From the outset, the Government rightly identified UK high streets as important growth levers. This is particularly true of flagship high streets – the likes of Oxford Street in London, Cardiff’s Queen Street, or Edinburgh’s Princes Street – which, despite immense pressure in recent years, have remained drivers of economic growth, job creation, and anchors for large local communities.
These high streets share the potential to unlock national and local growth. But they also share many common challenges, from planning reform to concerns around crime and public safety. The need for a fairer business rates system, which puts the growth of all high streets at its centre, is particularly pressing.
