TOO POOR FOR THEIR OWN GOOD The city where the residents are being blamed for driving away new business!

Brian Owens is a worried man. He stands in the bitter February wind beside a large colourful hoarding that hides an empty shop in Newport's Lower Dock St. "We have spent thousands on these things to try and brighten the place up and show that Newport is open for business, it's 'last chance saloon' time really"

Brian is Head of Business and Planning at Newport City Council and has reason to be concerned; Newport town centre has been losing retail  businesses at a rate of three a week over the last ten years and the trend doesn't seem to be stopping. Brian explains: "Newport used to be a thriving place but now we are losing some of the biggest names on the High Street. We have lost Next, Burtons and will be losing M&S, Dorothy Perkins and countless smaller places over the next two years, Newport is in decline and quite frankly we on the council are at a loss to know what to do."

Brian takes us up onto Commercial St, the retail centre of the City and continues: "Shops like the 'poundstores,' the bargain shops, like The Works and Card Factory, do really well, but when people want to do proper shopping they go to Cwmbran or Cardiff. Even the golf; The Ryder Cup in 2010, had little effect on the city itself."

We retire to Starbucks, out of the cold, where we are joined by Lelee DaCompta whose company Pretty City deals with the economic problems facing cities such as Newport. Brian Owens introduces her; " We have hired Lelee because she is an expert in the regeneration of cities such as Newport. She is working on the redevelopment of Baghdad and is about to start work on a shopping mall in Tripoli. Two of her companies successes have been the fashion district of Dubai and the St Anne's area of Taunton."

Ms. Da Compta opens her lap-top. " Cities like Newport have to identify what is causing this decline, it is not enough to blame it on the economic climate, that is lazy thinking! You have to look closer at the city itself at the infrastructure, at the people." She pauses to show some pictures on her lap-top that appear to have been taken in Newport Market; "if you see here this is a familiar scene, a cafe in the market, what do you notice?... do you see? the customers are, how you say, shabby, very scruffy. They are, and I'm sorry if this sounds awful, ugly".

Brian Owens looks uncomfortable for a moment and interrupts Lelee,"Well they are probably poor..."
Lelee continues: "Yes poor! That is it! You do not build a thriving city on the poor, you build it on the wealthy, that has happened in Dubai and that is happening in Baghdad. When there was the war, when the Americans invaded, the poor had to flee, now people are coming back, rich people who see opportunity."

Lelee proffers more photos this time of  ASDA in Pill. "These places are for the poor, these supermarkets, the produce is cheap and they are on the edge of the town. The poor do not need to go into the city centre to shop. Wealthy shoppers do not need to see the ugliness and the bad behaviour associated with the poor, therefore they will have a more enjoyable shopping experience!"

Brian Owens is beginning to look like he is regretting inviting Lelee DaCompta along. But Lelee continues: "People are not just offended by words, they are offended by what they see with their eyes. If you see some 'doggie doos' you look away, you avoid that area, you will not go back again and of course it smells! It is the same with people, potential customers will not come to Newport if what they see is shabby, shuffling people swearing and wearing cheap clothes and probably smelling!"

Lelee DaCompta hands out small press release with a familiar face on the front. " This is my all time hero, my great friend Andy Warhol!" she says " He said some great things about money but the best of all was ' A rich man given more money is a danger to himself, so give it to the poor? No, then the poor will spoil the party'".

We pay the bill and leave.