CARMARTHENSHIRE towns need urgent help from a dedicated town’s renewal task force, to restore them their former glory and get them back on track.

Struggling town centres, closing businesses and emptying high streets need “long term solutions” says Plaid Cymru’ s Adam Price and MP Jonathan Edwards who also warn that Carmarthenshire's towns need urgent support to transform them back into the "vibrant hubs of the community they always were."

Former MP Mr Price said the catalyst for his call was witnessing the closure of local businesses and the discussions he had had with business on the campaign trail.

Just last week, the Guardian told how several business in Ammanford- including Bazaar, a shop that had been trading for more than 70 years- was closing due to low footfall and “crippling rates”.

Mr Price, Plaid’s Assembly Member Candidate for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr said that the news that one in every seven shops in Wales is empty and while he praised the recent announcement of a £2million Rural Enterprise Fund from the new he also said we were witnessing a "fundamental shift in shopping habits" and that a business as usual approach nationally was "no longer an option".

"Having met countless business owners on the campaign trail I believe the time has come for a towns renewal task force – not a talking shop, but a forum which brings together the tools of council, businesses and the respective chambers of trade to agree on how we can safeguard the future of our small towns,” added Mr Price, who has written to Carmarthenshire County Council leaders to suggest a task force is set up.

“Our first priority should be to stop the decline and support existing stores to keep their doors open - Plaid Cymru’ s business rate relief changes could be a significant boost in this respect. Then we need to reach an agreed programme of steps we should take to safeguard our towns and transform them back into the vibrant hubs of the community they always were.”

Member of Parliament Jonathan Edward said everyone needs to work towards an agreed plan for action for our towns, adding that short term measures such as car parking charges can make a difference, but a longer term vision was needed.

Mr Edwards stressed the business rate policy Plaid launched some years ago which would raise the threshold at which small businesses pay rates to 10,000 while extending small business rate relief to all businesses with a rateable value under £15,000- taking 70,000 Welsh businesses out of the payment system altogether. Currently, only businesses with a rateable value of under £6,000 receive full relief.

The MP added: "Under Plaid Cymru’s proposals hundreds of businesses in Carmarthenshire would receive 100% rate relief. The Welsh Government already has the power to do this now, but it has regrettably failed to take any action.

"As an elected member, I will do what I can to lobby both the Welsh and UK Governments in support of that vision. But I'm convinced that everyone needs to pull in the same direction if we are to secure the renewal of our towns. A task force can be a good mechanism for getting things done."