High street
The first steps towards fixing a damaged system?
Local government will still be left to pick up the pieces of the cost of living crisis that the Queen’s Speech has failed to address, says Heather Jameson. There needs to be a new plan to make public services fit for purpose.
Highways improvement comes top of pre-elections poll
Half of Britons believe the improvement of roads and pavements should be prioritised, according to a new poll ahead of the local elections.
Supporting Lewisham’s diverse retailers
Cllr Damien Egan outlines how Lewisham is responding to a survey of the post-pandemic challenges faced by high street businesses, including black, Asian and minority ethnic retailers.
Committee urges ministers to review high street role
MPs have urged ministers to review the role of high streets in their COVID-19 recovery strategy amid fears councils could lose further income through reforms.
Pop a local present under the tree this Christmas
With just 15 shopping days left until Christmas, Kathy O'Leary says her council has been asking residents to shop local for the sake of the economy and the environment.
Levelling up – how to negotiate the challenges ahead
Local Partnerships will host a lunchtime webinar to look at how councils can get maximum leverage though schemes with private partners and deliver projects that can be the catalyst for further investment.
Town centres reimagined
There is no better time to start the complex and ever-evolving challenge of reinventing town centres, but the most successful regeneration stories share one thing, says Richard Sterling.
Let’s ditch ‘panel game’ funding
Cllr John Merry talks to Ann McGauran about how Key Cities are faring as they look towards recovery, and says he’s approaching the White Paper on levelling up with an ‘open-minded spirit’.
Lifting up our high streets
Engaging with and empowering communities are crucial to rejuvenating our high streets, and we must ensure citizens’ voices are heard and listened to, says Kathy Kyle Bonomini.
Street Hub 2.0 provides an opportunity to drive recovery
James Browne looks at how digital infrastructure can support local authorities to enhance services for local communities.
Bracknell’s naturally creative approach to bringing people back to the town centre
A gigantic partnership approach to reinvigorating Bracknell town centre linked to the borough’s tree strategy hit the mark this summer, says Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker.
Reimagining culture for our local communities
Arts Council England will stand with local authorities that seize the chance to build a vibrant new reality for every place, born out of creativity, says Darren Henley.
Welsh councils must provide ‘ambitious leadership’ to revive high street
Local authorities in Wales have been urged to use their existing powers and resources to make town centres sustainable.
The challenge of managing the return to the civic centre
By and large, civic centre workers made a successful transition to home working, says Michael Burton. But councils will equally want to ensure that reducing their office space does not further reduce footfall in their town centres, he adds.
Creating a ‘great outdoors’ for our urban centres
Accelerating much-needed renewal of high streets will depend on giving councils the freedom to develop and manage their own strategic place plans, writes Cllr Philip Broadhead.
Making high streets work for all
Councils and businesses should work with local disabled people to identify solutions to make our high streets work for everyone, argues Ben Cooper.
Tourist hotspots see biggest boost from 'freedom day'
Northern towns and tourist hotspots have seen the biggest rise in footfall since ‘freedom day’, while London is lagging behind, data has revealed.
Putting the buzz back into our high streets
Stephen Cox looks at the changing face of the high street and town centres in a post-COVID world and says there is hope we are about to enter a period of real transformation.
Can I walk from here?
The opportunity to get investors and developers to think local has never been more compelling and potentially attractive now that we have learned to live ‘within’ our neighbourhoods, says Steve Quartermain.
Revered and reviled - the lot of a regulator
Local government's reluctance to embrace regulation is understandable, but it fails to see the side of the service user, says Abdool Kara
