Frustration at state of empty town centre shops
Joseph GhayoubaLandlords of empty shops are being urged to take action to stop town centre buildings falling into disrepair.
Cumberland councillor Joseph Ghayouba said he was frustrated at the "neglect" of properties in the centre of Whitehaven, Cumbria, with empty shops left in a poor condition.
"If they are property owners and they've got an asset like that they should look after them - they have a duty to the community," he said.
Cumberland Council said it was "taking stock on the various tools available" to bring vacant units back into use.
Ghayouba, a Labour councillor, said he was working with the authority to identify and engage with landlords to get them to tidy up their shops.
"When you walk down King Street and Lowther Street, aside from a few notable successful cafes, there's not really a lot going on in the town centre," he said.
"You can see the neglect and that's something that really annoyed me."
Ghayouba said he sympathised with the argument that some landlords struggled to let out the properties, but added many were left in such a bad state it would mean big upfront costs for prospective tenants to make them viable commercial units.
He said: "I would like to see the worst landlords made an example of.
"So if in 12 months we haven't seen at least one landlord brought to some kind of action or seen some material improvement with a shop, I'll be very disappointed."
A spokesman for Labour-led Cumberland Council said the authority was committed to improving Whitehaven and had commissioned a masterplan for the town.
He said: "In bringing the masterplan forward we are committed to working in effective partnership and will be taking stock of all available options including the use of enforcement powers."