CARMARTHEN East and Dinefwr Assembly Member is encouraging shoppers to back high street and local shops in the run-up to Christmas.

As Wales continues to show vacancy rates higher than the rest of the UK and footfall in Welsh town centres continue to fall, Plaid Cymru are using a Senedd debate to call on the Labour Welsh Government to take swift action to help small businesses on the high street.

Local Assembly Member and Plaid Cymru's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Adam Price, has also encouraged shoppers to choose the high street over shopping centres or online-shopping when Christmas shopping over the next few weeks.

The latest figures show that the high street is continuing to suffer at the detriment of out-of-town shopping centres, and suggest that more needs to be done to help the centres of smaller towns.

Speaking ahead of the Plaid Cymru debate in the Senedd, Adam Price said: "The most recent figures show that shop vacancy rates are still much higher in Wales than in England and Scotland, with 15.1 per cent of retail properties in Welsh town centres empty, compared with 11.3 per cent in England and 12.1 per cent in Scotland.

"This is a cause of great concern, especially considering that the Welsh shopping centre vacancy rate is the lowest of the nations of Britain. This means that while shops on our high streets are empty, big companies in out-of-town centres are thriving.

"There is a specific problem in towns in the south Wales valleys. While investments in Cardiff have led to improvements, this is at the detriment of the high streets of smaller towns in the surrounding region.

"In opposition, Plaid Cymru is doing just that – working hard to help small businesses through getting funding for innovative solutions. Due to the Plaid Cymru budget deal with the Welsh Government, a fund will be established that will enable local authorities to offer free car parking in town centres throughout Wales, providing a vital boost to town centre regeneration.

"We are also pressuring the Welsh Government to expand the transitional relief available to small business affected by the 2017 rates revaluation.

“Small and medium businesses are the backbone of the economy, so shopping locally on the high street will not only help those businesses but will also help improve the resilience of the Welsh economy."