We need a plan to build a future for the high street
TV DOCTOR SARA KAYAT TALKS TO ABI JACKSON ABOUT BECOMING A MUM, ECO-CONSCIOUS PARENTING AND HER FOUR PILLARS OF WELLBEING
The days are getting longer, we have a pathway out of lockdown and there’s a real sense of hope that we can soon get back to the way things used to be. The question now, is, what happens next?
Take the high street. Many of our most-loved brands have vanished in the last year. No-one wants to see shuttered buildings which is why I and my fellow consumer rights experts are working with the powers-that-be on what might happen next.
Here are a few thoughts.
MAKE ONLINE BUSINESSES PAY
We’ve all turned to online shops to get us through lockdown – but at what price?
Online shops don’t pay the same level of business ‘rates’ – the tax high street shops pay depending on the value of the shop. Leaving aside warehouse costs, they don’t have the same heating, staffing and maintenance costs, so it’s not a level playing field.
Taxing online shops more is clearly the answer – though they’ll try to pass that cost on to us.
So would we all be prepared to pay a bit more for the luxury of ordering online, in order to have a cheaper, healthy high street?
THE HIGH STREET EXPERIENCE
The problem of what to do with empty shops is a significant one. One option is to turn them in to ‘hubs’ where shopping can still be an experience. If that sounds a bit pretentious, then there are some practical reasons for doing this.
Take trying on clothes. Buying online means we have no changing rooms. But if we could order a range of sizes and colours to a local shop where we could try them on, browse a returns rack and get a viewpoint from a mate (glass of prosecco optional) then wouldn’t that be more fun?
The same goes for make-up and perfume – which really need to be sampled in person.
This would reduce the huge costs of delivery – which generates hundreds of thousands of complaints – and would make shopping fun again.
REDESIGN TOWN CENTRES
High streets and town centres have been at the mercy of the roads that run through them for decades. The jury is out on whether passing cars drive business, but if we’re going to have a good browse and a chat, maybe it’s time to be bolder and consider partial or full-time pedestrianisation. If supermarkets move more towards deliveries, that gives us a load of extra car parking spaces too.
Lockdown has forced many forms of public transport to be part or fully subsidised, so now is the time to decide if we want to make the switch back to buses, trains, trams and bikes.
ENCOURAGE BUSINESS DIVERSITY
Leaving aside turbulent council Zoom meetings, communities can really come together by suggesting to elected representatives what they’d like from their high street. So rather than using a huge online travel website, why not encourage a local travel agent to set up store? Or shops providing produce from the area?
By working with landlords, communities can keep shops’ doors open. An old trick for vacant lots used in some cities is to give them to artists for free for a set period of time. We Brits love a market – so why not fill the lost stores with art and crafts that you can admire, buy or just have peek at?
BANKS, POST, LIBRARIES AND HUBS
My inbox is groaning with the weight of complaints about closed banks, post offices and libraries.
I’m working with other consumer organisations to halt this tide but, in the meantime, we’d like to see businesses, councils and local communities using these businesses for new and creative ventures. We could have independent financial and debt advisors in banks, for example, or make greater use of libraries for coffee mornings or activities for older and younger people.
I’d love to hear your views on saving the high street. Contact press@resolvergroup.com and get help at resolver.co.uk
IT’S been quite an eventful 12 months for This Morning’s GP, Dr Sara Kayat. She and husband Rupert Walker welcomed their son, Harris, during lockdown last May.
Here, Sara tells us more about becoming a mum for the first-time and her eco-friendly approach to parenting.
You became a mum in lockdown – how have you found it all?
Sometimes I think it’s a blessing, and other times I think it’s horrendous! I changed my birth plan and ended up having a beautiful home birth; that was a lovely little plus side.
[Lockdown] also gave me that opportunity to find my space after the birth and get to know my baby so much more, I think, than if I’d been entertaining lots of people coming over.
Obviously, on the negative side, there’s a lot of peer support that’s lacking, a lot of engagement with friends and family that I would have loved.
So it’s about trying to pick out the positives, but I think it’s also important to recognise and accept that it’s not perfect, and you are allowed to be sad about it and lament over this lost year, and grieve for the things you weren’t able to do.
What was your life like before, juggling TV work and being a GP?
Goodness, my week was jampacked before. I had all those studio days, writing days, I was a full-time GP as well, then weekends trying to fit in family, friends, husband – everything!
It was probably too much, but I didn’t know any better because that’s how it’s always been. I’ve always enjoyed nature – always gone for a run outside – but I’ve never really stopped to take it in as much as I have now.
How did you manage to stay balanced with such a full plate?
It’s always about the four of lifestyle and health for me, making sure your foundations are OK.
So you’ve got diet and nutrition – I’m careful to make sure I’m getting those, eating the rainbow, trying to balance my diet. I’m not vegan, but I’ve started being more plant-based and only eat meat maybe once a week.
Then exercise – I’m very keen on running and yoga. Then sleep – I always prioritise sleep.
I’m that annoying person that even if you’re having the best night out, I’m like, ‘Ah, it’s 10 o’clock, I’ve got to sleep!’.
My final pillar is all about stress management. For me, these all fit here, because physical activity is stress management, but I’ve also always done a bit of mindfulness pillars and carved out day to do that. It doesn’t have to be long, probably only five or 10 minutes. I think because I’ve always had the foundations, it’s easier to build on, and when there are added stresses, you know you’re able to go back to feeling OK. time every
Have you always been a good sleeper, or is that something you’ve had to work on?
Pre-Harris, I was! Now my mind is blown by the fact I can apparently get 30 minutes of sleep and still do an interview! It’s impressive how your body adjusts. If you’d said a year ago, I’d only be getting an hour or two a night, I’d say not possible, I won’t function.
I don’t really take naps during the day, but at 6am, I pass Harris over to Rupert and he takes responsibility from 6-9am. So those hours are completely mine, to sleep or get things done for me.
I’m very keen on running and yoga. Then sleep – I always prioritise sleep
You’ve teamed up with WaterWipes on an eco campaign. Is being eco-conscious something that’s important for you?
Dr Sara Kayat
Definitely. I haven’t bought new clothes for Harris, only used handme-downs. Same for myself, I haven’t bought new clothes for over a year now, because I don’t necessarily believe in fast fashion.
And there are toys that can just be re-used, rather than having to buy a whole load of new plastic toys for your baby. There are lots of things we can be doing.
Of course, there are times when you slip up and it’s not always possible, but I try to do the best I can.