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Mather Avenue in Allerton was once home to a “bustling” row of shops that many residents relied on.
But the street “turned desolate overnight” as four businesses were shut down this summer after their leases were forfeited by Liverpool City Council. They include Ambience hair salon, where Kim Lee has worked for the last 15 years having taken over as owner following the death of her mum.
Other impacted businesses include Avenue News, Avenue Delight and Sully’s café which are all run by dad Abdul Suliman, 53, and his two sons Jamal, 23, and Amir, 21. Elaine King, from Woolton, who visited the shops on a regular basis before their closure said they provided a lifeline for the local community.
READ MORE: ‘Absolute scruffs’ walk out of restaurant ‘without paying £76 food bill’
Elaine, 60, told the ECHO: “It’s sad. We’ve got this little community shopping parade that was always a hustling and bustling parade – it’s gone to nothing overnight.
“It looks like a desolate area. How can people just wake up on day and the facilities they’ve been used to the whole time they’ve lived there have gone?
“I’ve been using these local shops for years and years and over time I’ve got to know a lot of residents. You just see the same faces when you go. There’s a lot of vulnerable people there – they can’t go and get their pint of milk from the shop now.
“They would go to the café and watch the world go by, whereas now they’re sat in their house on their own all day. When I found out I was in tears.”
“I’m trying to jump through hoops to get it back open”
Kim, 41, who runs Ambience hair salon, said she was on holiday on July 31 when she received a call from one of her employees to say the premises had been repossessed by the council.
A note, addressed to Kim’s late mum, and seen by the ECHO, said Liverpool City Council had taken possession of the premises and changed the locks. The note added that the rent was 21 days overdue and anyone attempting to re-enter the premises may be liable to criminal prosecution.
Kim said her account has been in arrears since the covid pandemic and she has been paying this off at a rate of around £300 a month in addition to her rent. She claims she was given no notice that the shop was due to be repossessed due to the arrears.
Councillor Nick Small said the council needs to ensure taxpayers are getting “best value out of all its property and assets” which was an area that was identified in the Caller Report, which lifted the lid on a host of issues relating to how Liverpool City Council previously operated. Cllr Small added that alongside this, the council “do need to support small businesses, the vital services they provide to communities and the jobs they create.”
Kim told the ECHO: “I’ve always held my hands up and said the arrears were my issue. I didn’t pay my rent during covid at all. I was closed, I wasn’t making money so I didn’t see why I should have to pay my rent.
“Obviously since then I have been paying my rent and [money] off the arrears. I’ve literally got a phone call [from my staff] to say they can’t get in the shop, they’ve taken the shop back. That was the first and only time I’ve heard about it.
“I’ve been asking the council for the last six weeks why did you not try and collect the arrears? Why did you not give me any notice if that was the case? I would have paid the arrears.”
Kim is now in the process of trying to secure a new lease for the shop through the council but has been told this could take until November. She said: “I’m trying to jump through hoops to get it back open. I offered to give them three months rent up front so they have that security.
“I go to bed worrying about it and wake up worrying about it. We have so many people, elderly people, who walk past and say hello every morning going to the shop to get their paper or pint of milk.”
“They’ve got no business, no employment coming in now”
Avenue News, Avenue Delight and Sully’s café were also forced to close in July after their leases were forfeited by the council. The owners’ accountant Mohamed Elgadhy, 53, claimed the family took over the businesses two years ago and sent their details over to the council at this time.
However, Mohamed claims the lease was never changed into the family’s name and on July 31 they arrived at the shop to find it had been repossessed by the council. Mohamed claimed the notice was addressed to a previous tenant and the family have always paid their rent on time.
Mohamed told the ECHO: “These guys have been there for two years paying rent. They’re obviously good tenants – give them a new lease. You don’t have to spend money advertising the premises. They’ve got a proven track record of payment.”
Mohamed said the family have spent up to £100,000 refurbishing the three businesses over the last two years to make them a success. They have a team of up to six employees who he says are now out of work.
He added: “They paid rent for the next three months – July, August and September, and they came and put a notice on the window and said they can’t have it anymore.
“They want them to take all of the stock and fixtures and fittings. They’ve got no business, no employment coming in now.”
Councillor Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy said he was aware of Kim’s case and said he had been contacted by Kim’s local councillor Kimberly Berry, who he said had been working hard to resolve the case.
He added: “Without getting into specific details, the city council needs to ensure that taxpayers are getting best value out of all its property and assets. This was one of the areas rightly identified in the Caller Report and is subject to the Commissioners’ intervention.
“As the cabinet member responsible, I’m absolutely determined that the council puts in place the necessary mechanisms to make sure this happens. Alongside this, we do need to support small businesses, the vital services they provide to communities and the jobs they create.
“I realise that it can be frustrating for business owners like Kim while legacy issues like these are being resolved, but I know our officers are working hard to achieve the right balance.”
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