High Street fund is welcomed by politicians

A £675m government fund to help the High Street has been welcomed by two Staffordshire Moorlands politicians.

The Government’s publication of the Future High Street Fund Call for Proposals includes helping smaller retailers by cutting their business rates by a third for two years from April 2019.

The Future High Streets Fund will provide co-funding towards improvements to town centre infrastructure, including increasing access to high streets, reducing congestion, supporting development around high streets and enabling housing and new work spaces to be created.

The plan also includes:

▶ Transforming high streets with a £675m Future High Streets Fund to support local areas’ plans to make their high streets and town centres fit for the future.

▶ Unlock investment by reforming planning, including consulting on the ‘change of use’ regime, a further consultation on planning measures and trialling a register of empty commercial properties.

▶ Support local leadership through a new High Streets Task Force, giving local areas access to expert advice needed to adapt and thrive.

▶ Strengthen community assets, restoring historic buildings that make high streets special, supporting community groups to use empty properties, providing a 100 per cent mandatory relief for public lavatories from April 2020 and continuing the £1,500 business rates discount for local newspapers on their office space in 2019-20.

Staffordshire Moorlands MP Karen Bradley said: “I am proud of our high streets and all our local shops and businesses in Staffordshire Moorlands but the way we shop and the way that communities use their high streets and town centres is changing so the Government’s recent publication of the Future High Streets Fund Call for Proposals is very good news indeed.”

Councillor Edwin Wain, who has the responsibility for planning, markets and car parks on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said the news was welcomed, but did not go far enough.

He said: “I would like to see a cut in business rates permanently. However this is a start and is good news. It shows the government is trying to do something to help the high street.

“High streets are paying too much in rates, while big companies out of town are not paying as much. There has to be a balance and I would like to see it go further.

“Leek and Derby Street have held up well during the last few years and the market is also doing well.”

More information can be found at: https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/ future-high-streets-fund-call-for-proposals.