Recommendations & Conclusions
15 items
4
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
While we consider that an immediate lessons learned review is needed, we recognise that the pandemic is not over. The Government should continue to monitor the impact of the full range of covid-19 business support that affects the high street with a view to being prepared to adjust such support …
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While we consider that an immediate lessons learned review is needed, we recognise that the pandemic is not over. The Government should continue to monitor the impact of the full range of covid-19 business support that affects the high street with a view to being prepared to adjust such support in case of a serious new variant or variants. (Paragraph 27) Building back better high streets
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Government response AI summary
The government stated that it has continually monitored the economic impact of restrictions and designed funding support based on ongoing assessments, citing recent Omicron support and an external evaluation of business support grants as evidence of existing work.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
5
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
It remains the case that resilient, thriving high streets and town centres of the future will be planned in the round in collaboration with local authorities, the business 68 Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 community (including Business Improvement Districts), property owners and the local community. Strategies for high streets …
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It remains the case that resilient, thriving high streets and town centres of the future will be planned in the round in collaboration with local authorities, the business 68 Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 community (including Business Improvement Districts), property owners and the local community. Strategies for high streets and town centres should combine a mix of uses including housing, offices (including shared workspaces), retail, hospitality, leisure, arts and culture, healthcare, physical activity, green space, seating, and child’s play. These plans should be based on experiences and not just transactions, and be tailored to the needs and character of the individual area. Principles that local planners of high streets and town centres should explore include: creating experiences that cannot be found online; generating social value and not just economic growth; and supporting residents to move around because they want to, rather than because they have to. The Government should consider how these principles can be embedded within individual strategies for high streets and town centres across the country.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that existing policies like the National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code already emphasize adaptability, diversification, and good design for town centres. New funds like the Levelling Up Fund also support projects aligned with these principles for high street renewal.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
8
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
As our predecessor Committee recommended, retailers must adapt to changing consumer habits in order to thrive. Retailers should especially consider how to embrace online as part of their business model, not only as a channel through which to sell products, but also as a means of engaging with customers. The …
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As our predecessor Committee recommended, retailers must adapt to changing consumer habits in order to thrive. Retailers should especially consider how to embrace online as part of their business model, not only as a channel through which to sell products, but also as a means of engaging with customers. The Government should consider how it can support smaller retailers to become multichannel through targeted investment.
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Government response AI summary
The government has accepted this recommendation and is implementing the Help to Grow: Digital Scheme, which offers support and discounts to 100,000 SMEs over three years to adopt digital technologies and become multichannel.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
9
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We recommend that place partnerships and, where possible, businesses, should continually review whether store opening hours are meeting people’s needs and generating maximum custom as consumers settle into life after the pandemic. We recommend that places that cannot invest in footfall counting technology make use of the High Streets Task …
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We recommend that place partnerships and, where possible, businesses, should continually review whether store opening hours are meeting people’s needs and generating maximum custom as consumers settle into life after the pandemic. We recommend that places that cannot invest in footfall counting technology make use of the High Streets Task Force manual footfall counting programme to help assess opening hours.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees that places without footfall data would benefit from the High Streets Task Force's manual footfall counting program, noting that a footfall dashboard is available on the Task Force's website as part of its wider online offer.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
The future of the high street will depend in part on where people work. It is therefore disappointing that the Government’s impact assessment of its consultation on Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 69 making flexible working the default does not consider high streets and town centres. The Government should …
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The future of the high street will depend in part on where people work. It is therefore disappointing that the Government’s impact assessment of its consultation on Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 69 making flexible working the default does not consider high streets and town centres. The Government should assess the impact of making flexible working the default on high streets and town centres.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees the impact of flexible working on high streets is important and states this has been built into policy development, referencing an impact assessment published alongside a consultation on flexible working.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
12
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We are disappointed that the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy does not mention markets and does not introduce any new initiatives for heritage. The Government should consider what further steps it can take to support markets and local heritage to build back better high streets.
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We are disappointed that the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy does not mention markets and does not introduce any new initiatives for heritage. The Government should consider what further steps it can take to support markets and local heritage to build back better high streets.
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Government response AI summary
The government clarifies that the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy is high-level and not exhaustive, but fully recognises the significant role of markets and heritage. It highlights existing support through the £95m High Street Heritage Action Zones programme and the £15m Transforming Places Through …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
15
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
The Government’s current approach to funding town centre regeneration—in line with its approach to allocating funding to local government generally—is too complex, short-term, and fragmented. Ultimately this funding approach may hamper rather than facilitate the Government’s ambitions to build back better high streets, which require funding for long-term, comprehensive strategies …
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The Government’s current approach to funding town centre regeneration—in line with its approach to allocating funding to local government generally—is too complex, short-term, and fragmented. Ultimately this funding approach may hamper rather than facilitate the Government’s ambitions to build back better high streets, which require funding for long-term, comprehensive strategies for town centres in the round. The Government must move away from its current funding approach of multiple disparate grants for relatively small sums of money for which local authorities must compete, instead combining fewer grants of larger sums of money with a sustainable long-term funding settlement for local government and greater devolution of funding and powers. It should seriously consider not making the UK Shared Prosperity Fund a competitive fund.
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Government response AI summary
The government's response highlights its proactive measures to build capacity within local authorities for current local growth funds like the Towns Fund and Levelling Up Fund, enabling them to produce robust bids. It focuses on existing support for competitive funding without committing to change the …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
20
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
The Government should clarify whether any further funds will be available from the Towns Fund for competitive bidding, as was originally intended, or whether the Government’s position is now that authorities who wish to compete for funding for Town Deals should do so by applying to the Levelling Up Fund.
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The Government should clarify whether any further funds will be available from the Towns Fund for competitive bidding, as was originally intended, or whether the Government’s position is now that authorities who wish to compete for funding for Town Deals should do so by applying to the Levelling Up Fund.
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Government response AI summary
The government clarified that the Towns Fund is completed and all deals have been allocated. Authorities seeking funding for Town Deals should now apply to the Levelling Up Fund.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
27
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We welcome the fact that the Government intends to compensate local authorities for its temporary business rates measures, though more detail on how it intends to do so is needed. The Government should set out how it intends to compensate local authorities for its temporary business rates measures.
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We welcome the fact that the Government intends to compensate local authorities for its temporary business rates measures, though more detail on how it intends to do so is needed. The Government should set out how it intends to compensate local authorities for its temporary business rates measures.
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Government response AI summary
The government explained that it already compensates local authorities in full for temporary business rates relief through an established data submission process, thus outlining how it continues to do so.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
28
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We welcome the consultation on transitional relief, and recognise that more frequent revaluations will go some way to helping businesses pay the correct level of business rates for their properties’ rateable values. The Government’s consultation should consider how businesses in a downward property market can reach a stage where they …
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We welcome the consultation on transitional relief, and recognise that more frequent revaluations will go some way to helping businesses pay the correct level of business rates for their properties’ rateable values. The Government’s consultation should consider how businesses in a downward property market can reach a stage where they are paying the correct rate more quickly than is currently the case.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledged concerns about downwards transitional relief and committed to implementing a new scheme in 2023 to support businesses until the next revaluation, aiming for fairer and more responsive business rates.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
29
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We support the principle of an online sales tax and welcome the consultation. We particularly welcome that revenue from an online sales tax would be used to reduce business rates for retailers. The Government should provide clear timescales for the consultation. Since the future of retail is multichannel due to …
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We support the principle of an online sales tax and welcome the consultation. We particularly welcome that revenue from an online sales tax would be used to reduce business rates for retailers. The Government should provide clear timescales for the consultation. Since the future of retail is multichannel due to changing consumer habits, it is particularly important that an online sales tax does not penalise retailers that have both an online and bricks-and-mortar presence. We look forward to further detail on the scope of the consultation, which we recommend must consider: • the impact on multichannel retailers; • the scope of the tax, including which sectors it will be levied on (such as groceries and holidays) and whether it will apply to Click and Collect; • how revenue will offset business rates for retailers in a meaningful way and on a permanent basis; • how the tax may sit alongside work by the OECD to develop a consensus solution to the tax challenges of digitalisation; and • the impact on local authority income.
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Government response AI summary
The government has provided clear timescales for the online sales tax consultation (25 February to 20 May 2022) and confirmed it will consider the committee's specific points, including impacts on multichannel retailers and business rates, as part of this ongoing consultation process.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
31
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
We welcome the steps taken by the Government to address the issue of covid-19 related commercial rent arrears. Alongside the legislation that the Government has introduced, explicit guidance will be required to define exactly what is meant by ringfencing arrears and the periods to which ringfencing applies. As well as …
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We welcome the steps taken by the Government to address the issue of covid-19 related commercial rent arrears. Alongside the legislation that the Government has introduced, explicit guidance will be required to define exactly what is meant by ringfencing arrears and the periods to which ringfencing applies. As well as differences by sector, this guidance must take into account local restrictions.
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Government response AI summary
The government has accepted this recommendation, having already published the Commercial Rents Code of Practice on 9 November 2021, which provides explicit guidance defining ringfenced arrears, applicable periods by sector, and accounting for local restrictions as requested.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
38
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
To maximise the number of people accessing high streets by foot, bicycle, or public transport, the Government should ensure that the revised Manual for Streets includes clear guidance on how to make walking, cycling, and public transport accessible to people of all characteristics and backgrounds. The Government should also develop …
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To maximise the number of people accessing high streets by foot, bicycle, or public transport, the Government should ensure that the revised Manual for Streets includes clear guidance on how to make walking, cycling, and public transport accessible to people of all characteristics and backgrounds. The Government should also develop guidance to help local areas set their own targets for increasing walking and cycling, and this guidance should include advice on maximising the benefits for high streets and town centres.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that Section 6 of Manual for Streets already provides detailed guidance which will be updated. It also highlights that the Department for Transport has already provided guidance and planning support to local authorities for increasing walking and cycling, aligned with the Gear …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
39
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
Local authorities should monitor the social, environmental, and economic impacts of any changes to walking, cycling, and public transport infrastructure on high streets.
Government response AI summary
The government states that the Department for Transport already requires impacts of schemes to be monitored as a condition of grant funding for infrastructure and is undertaking a national evaluation of schemes funded through the Active Travel Fund.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
40
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Supporting our high stre…
Accepted
It is disappointing that consideration of freight solutions for the high street is missing from the Government’s Build Back Better High Streets strategy. Consideration of freight solutions should include how the use of more environmentally friendly freight solutions may be incentivised, such as ‘last-mile’ logistics by bicycle and greater rollout …
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It is disappointing that consideration of freight solutions for the high street is missing from the Government’s Build Back Better High Streets strategy. Consideration of freight solutions should include how the use of more environmentally friendly freight solutions may be incentivised, such as ‘last-mile’ logistics by bicycle and greater rollout of electric vehicle charging points, as well as any legislation that may be required to limit emissions from freight vehicles. It should also consider how to balance the timing of deliveries with minimising congestion and minimising noise to residents at unsociable hours. (Paragraph 158) Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 75
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed that freight solutions are critical and detailed ongoing work including testing future mobility solutions, examining urban consolidation centres, reviewing Local Transport Plans, and finalizing a 'Future of Freight' strategic plan for publication in early 2022.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government