Andy Burnham unveils £210m package to regenerate high streets
The Prime Minister has said growth is measured by how people feel about their high street
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled a multi-million pound package aimed at bringing life back to high streets.
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This announcement comes ahead of Burnham’s first Labour Party conference as leader where he has said he will set out a “new direction” for the country.
The £210 million regeneration plan is aimed at revamping vacant shopping centres, disused cinemas and abandoned local eyesores across England.
“People don’t measure growth by looking at a spreadsheet,” said Mr Burnham. “They measure it by looking at their local high street. Are shops opening or are the shutters down? Does the place feel like it’s moving forward or being left behind?
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is allocating a £125 million derelict buildings fund to transform mothballed and dilapidated buildings. An additional £85 million pot will help communities to take over neglected pubs, clubs and shops.
“The truth is that too many high streets have been left to hollow out, leaving town centres a shell of what they once were. That must change, and today’s funding will help put power back into the hands of locals who know their area best,” said Mr Burnham.
“That’s how we restore pride and bring hope back. Not by telling people things are getting better, but by giving them the power to see and feel the difference where they live.”
An additional £65 million has been allocated to rescuing businesses and buildings at risk of closure, such as pubs and sports clubs.
And, a further £20 million has been added to help communities set up co-operative businesses and let out empty units in High Street Rental Auctions.
“Nobody knows a high street better than the community that it belongs to,” said Communities Secretary Angela Rayner. “That’s why this money puts power directly into their hands.
“We’ll see boarded-up buildings that have been left to rack and ruin turned into places people are proud to visit again, the pubs and clubs that mean so much to them thriving once more, and local businesses growing and creating jobs that put money back into their own community.
“That’s what this Government is about. Backing the people who know their communities best, and giving them the tools to shape their own future and breathe new life into their high streets.”
First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said: “For too long, places in every part of the country have been overlooked by Westminster. High streets neglected, town centres left in decline and local assets left to decay.
“This investment will help to regenerate and breathe new life into our communities – giving local people the resources and powers they need to make a real change.
“This is what devolution means in practice – empowering local leaders to fix things that are broken and protect the things that matter most to people.
“This is what a rewired state looks like: a Government focused on delivering for the people of the country and empowering communities in the hands of the people who live in them.”