Revive Town Centres Say British Retail Consortium

Taxi Drivers saw and felt the demise of town centres some time ago but it seems it takes a full blown recession before anyone decides to acknowledge the problem. Now the British Retail Consortium has published a report: ‘21st Century High Streets: A new vision for our town centres’ setting out a 20 point plan to secure the long-term future of Town Centre retailing.

Key recommendations within the 20-point report include:

Economic health – ensuring a programme of ‘economic health monitoring’, especially for town centres approaching ‘tipping points’.
Public spaces – creating good design for town centres, making the most of heritage features or natural surroundings to ‘create a unique sense of place’ and then maintaining these spaces well.
Crime – deterring all forms of retail crime and anti-social behaviour. To prevent a downward spiral, damaged property must be restored quickly.
Costs – central Government backing for high streets including no new property and business rate burdens and a responsible and inclusive approach from local authorities to the money they raise and spend.
Access – directing parking and transport policy to providing a service to customers and retailers, not ‘exploited as a local authority fund raiser’.

Our present Government floated the idea, earlier this year, of turning empty shop premises into ‘galleries or advice centres’, ‘drop in centres’ and ‘youth centres etc,etc.’ but it is shops that are needed, shops that will bring people back into town centres and breathe life back into them. These processes have to be actively managed by local authorities with their retailers, other businesses and residents.

Our own Mayor: Councillor Linda Arkley, North Tyneside, Is fully behind the drive to rejuvenate our town centres and has made a start by scrapping the mayor’s newsletter and will use the money saved, around £30,000 to support the borough’s town centres.

The Taxi trade and trade representatives are fully behind any initiative to revive the high street as we get the majority of our daytime trade from shoppers and visitors to our towns.