High Streets Regeneration 2024-09-02
2024-09-02
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows a discussion on the need for action to support local businesses in high street regeneration.
What steps she plans to take to help regenerate high streets. I am concerned about the decline and vacancy issues facing many high streets across the country, affecting both the economic viability and community well-being of towns like Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme.
We are committed to supporting the businesses and communities that make our high streets flourish. We are funding new partnership models with high street accelerators, implementing high street rental auctions, and introducing a strong new right to buy for community assets to empower local communities to rejuvenate our high streets and address the blight of vacant premises.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide specific timelines or funding amounts.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows a discussion on the challenges faced by Gillingham High Street, including declining footfall and vacant premises.
High streets up and down the country are the backbone of our communities, but over the years have been facing decline. For example, Gillingham High Street in my constituency, where only yesterday we launched our Love Gillingham campaign and initiative, faces numerous challenges. Will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss some of those challenges, as well as the possibility of a compulsory register of properties on high streets, so that councils can easily engage with owners to find new uses for them when they fall vacant?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I totally agree on the important role that healthy and vibrant high streets play for communities. Initiatives such as Love Gillingham are vital in bringing local people together to create high streets that work for them. Ensuring that local authorities and the communities they serve have the tools they need to support the high street is a priority.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not confirm meeting or discuss a compulsory property register in detail.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows discussions on the tax regime's impact on town centre regeneration, particularly in Southport where an independent bookshop closed after over 100 years of trading.
The regeneration and refurbishment of town centres such as mine is being structurally disincentivised by the tax regime, which gives preferential treatment to new builds on out-of-town retail parks, instead of renovating our much-loved historic high streets. Southport's town centre is beautiful, but has definitely seen better days. Given the dire economic circumstances we inherited from the former Government, what can the Minister do to incentivise the private sector to invest in our town centres and high streets, bringing life back to them?
I am grateful for that question. With your forbearance, Mr Speaker, may I say, before I answer, that I and my ministerial colleagues know my hon. Friend's community has been through a dreadful last few weeks and that our support is with them? We are committed to a fairer business rate system. In our manifesto, we pledged to level the playing field between the high street and online giants.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not address specific steps for tax reform or investment incentives.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows a discussion on the importance of supporting local communities to hold events in town centres as part of high street regeneration efforts.
The Government are rightly focused on bringing empty properties back into use as part of our commitment to regenerate high streets, but encouraging footfall by supporting local communities to hold events in our town centres is another way we can bring life back to our high streets and support local businesses. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss learnings from that experience and what an improved new fund could look like under this Government?
I thank my hon. Friend for her kind invitation: I am keen to understand more about the Medway experience. I know that the UK shared prosperity fund has been used very effectively throughout the country, and that there is a great deal of interest in its future.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not confirm meeting or discuss specific improvements to the fund.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows discussions on the issue of vacant premises in high streets, particularly those that have been empty for months or years.
My constituency is full of great high streets. Bawtry was buzzing when I visited it yesterday for the car show, and I have also recently visited Parkin Butchers and Tyto Law Solicitors in Crowle. These people take huge pride in the services and products that they offer, but just down the road shop premises are vacant and, in some instances, have been vacant for months, if not years. How do the Government intend to stop the buying up of such outlets and deal with the lack of any obvious urgency, or indeed potential, in respect of their ever being reopened?
I am grateful for that question. We have all been through a major political event or two this year. As is customary, we have been knocking on doors, and we know how frustrated people all over the country feel about the vacancies on their local high streets which are bringing down their areas.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide specific measures to address long-term vacancies.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows discussions on the importance of additional resources to support councils in their high street regeneration efforts.
Our high streets are undoubtedly changing. Conservative-led Walsall Council is working hard to secure positive change in areas such as Brownhills and the regeneration of Ravenscourt, and we have a new civic square. What additional resources will the Minister make available to councils? The regeneration of our high streets, both residential and commercial, is an excellent way of helping to protect green-belt land by also regenerating important town centres.
The right hon. Lady is exactly right. The future of the high street is not about returning to how things were. There must be a place for leisure, a place, of course, for retail and a place for residential properties, and councils of all political persuasions throughout the country are trying to find that perfect alchemy.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide specific funding or support details.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
Banking closures have saved £3 billion annually, impacting towns like Bedale which lack banks and ATMs.
Banking facilities are important to high street traders. Given that banks have saved about £3 billion a year by closing branches, what is the Minister doing with his counterpart in the Treasury to ensure proper banking facilities in towns such as Bedale?
We are addressing this issue up and down the country. We have committed to providing 350 new banking hubs, and we are working with Treasury colleagues on their delivery.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer provided general commitments but did not specify actions taken or timelines for implementation in towns like Bedale.
Response accuracy
Q8
Partial Answer
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Context
The outdated business rates system has led to empty premises in market towns like Wincanton, damaging community pride and preventing councils from benefiting.
Will the Minister work with his Treasury colleagues to boost small businesses and regenerate high streets by reforming damaging business rates?
We made a commitment at the previous election to reform business rates, and we intend to deliver on it.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer provided a general commitment without specifying any concrete actions or timelines for reforming business rates.
Response accuracy
Q9
Partial Answer
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Context
The Stronger Towns Fund has been successful in Hereford, but there is a question about redeploying unused funds within the scheme.
May I invite the Secretary of State and her team to consider whether unused funds within the scheme could be redeployed? This would pour new life into an already successful initiative.
We want to see greater flexibility and single-settlement funding pots for local communities. We are transitioning from a previous model and initial spending decisions will be made on 30 October.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer discussed flexibility but did not address redeploying unused Stronger Towns Fund money specifically.
Response accuracy