Recommendation 119

In his oral evidence to the committee, Mr Robinson advocated for a “deep dive into who owns the high street” to effect better policies and understand owner motivations. 242 The High Streets Research Network, Power to Change and Locality all emphasised that greater transparency of ownership would also benefit community groups seeking to purchase property to open community-led businesses. 243 This would likely also benefit any other privately-owned businesses looking to open in the area. 244 Councillor Brown told us that these challenges were also limiting local authorities’ abilities to undertake compulsory purchase orders and other interventions on the high street. 245