Political row erupts over plans to close Sunderland Marks and Spencer

Sunderland's Labour council leader has his back at claims from opposition parties that it is at least partly to blame for the closure of the city's Marks and Spencer.

M&S have announced that the shop will only trade until a new new 47,000 sq ft store opens next to the Galleries shopping centre in Washington. That is expected to happen in the spring.

The company has blamed changing shopping habits and staff face an anxious wait. The firm says it will redeploy workers "where possible".

But news has led to a political row. Lib Dems and Tories say the council could do more and have repeated their opposition to recent changes in parking fees.

Leader of Sunderland Conservatives, Cllr Antony Mullen, said: "The closure of M&S is the final nail in the coffin for Sunderland city centre.

"The closure of Debenhams, Wilko and now M&S represent a failure on the part of the council to get to grips with the challenges posed by online retail and out-of-town retail parks.

"Rather than think about how a retail and leisure strategy will bring people into the city centre, the Labour council has hiked car parking charges for residents and has turned a blind eye to the decline of the city centre's visual appearance.

"After the closure of Wilko, we asked the council to establish a cross-party working group on attracting new retailers. Labour voted against this proposal and pursued a path that has led to a further closure.

"Labour is determined to drain what little life is left in Sunderland city centre."

Sunderland Lib Dem leader, Cllr Paul Edgeworth, said: “I am calling on Sunderland City Council to do everything it can to offer incentives for Marks and Spencer to change its decision and stay in the city centre.”

Council leader Cllr Graham Miller said: “The naivety of the Lib Dems and the Tories is frankly staggering.

"The notion that we have it in our gift to dictate the commercial decisions of national brands like M&S shows just how far removed both of these parties are from reality.

"Do they really believe we wouldn’t have made the case for them to keep a city centre store? Are they oblivious to the fact that M&S has closed more than 65 high street stores across the country in less than 12 months and has been very clear that its retail strategy has changed?

“The stark reality is that, nationwide, a large number of retailers are moving online or out of town as they adjust to changing consumer habits and we are powerless to reverse that – whatever incentives we offer.

“We are working proactively with M&S to ensure they maintain a strong presence in our city and – while it was made very clear that keeping their current city centre store was not an option – we are supporting them to expand their out-of-town estate, including a massive expansion in Washington.

“We have taken a positive and proactive approach to city centre regeneration, driving forward with ambitious plans to transform Riverside Sunderland.

"Our vision will, ultimately, see High Street West re-imagined in a way that better connects it to the Riverside, where up to 10,000 people will work and 2,500 people will live, ensuring this remains a vibrant part of our ever-changing city centre.

"There are a range of exciting new venues opening up in the heart of the city, from food and drink venues like the Keel Tavern, Botanist, The Muddler and Three Stories and exciting developments taking shape like Culture House, and we are focusing our efforts on the improvements we can affect, something the other parties really should do too.”

The shop is in the Sunderland Central constituency of Labour MP Julie Elliott, who has asked M&S bosses for a meeting.