15 new ‘Portas Pilots announced

Together with in kind support from retail industry giants led by Boots, as well as Mary Portas’s team. This takes the total across the country to 27.

392 ‘Town Teams’ that bid to become pilots but were not chosen have been invited to sign a national pledge to become a Town Team Partner enabling access to a share of a further £5.5million worth of support. High streets that sign up to become Town Team Partners will receive some funding, as well as the opportunity to attend events, workshops and seminars, receive direct mentoring support and visits from experts, share experiences via an online community, and access a new web-based encyclopaedia - 100 Ways to Help the High Street, which will be hosted and run by the Association of Town Centre Management (ACTM). The online tool is a result of collaboration between the National Skills Academy for Retail, Local Government Improvement and Development, Institute of Place Management and the ACTM.

Martin Blackwell, chief executive of the Association of Town Centre Management, said that the response from communities in towns and cities across England to the challenge created following the Mary Portas report was enormous. He stated: “It is terrific to see the government acknowledging that groundswell of activity in such a positive way.”

Mary Portas said: “I am thrilled that communities up and down the country have looked beyond the money and have been mobilised to create ‘town teams’ and demand more for their high streets. Whilst I shall continue to fight for the other 27 ‘recommendations’ in my Review am looking forward to seeing fifteen more British towns putting their plans into action”

The 12 winning Portas Pilots from the first round of the competition, who are already making strides to revive their high streets. These include Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, where the Town Team has launched a new loyalty card for customers, with over 100 local businesses signed up to offer 10 per cent discounts.

Click here to read more