'Amazon tax' could help rebuild riot communities

COMMUNITIES which have lost pubs, piers and parks could be regenerated through a tax on wealthy firms such as Amazon in an effort to sow cohesion, a new report has suggested a year on from the summer riots.

- Aine Fox reports

The trouble, which spread through parts of England and Northern Ireland following the Southport killings, should have been a "wake-up call", the author of the report said.

Disorder broke out after the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town on July 29 last year. It quickly spread to other areas, and mosques, community centres and libraries were attacked while hotels housing asylum seekers were also targeted.

The far-right "capitalised on Southport's disrepair to sow disorder", the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said, as the paper it commissioned noted a "fight for investment in local amenities has garnered little attention" in the aftermath.

The report warned of a "pincer movement of abandonment and gentrification" which has gradually seen community spaces, such as the Southport pier which closed in 2022, lost and increased isolation of people in many areas.