High Street Task Force supports recovery of town centres

Coronavirus: Task force names Ellandi boss as new chairman

The High Streets Task Force has launched a range of tools, training, information and advice for high streets across England as part of the government’s efforts to reopen safely from 15 June.

The tools and advice are aimed at local councils and all organisations involved with high streets. They include free access to online training programmes, webinars, data and intelligence on topics including recovery planning and coordination, public space and place marketing.

Simon Quin, Executive Director of the task force, said: “The High Streets Task Force opens for business today. We are making our support generally available for the first time. We have extensive resources focused on making town centres more vital and viable and many ways to help towns respond to COVID-19. All of these are available free.”

The support is part of the task force’s four-year programme, which will focus on the long-term transformation of town and city centres and helping communities reimagine and revitalise their high streets.

The announcement follows the opening of the government’s £50m Reopening High Streets Safely Fund that will support local councils to safely reopen their high streets and other commercial areas.

The High Streets Task Force is an alliance of place making experts that provides encouragement, tools and skills to help communities and local government transform their high streets. It is run by the Institute of Place Management on behalf of the government.

The task force has also confirmed that Mark Robinson, co-founder of Ellandi and leading investor in regional town centres, has been appointed as the chair of the Task Force Board. The new board will guide the work of the task force and act as a national voice for high streets, supporting them to transform town and city centres.

High streets minister Simon Clarke MP said: “The re-opening of our high streets will be a crucial part of kick-starting our economic recovery and restarting town life. That is why I welcome the appointment of Mark Robinson to head up the High Streets Task Force. I know that Mark will be a strong voice for ensuring that local businesses get the support they need to reopen safely in the coming weeks.

“Combined with our £50m Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, the work of the task force will support our High Streets through this challenging time and ensure they have the tools they need to get back on their feet.

Mark Robinson, chair of the task force, said: “No-one underestimates the challenges to our town centres, but this long-term initiative, running until 2024, shows the government’s commitment to our towns and the transformation required. I look forward to making change happen.

“The task force has already provided invaluable advice to town centre stakeholders in the current crisis and we will continue to build capacity, promoting best practice, led by research and evidenced by data. The task force will provide a rallying point for all of the people who care about our High Streets and advocate the change that is needed.”

Over the next four years, the task force has been tasked with working directly with towns and cities to provide dedicated expert support, mentoring, guidance and access to data and intelligence.

The task force has been working with high streets to help them adopt its COVID-19 Recovery Framework. Gary Maddock, town centre manager of St Helens, is among those to have accessed task force guidance. “The coronavirus crisis is forcing us to think and act differently,” he said. “In St Helens, we are developing our recovery plan working alongside partners, including those from across the Liverpool City Region, using the High Streets Task Force COVID-19 Recovery Framework.

“From a position of great uncertainty, the framework and task force resources immediately made sense. Their help is incredibly valuable in plotting a course for the crisis recovery and longer-term transformation of our high streets."