Retail industry experts, including Sir John Timpson, have called for a community-focused approach to tackling the challenges facing high streets and town centres in a new report published today (20 December 2018).

The government-appointed panel made up representatives from the retail, property and design sectors has published practical recommendations to reinvigorate town centres by creating a community hub which, alongside retail, includes leisure and social services and more residential property.

The report puts community involvement and local leadership at the centre of a plan to create the town centres of the future.

Panel chair Sir John Timpson called for an ‘Upside Down Government’ approach which would empower local leaders to implement their plans to reinvent their town centres. They would be supported with expert advice from a Town Centres Task Force and funding from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.

Another recommendation includes calling on local communities to celebrate their town centres with a ‘National High Street Perfect Day’ to tackle litter and graffiti so people can take pride in their local shopping centres.

Chair of the expert panel, Sir John Timpson said:

When the panel was formed, we knew high streets would never be the same again, but we were delighted to discover places where imaginative developments have increased footfall and reduced the number of empty shops.

By helping our towns create their own individual community hub, I believe we will have vibrant town centres to provide a much-needed place for face to face contact in the digital age.

I have learnt, from my own business, that the best way to get things done is to give people on the front line the freedom to get on with the job in the way they know best. We are applying the same Upside Down Government principle to the development of our town centres, with our Town Centre Task Force there to mentor, encourage and clear any obstacles out of the way while giving the clear message to inspirational local leaders that they are free to turn their plans into reality.

High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP said:

High streets and town centres play an important role in the life of our communities.

I thank Sir John and the panel members who have worked extremely hard and proposed tangible ways to keep these treasured spaces alive and thriving for generations.

We have already taken action by announcing plans to set up a Future High Streets Fund and Task Force, alongside slashing business rates for up to a third of small retailers. We will carefully consider these recommendations.

The panel was appointed by High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP earlier this year to diagnose issues affecting our high streets and town centres and advise on measures to keep them thriving.

In October, the panel provided interim recommendations, which the government responded to by announcing the creation of a £675 million Future High Streets Fund to help improve and restore high streets as well as a Town Centre Taskforce to give local leaders support in implementing local schemes. Today’s report sets out further advice of how to implement this funding.

Recommendations

The panel’s recommendations include:

• The creation of the Town Centre Task Force supporting local leaders to act as a single voice in finding unique solutions for communities.

• The Future High Streets Fund to help local authorities with both finance and resource. In October’s Budget, the Chancellor announced a £675 million Future High Street Fund towards better spaces for communities in response to Sir John Timpson’s interim recommendations made earlier this year.

• Immediate measures to help high streets and town centres including a ‘National High Street Perfect Day’ – one day a year where local communities would take ownerships of ensuring their town centre looked as good as possible.

• The panel encourages local communities to think innovatively about empty properties and welcomes the government’s Open Doors scheme which opens empty shops to community groups.

• Local authorities are also encouraged to review parking provision in favour of local businesses to encourage footfall.

Read the full report.

Members of the Expert Advisory Panel on High Streets:

Sir John Timpson (Chair)

Chairman of Timpson, the UK retail service chain with over 2,000 shops.

Vidhya Alakeson, CEO, Power to Change

The independent trust dedicated to supporting community businesses to create better places across England. Vidhya was formerly Deputy CEO at the independent think-tank, the Resolution Foundation.

Gi Fernando MBE, Founder & CEO, Freeformers

Gi is an engineer, social impact entrepreneur and investor, who founded Freeformers in 2012. Freeformers is a workforce technology and transformation company.

Councillor Graham Galpin (Cons) from Ashford council

Graham has been a councillor in Ashford since 2011 and a cabinet member since 2013. He has had responsibility for the town centre’s economic vitality for almost all of that time.

Emma Mackenzie, Director, NewRiver

NewRiver is a property investor, asset manager and developer specialising in the UK retail and leisure sector. Emma is a member of the Executive Committee sits on the NewRiver REIT (UK) Limited Board and is principally responsible for NewRiver’s Scotland and Northern Ireland Portfolio which includes acquisition, asset management, development and disposal.

Eric Reynolds, Founding Director of Urban Space Management

Eric established and ran some of the most significant regeneration projects in London since the early 1970s including Camden Lock Market, Merton Abbey Mills, Spitalfields Market, Gabriels’ Wharf, Bishopsgate Goodsyard and Trinity Buoy Wharf. He won the Regeneration & Renewal “Lifetime Achievement Award” for Regeneration in 2012.

Stephen Robertson

Stephen has spent most of his working life in retailing, including roles at B&Q and Screwfix, before becoming Director General of the British Retail Consortium. He is now a non-executive director of a number of companies including Hargreaves Lansdown plc and Timpson Group.

Sophia de Sousa, CEO, The Glass-House

Sophia is Chief Executive at The Glass-House Community Led Design, a national charity that supports communities, organisations and networks to work collaboratively on the design of buildings, open spaces, homes and neighbourhoods.

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Published 20 December 2018

Prime Minister Theresa May and senior Cabinet colleagues will meet their Polish counterparts in London today (20 December 2018) to discuss defence, security and prosperity post-Brexit.

The PM will welcome Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on his first visit to Downing Street for bilateral talks. The two leaders will then join their senior ministerial colleagues at Lancaster House for the third annual UK-Poland Inter-Governmental Consultations.

The visit comes ahead of next year’s landmark Centenary, marking 100 years since both countries re-established diplomatic relations since Poland regained independence.

Ahead of the visit, Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Poland is one of our closest friends and allies. This partnership works for both our nations, making us safer, more prosperous and more secure.

Throughout history, UK and Poland have stood side by side. We share an unwavering commitment to supporting a stable and peaceful Europe, but are also clear-eyed in recognising the threats we face and the required response.

Today’s talks will agree ambitious steps that build on the landmark joint Defence and Security treaty we signed in Warsaw last year, and set a course for further collaboration in the years ahead.

Attending the Consultations for bilateral talks with their Polish counterparts are the Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Home Secretary and Business Secretary. They will also attend a working lunch chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May.

Upon arrival at Lancaster House, the two leaders will be greeted by schoolchildren singing English and Polish Christmas carols. They will also attend a Polish diaspora reception where they will meet and talk to people with Polish heritage living in the UK.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Almost one million Poles make their lives in Britain – the largest diaspora in the UK.

I value the contribution the Polish community makes to our economy and our society, and am committed to ensuring the UK remains a welcoming place for Poles to live, work and study.

Today is an opportunity to repeat my message to Polish people – you can stay, and we want you to stay.

A UK government spokesperson said:

The Global Coalition against Daesh has made huge progress. Since military operations began, the Coalition and its partners in Syria and Iraq have recaptured the vast majority of Daesh territory and important advances have been made in recent days in the last area of eastern Syria which Daesh has occupied. But much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, Daesh will remain a threat.

As the United States has made clear, these developments in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign. We will continue to work with members of the Coalition on achieving this. We remain committed to the Global Coalition and the campaign to deny Daesh territory and ensure its enduring defeat, working alongside our critical regional partners in Syria and beyond.

As the situation on the ground develops, we will continue to discuss how we achieve these aims with our Coalition partners, including the US. This Government will continue to do what is necessary to protect the British people and our allies and partners.

Published 19 December 2018

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has called on the country’s leading sporting organisations to work in partnership with the Government to improve school sport and ensure all children have the opportunity to take part in competitive sport and increase their activity levels.

At a summit of top sporting organisations including the Premier League, the Rugby Football Union and England Hockey, Mr Hinds and the Sports Minister Mims Davies asked the country’s biggest sporting institutions to advise the Government, ahead of the School Sport Action Plan next year, on how to help children to harness the benefits of sport. These include greater self-belief, working towards long-term goals and recovering from setbacks – alongside well-documented benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing.

The Education Secretary set out his ambition for every child to have the opportunity to take part in competitive sport, discussing with the summit’s attendees how to work with schools and other sports bodies to achieve this aim. The Sports Minister underlined this message, and set out the importance of fun and enjoyment in getting children active and developing a lifelong habit of participation.

The Government’s School Sport Action Plan will ensure that all children have access to quality, protected PE and sport sessions during the school week and opportunities to be physically active throughout the school day. It will set out an ambition for all pupils to have access to a wide range of sports and physical activities, with a focus on health, wellbeing and character. It will also promote a joined-up approach to physical activity, supporting schools through the local community and encouraging families to get active together.

Addressing today’s summit, education secretary Damian Hinds said:

Education is not just about the taking and passing of exams, important though these are. We want all young people to leave formal education as happy, confident and well-rounded individuals. It is clear that exercise and organised sport in particular can play a huge part in children’s personal resilience and emotional wellbeing.

Sporting bodies are offering a huge number of programmes and we want to work together to improve the co-ordination of these so they are easier for schools and teachers to use.

If opportunities are limited, there is a risk that children will give up – literally at the first hurdle – if they don’t find a sport they enjoy; or else they’ll think it’s just not for them. A clear message I have taken is the role the education system can play in giving guidance to schools on what good school sport looks like, therefore enabling sports clubs and foundations to flourish.

The Action Plan will build on the recent publication of data from the Active Lives Children’s survey, which found that one-third (33%) of children and young people do less than 30 minutes of activity per day.

It also highlighted disparities in activity levels between boys and girls, as well as children of different socio-economic backgrounds and some BAME groups. A key aim for the plan will be to engage the least active groups, ensuring that all children have equal opportunities and encouragement to develop an active lifestyle.

Sports Minister Mims Davies said:

Sport has the power to boost physical and mental wellbeing, while teaching important life skills. We are committed to building on the fantastic range of programmes already provided by the governing bodies here today to reach even more young people.

Our upcoming School Sport and Physical Activity Action Plan will give all children access to quality PE, sport sessions and clubs, in school, after school and during weekends and holidays. We know that fun and enjoyment are the key to children building a positive relationship with sport and physical activity. I look forward to working with schools, the sport sector, parents and local communities to ensure that the next generation have the best opportunities to be active and live healthy lives.

Public Health Minister Steve Brine said:

Exercise brings enormous health and wellbeing benefits and I do not underestimate the value of ensuring children are encouraged to live active lives. We want all children to have access to quality school sport and physical activity that caters to all levels, so even the least active children have the opportunity to get moving, and live healthy lives.

That’s why as part of our plans to reduce child obesity we have encouraged every primary school in the country to offer an active mile initiative.

Sports governing bodies at the meeting welcomed the cross-government commitment to getting more children involved.

Wayne Morris, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement at Premiership Rugby, said:

Through our community work in schools, we use rugby to teach children how the values of the game, such as discipline, respect, teamwork and sportsmanship can be transferred to their own lives, whether that be achieving at school, at work or in relationships. Sport is a powerful medium to teach children about life.

Jane Nickerson, CEO of Swim England, said:

Swimming is a great way to engage children and young people in sport while also developing an essential life skill. We welcome this move to get more children involved in sport and physical activity and look forward to supporting government on this initiative.