MP Gareth Snell welcomes government war on scourge of boarded up shops

MP Gareth Snell welcomes government war on scourge of boarded up shops

More high streets are set to benefit from a major expansion of powers to tackle the scourge of boarded up shops and bring more long-term vacant properties into use.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed has announced a £10 million expansion to High Streets Rental Auctions (HSRA) to ensure more councils across England can take on the eyesores plaguing Britain’s streets.

Local authorities in England already have the power to auction off leases for commercial properties which have stood empty.

The funding will bring hundreds more properties back into use, directly supporting refurbishment of the worst affected units and galvanising more councils to start using the powers to revitalise their high streets.

This builds on the success of our early adopter programme, with over 40 local authorities already using the powers.

Gareth said: “Our high streets are at the heart of our communities and vacant shops are a blight on them. 

“Through high streets rental auctions, this Labour government are reducing the number of vacant shops by giving councils the power to force landlords to rent out empty shops and encouraging the high street to grow. If you walk through Hanley, Longton, Stoke or Fenton, you see these shops which could be put to good use but instead are rotting away. It brings down the feel of the whole town and the landlords should be held accountable for the way they are treating our towns.”

Further measures announced today include plans to modernise the rulebook for Business Improvement Districts to simplify voting procedures, strengthen transparency and accountability as well as including property owners in the process.