The world of the public sector partnerships is a acronym heavy one it seems – with it’s BIDs , LEPs, ATCM, GLC….I could continue, but I predict you’ll soon be glazing over.
It was this language issue which really struck me during this week’s the Future of the High Street conference in London , however snappy, the need to create these ‘bodies’ leaves most of us feeling like we’re dealing with a forest of organisational bureaucracy.
Hosted by Public Policy Exchange, it was attended by a whole bunch of people who really do care about High Streets and who came together to find solutions and share ideas – officials from local authorities, regulators, councillors and business representatives.
But this debate is one which needs some local voices too – a point I was able to make to the forum and one which seemed to be well-received by those attending who recognise the need for engaged communities to move this agenda on from talking to action.
As several of the speakers made the point, most of the initiatives are not exactly rocket science – addressing parking issues, having residents living in the town centre, working technology into the mix to more effectively compete with the e- tailers.
We heard examples from around the country including a community kitchen initiative in Croydon, the importance of arts infra-structure in Stratfird upon Avon and ethical trading concerns in Winchester.
(You can read my notes with more detail from the sessions on the High Street campaign Noticeboard here and here.)
So how do we join up some of these dots? What structures can be put in place to ensure local communities play a part in the success? Where do hyperlocal publishers fit into the process?
Here at Talk About Local we’ve always felt there’s an important role for hyperlocals here – whether it’s amplifying a particular local issue, galvanising action around, opening vital data sets it or helping mediate the conversation – and we are interested in working with any organisations looking to foster those kind of relationships.
In a land where the acronym is king, maybe some straight talking can be queen.
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This is a great post Sarah.
I have a real bee in my bonnet about the state of the high street and the diminishing presence of our town centres.
I come from Newport. It’s a City with real potential but it’s been neglected and it’s gained a bit of a negative reputation. It’s not Newport’s fault. The town centre has been abandoned by the big chains in favour of out of town locations. The only people who can afford to set up camp in the centre are charity shops and that’s because of the subsidies they get so in turn the City centre become a no go area.
It really bothers me that we’re turning from being a nation full of interesting, quirky and interesting towns and high streets to just a place where bland, boring chain stores are the only ones who can afford to survive in the current market.
Something which I always use to illustrate that point is London. Whenever I used to visit London going to Oxford Street was a must. I used to love walking up and down and visiting the big stores which we just didn’t have in Newport and Cardiff. But now, I avoid it like the plague. The retail park 15 minutes from my home has a huge topshop etc so why bother wasting my time going to Oxford Street? And that’s the exact point, every City, Town etc is just becoming a clone. We’re no longer seeing unique and interesting shops on the high street because people just can not afford it.
Cowbridge is a great example of a wonderful high street. They’ve got everything you need: butchers, bakers, grocers along with quirky shops and local businesses thriving.
I really hope that we’re on the cusp of an uprising against these big stores and that the councils and governments will wake up to the fact that to people want to shop local, they want to support local businesses and it would be good for the economy to be able to make it easy for these small businesses to thrive.
Newport is full of empty stores. Imagine if in the run up to Christmas Newport council could waive rates and work out a deal with landlords to give a discount on rents? Set up a scheme and find small, local businesses who want a high street presence and support them in doing so.
The only way that the High Street will be saved from it’s inevitable death is to encourage and support small, local businesses and give them a helping hand.
{note I tweeted a similar thing to Cardiff Council earlier this week after they tweeted about the Arcades being a treasure. The sad thing is they don’t support that treasure because people just can’t afford the ridiculous costs associated with having a shop in there https://twitter.com/rachaelphillips/status/270239847267061762}
Hi Rachael, thanks for your comment – interesting points.I don’t know Cowbridge but you’re right, there are places that are really bucking the trend and making a difference by concentrating on independent retailers – they need celebrating!
An interesting point that some people at the forum in London made was the idea of setting up local collection points for internet shopping and so bring people into town centres even if their shopping had been done online. I wonder where will be the first place to embrace that with some leisure experience attached to it?
Finally, you’re so right about the Arcades, I love visiting there when I’m fortunate enough to be in Cardiff – can anything be done to bring the rents down?