High street
From surviving to thriving
Rob Barlow outlines the progress Boston BC and East Lindsey DC have made eight months into their Strategic Alliance, including a joint approach to workforce development.
Surfeit of grant pots makes a pot noodle for councils
If questions about the way the Levelling Up Fund and the Towns Fund are targeted dulls ministers’ appetites for more pots then they could always consider rolling them up into one fund and calling it, say, revenue support grant, says Michael Burton.
Councils speak out over controversial planning laws
Councils have stressed they continue to need to have a voice in the planning process as new laws came into force.
BUDGET 2021: Sunak freezes VAT rate to support hospitality and tourism
Support for hospitality and tourism businesses was underpinned in the Budget by a freezing of the current 5% rate of VAT for another six months until the end of September.
Sunak to reveal £5bn for high streets
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected announce a further £5bn to rescue high streets in the Budget on Wednesday.
Labour calls for council powers to intervene in high streets
Proposals for councils to take over empty shops and a ‘wholesale reform’ of business rates have been put forward by Labour.
Town recovery the tailored way
The pandemic has made delivering strong, more inclusive and resilient towns crucial, argues Katie Hickman. Here, she outlines the two key elements that will ensure the success of the £3.6bn Towns Fund programme.
A confirmation of local government’s true resilience
Heather Jameson ponders what the latest CIPFA resilience index tells us about the state of local government finances. It contains 'a curious mix of highly informative and utterly irrelevant information'.
Watford is taking care of business
Marie Power outlines Watford BC’s approach to ensuring their business community survives, revives and thrives in the face of the COVID-19 challenge.
Significant funding is critical to delivering Yarmouth's plans for transformative change
Great Yarmouth secured a provisional offer of £13.7m investment from the Future High Streets Fund towards its vision to transform and revive the town centre, says Sheila Oxtoby. A Town Deal bid has also been submitted.
Redrawing the map
Councils are the bodies to lead high street regeneration – but not without reform, argues Paul Swinney.
The high street is dead, long live the high street
Six Key Cities members received all or part of the Future High Streets funding they originally bid for. Cllr John Merry explains how high streets can become the beating hearts of communities once again.
When a digital community is the answer
Kathy Kyle Bonomini outlines how she and her team have created a free community platform and social media channels to enable groups to collaborate on high street rejuvenation.
Questions over councils' regeneration role
A lack of funds and expertise prevents local authorities from reversing the decline of many town centres, MPs have heard.
Jenrick announces delayed £830m high street investment
The Government has finally announced the 72 areas that will benefit from millions of pounds of funding as part of the effort to help high streets recover from the impact of the pandemic.
EXCLUSIVE: Anger over delays to high street bid funding
Funding to help boost the high street has not been paid to councils more than a year after the if was announced, The MJ has learned.
The PAC casts a gimlet eye on the ministry
The phrase ‘glass houses and throwing stones’ comes to mind when Government departments finger wag at local authorities over managing resources, says Michael Burton.
Why town centres have intergenerational appeal
We will need many more affordable homes in the heart of our communities that work for people of all ages if we are serious about building a society for all generations, say Stephen Burke and Roland Karthaus.
Vibrant high streets need vibrant cities and towns
The fundamental cause of high street decline is simple: a lack of local spending power, says Andrew Carter. 'People are typically paid more in Cambridge so they have more money to spend, both online and offline, than people in Burnley do'.
Yule talk to the trees
Local authorities throughout the UK may well be pondering how to welcome back people safely to the high street.
