PALMA City Council, for its numerous faults and often “alternative” and confusing approach to legislation, has come up with an extremely good idea to help small retailers during the festive period.

The Council is not quite planning on having us all dancing in the streets, but rather shopping in the streets.

It intends to take a similar approach to bars and restaurants and permitting, encouraging in fact, retailers to take their wares out on to the street. There will be the traditional Christmas markets, but let’s be honest, over the years they have lost much of their shine, so open up the streets.

If this goes ahead, what it will mean for traffic, I don’t know, but many of Palma’s smaller shopping streets are already only accessible for residents or traders, so I can’t see it making much of a difference to daily life.

But, what it could do is make a huge difference to the future of many of the city centre’s small traders who have already had a challenging few years, never mind the pandemic.

And, if the council does go ahead, we as consumers, have got to support the initiative.

For many it will not be easy. It’s not as if the bulk of the population is going to be flush with cash and consumer confidence, but we need to look at the bigger picture and the future.

We can’t let small businesses die - not to mention more jobs lost.