Committee to look at what is needed to revive towns
Scotland has a wealth of towns and villages; rural, island and urban.
Historically our town centres provided a social, cultural and economic heart to these communities, a focus for community activity, a range of local shops and pubs, sometimes even a cinema.
But recent years have seen changes to patterns of consumer behaviour.
The growth of out-of-town retail parks and the challenge from online retail has resulted in many of our high streets and town centres now filled with empty stores and ‘to let’ signs.
The decline of our town centres has been ongoing for some years, made worse by economic recession and most recently the pandemic.
As we seek to reinvigorate and recover from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to ask ourselves what we want from our town centres now.
The Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee recently launched an inquiry into town centres and retail, asking what changes are needed to create and support thriving and resilient town centres.
The inquiry will look at the impact of increased ecommerce both for retailers maximising opportunities and for the changing nature of high streets and shops.
As convener of the committee I look forward to exploring how communities can drive change in their town centres, looking at success stories, hearing what people want to see in their local town centres and what steps need to be taken to achieve a town centre fit for the 21st century.
While the lockdowns made it very difficult for shops, we did also see a return to shopping local.
And as the country pulled together to support each other, there was a movement to shop local and support local businesses.
As society opens up again, do we really want to return to where we were two years ago, when many high streets were already struggling?
Local bank branch and Post Office closures have reduced footfall, large retail units sit empty and smaller shops wonder if they can survive.
But there is the opportunity for a new approach which highlights the role of our high streets and town centres as a place to shop and also as a place to socialise, connect with others and invest in your local community.
The Shop Local campaign promotes local businesses, and every £1 spent locally multiplies into local employment and investment.
And, as this is Fair Trade Fortnight, it is often independent shops who are supporting and promoting links with farmers and producers across the world, and paying a fair price.
We have still to really understand the impact of the pandemic.
But on a positive note, it has maybe increased our connections to our communities and local high streets, who need support to survive, recover and reinvent for the future.