to discuss the authority’s proposed advertising boards and street furniture policy.

The Strong Communities Select Committee has recognised the significant interest shared by local businesses, traders, disability groups and residents in recent weeks and welcomes all interested parties to attend the meeting. This will provide an opportunity for the public to offer their perspectives and for members to fully debate the issue, prior to the select committee making recommendations on the policy options.

The meeting, at 10am on Monday 30th July in the council chamber at County Hall, will consist of a presentation from Monmouthshire’s head of operations Roger Hoggins followed by a 30-minute open forum to enable the public, businesses and groups to present their views. A formal agenda will be available five working days before the meeting and can be located on the council’s website. The meeting will also be live-streamed for those who wish to view it remotely. Anyone who wishes to distribute documents or written material to the committee should submit them to Monmouthshire’s democratic services team by 4pm on Monday 23rd July, by emailing [email protected]

Strong communities select committee chair, Councillor Jane Pratt, who called for the meeting, said: “We are aware of the importance of this issue and the need to debate this fully and as soon as possible. Consequently, the select committee is prioritising this by calling a special meeting to enable the committee to fully understand the implications of the policy on businesses and residents in making its recommendation”.

Cllr Bryan Jones, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for operations said: “Our towns are beautiful and vibrant places, attracting many visitors from all over the world. I love the ‘café’ culture I see in our towns and do not want to hinder this. I encourage people to come along or watch the meeting to gain information on how we can help businesses continue to thrive”.

• Town councillors have declared that they wish to see an amicable solution to the issue of street furniture and A boards, for both residents and traders.

The mayor of Monmouth, Cllr Terry Christopher wrote to MCC’s chief executive, Paul Matthews saying it was apparent that the substantial increase in business rates has been a major factor in the loss of so many shops within the town.

“I understand that MCC are lobbying the Welsh Assembly Government in an effort to try and obtain some relief deduction in the Business Rates set for towns within Monmouthshire. I would like to on behalf of the Monmouth Town Council support your efforts to reduce these rates in the strongest way possible,” he added.

“I am confident that you and the duly elected members are totally aware of the adverse effect these increases have made within our town, the unique town centre is fast becoming a ghost area, and urgent action is required to re-install the prosperity of our ancient market town.”