Urban Areas
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 16140 on Nightclubs: Closures, what steps his Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of the five point plan for high streets.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Kickstarting economic growth is the number one mission for this government and thriving high streets are essential to supporting this.
We have launched a new package to tackle late payments, backing small businesses and the self-employed, alongside measures to tackle retail crime and address the disproportionate business rates burden faced by high street businesses.
The 100th banking hub has just been opened in Darwen, Lancashire, and High Street Rental Auctions, a new permissive power for local authorities to auction rental rights of commercial high street property that has been vacant for longer than 12 months in a 24-month period, came into effect on 2 December 2024. However, there is more to be done, and we are working across Whitehall to deliver a cross-government approach for revitalising high streets. We will set out more information in due course.
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