Good morning. There is a familiar refrain about Britain’s high streets – that they are now little more than a procession of shuttered units, former bank branches, barbers, vape shops and fast food outlets, symbols of a country that feels as though it is quietly running down.
This week, a Guardian investigation set out to explain why the decline of the high street has accelerated, why it is now so visible, and why it has become a proxy for whether people feel their area – and their lives – are moving forwards or backwards.
