OVER 60 town centre shops or businesses have closed since July last year in market towns across Gloucestershire, a survey has found.

A report by the Gloucestershire Market Towns Forum has found evidence that the recession has hit businesses in its 16 member communities.

Of the shops that had closed 45 were identified as independents and 15 were part of a national chain. Of the 45 independent shops 35 attributed their closure to the economic downturn or loss of business.

The types of businesses most hit have been estate agents, antiques shops, off licenses, grocers and convenience stores and gift shops.

Members of the Gloucestershire Market Towns Forum, including Wotton and Dursley, gathered last month to discuss the impact the recession was having on their historic shopping areas.

Representatives from each town shared ideas for how to regenerate town centres and encourage local shoppers back.

Members were impressed by Wotton’s shop window displays and also their ‘I Love Wotton’ event, which celebrated the positive aspects of the town.

Terry Morgan, from the Federation of Small Businesses, and Shirley Hill, of Dursley’s Vale Vision, called on market town traders to work more closely together, with their town councils and their local communities to help them out of the recession.

Mr Morgan said: "It's all about self help; you can’t expect district councils to keep giving out money. There's a limit to the amount of public money available, unless you want to get taxed to the hilt."

A further survey of members of the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce asked 34 large and small businesses in the county how the recession had affected them.

Nearly 80 per cent were either still suffering from a reduction in business or their business was stable after making cuts in staffing or hours.

Of the companies surveyed 44 per cent said they had made redundancies, cut pay or had cut staff hours.

The most recent unemployment figures for Gloucestershire, which were recorded in April, show unemployment has risen by 3.6 per cent.

In Gloucestershire12,694 people are now out of work, of which 1,952 are in the Stroud district.