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TOWN CENTRE HAS BEST BOUNCE-BACK FROM PANDEMIC IN COUNTRY

HUDDERSFIELD’S high street has bounced back from the pandemic better than any other in England, according to a new study.

Think tank Centre For Cities published data that showed which towns and cities have reacted best to the reopening of nonessential retail stores last month. It shows that Huddersfield has seen more high street spending since lockdown restrictions were eased than any other place in England. Wakefield came in tenth for most money spent, rounding off a top ten that was dominated by towns and small cities.

Larger cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds saw lower levels of spending and footfall.

Leeds had the eighth-lowest high street footfall since last

Many cities and towns in Northern England have seen a boom in consumer spending.

month. Centre for Cities’ chief executive, Andrew Carter, said: “We can already see that the vaccination programme and lifting of lockdown is helping businesses get back on their feet.

“Many cities and towns, particularly those in Northern England and the Midlands, have seen a boom in consumer spending in the past month.

“It’s not all good news, the centres of our biggest cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester remain quiet as people there continue to work from home.

“If this doesn’t change in the next few months I’d expect to see more people working in retail and hospitality in our biggest city centres lose their jobs. The Government must work with the newly-elected metro mayors to stop this happening.”