Mayoral candidate pledges High Streets taskforce

West Midlands Mayoral candidate Andy Street has pledged to use his 30 years of experience in the retail sector to drive improvements to the region’s town centres and High Streets if elected.

The former John Lewis boss has pledged as part of his manifesto to create a Future High Streets Taskforce to help town centres remain vibrant in the age of online deliveries.

One of the main ways of doing this will be to support the formation of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) by traders, similar to the one already being pursued in Halesowen.

BIDs see businesses club together to fund improvements to their local areas in an effort to encourage more people to use them. There are now more than 200 across the country.

Mr Street said: “I know from my time running John Lewis that there is a big difference between a High Street which has received investment and is a pleasant environment to shop in, and one which has not had that level of attention.

“One of the things people keep telling me is that they are concerned about the quality of the High Streets and town centres.
“Simply, we need to have flourishing High Streets to restore pride in their areas.”

He said he was impressed with the work by traders in Halesowen in forming their BID.

“I want to see more town centres take this route and am committed to using my retail knowledge to help this,” he added.

“We want High Streets with interesting independent shops as well as the brands we all know, and some of these small businesses may turn into the next John Lewis one day.”

Other ideas being explored include the introduction of free Wifi hotspots in town centres and railway stations.

“Our High Streets and town centres are the lifeblood of the local economy and a vital part of the community – as Mayor I would use my experience to help make a real difference,” said Mr Street.