Government Responds to Portas Review

Dedicated ‘Town Teams’, a £10 million innovation fund paid for by taxpayers focused on bringing empty shops back to life and a National Markets’ Day are the primary initiatives to be implemented.

There will also be a £1 million future high street fund to be awarded to the towns that rejuvenate the most over the next year.

Grant Shapps, minister of state for communities and local government, said, “I’m accepting virtually all of the recommendations from Mary Portas’ review, but I’m also going one step further, with a range of measures designed to help local people turn their high streets into the beating hearts of their communities once again.”

Mr Shapps also said a further £500,000 will be available to town centres for loans, and that he would look at abolishing parking charges in central locations.

John Walker, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, added, “The announcements are very welcome. We called on the government to respond swiftly and positively in response to the Portas recommendations and that’s what it has done.”