‘Our shops are struggling and need our support’

• IN Islington our shops are struggling and need our support. They are a vital resource for our community and many are bending over backwards to help us all through this pandemic.

But many people are still buying online from places like Amazon that not only treat their employees badly but also make little tax contribution to the maintenance of the infrastructure they rely on to run their highly profitable businesses.

However there is hope. With Islington’s investment in “localisation” through the people-friendly streets project, it will be easier and more pleasant for the vast majority of the borough’s residents to access the businesses which will benefit from greater footfall from local shoppers.

This is backed up by a Transport for London study in 2018 which found that people walking and cycling visit high streets more frequently and spend more money there compared with people in cars.

For more on this, please visit https://barnsburystmarys2020.ghost.io/faq-good-for-business/.

Come on, shop locally. It’s good for you, good for our community, and good for the environment too.

JOHN HARTLEY,
N1