Bridgwater MP Ashley Fox has slammed Somerset Council after meeting Richard, the owner of Anderson and Wall, following the decision by the 107-year-old Bridgwater family business to close its doors later this year.
The long-established motorcycle dealer and MOT station on Church Street remains open until the end of January, but Richard explained during the visit that the combination of road closures, traffic changes, and rising costs has left the family with no realistic option but to close.
During the meeting, Richard outlined how the Celebration Mile works and wider traffic decisions in the town centre proved to be a hammer blow for the business. When Eastover was closed entirely to traffic early last year, the business lost more than half of its customers, many of whom have since taken their trade elsewhere.
Although the roads have now reopened, the new one-way system means customers are required to make significant detours to reach the business. As a result, trade has not recovered. Richard told Ashley Fox that he had been assured by the council that the business would feel the benefits once the works were completed, but this has not happened.
The business is also facing a sharp rise in costs. From April, its business rates are set to increase from £2,400 to £5,900, more than doubling. This is alongside higher National Insurance contributions and wage costs, further adding to the pressure.
Ashley Fox MP said, “It was incredibly difficult meeting Richard and hearing first-hand how a 107-year-old family business has been pushed to the brink. Anderson and Wall has not reached this point because of poor decisions by the owners, it has reached this point because Somerset Council’s actions cut off customers and damaged trade.”
“Businesses were told they would benefit once the Eastover and Celebration Mile works were finished. That promise has not been kept. Add to that a more than doubling of business rates and rising employment costs, and it becomes clear why so many local businesses are struggling. This is a real loss for Bridgwater, and it should never have been allowed to happen.”
Ashley Fox added that he will continue to put forward the case on behalf of Bridgwater businesses, pressing Somerset Council to properly recognise the impact of its traffic schemes and to take meaningful steps to support town centre traders before any more are lost.
He also encouraged residents to support Anderson and Wall while it remains open, saying that after more than a century of trading in Bridgwater, the business deserves the backing of the local community in its final days.
