Rayner promises high street improvements before next general election
Angela Rayner says shoppers should start seeing improvements to struggling high streets before the next general election, as Labour makes town centre regeneration a priority. The pledge comes amid boarded-up shops, pressure on local businesses and the threat to thousands of jobs at Poundland.
The government says more than £1bn in business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure will take effect over two years, with cuts beginning next April. Rayner also cited £5.8bn for local regeneration and a £210m fund to transform derelict buildings; business leaders argue deeper reform of business rates is still needed.
In short
- Rayner expects visible high street improvements before the next election.
- More than £1bn in business rates relief is planned.
- Businesses say wider reform is still needed.
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The case for
Visible improvements before the next election would show that regeneration funding and targeted business rates relief are reaching communities facing empty shops and job losses. Supporting local businesses and reusing derelict buildings could help restore town centres as places to shop, work and meet, while giving businesses time to adapt.
The case against
The pledge may raise expectations when high street decline reflects pressures that short-term funding and limited relief cannot resolve. Business leaders’ call for deeper business rates reform suggests the measures may not sufficiently reduce costs or prevent further closures, and tying promised improvements to the election timetable risks making long-term regeneration seem more immediate or certain than it is.
Explained simply
High streets are town and city centres where shops, cafés and other businesses sit alongside public services and community spaces. Many have struggled as shopping habits change and businesses face rising costs, leaving some premises empty and putting local jobs at risk.
Angela Rayner is a senior Labour politician and the government’s deputy prime minister. Business rates are taxes paid by many businesses on the premises they use; the government says planned relief for retail, hospitality and leisure will reduce some of these costs, while separate funding is intended to support local regeneration and bring derelict buildings back into use.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Britain’s blighted high streets will improve by next election, says Rayner”.