Town centres will be focus of Queen’s Speech on Tuesday

PLANS to revive struggling town centres will form a key plan of the Queen’s Speech as Boris Johnson tries to reset his Government following damaging local election results.

The Prime Minister said the plans would rid high streets of “derelict shopfronts” and restore neighbourhood pride, with councils given extra powers to force landlords to rent out empty shops.

Other measures will include the ability to make the pavement cafes which sprang up during the Covid-19 pandemic a permanent feature.

The Queen’s Speech will also be used by Mr Johnson as an attempt to show his administration is focused on people’s concerns on issues including the rising cost-of-living crisis following a bruising set of local election results.

Under the Levelling Up and

Regeneration Bill, measures to revive England’s high streets will see councils given powers to take control of buildings for the benefit of their communities. Compulsory rental auctions will ensure that landlords make shops that have been vacant for more than a year available to prospective tenants. Authorities will also be given greater powers to use compulsory purchase orders to deliver housing and regeneration schemes.

Mr Johnson said: “High streets up and down the country have long been blighted by derelict shopfronts, because they’ve been neglected, stripping opportunity from local areas. We are putting that right by placing power back in the hands of local leaders and the community so our towns can be rejuvenated, levelling up opportunity and restoring neighbourhood pride.”