Borough town centres to be made "safe and welcoming" as lockdown eases

Rochdale town centre

Proposals are being drawn up to ensure that the Rochdale borough’s town centres are safe and welcoming as lockdown eases.

Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for regeneration, business and skills at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re working with key partners, like Rochdale BID, to ensure that our town centres are safe and welcoming as lockdown continues to ease in the coming weeks.

“We want people to enjoy our fantastic high streets once again, safe in knowledge that they can do so while adhering to government guidelines and protecting themselves and others.

“We’re currently working up different proposals and will be updating residents and visitors in the coming weeks.”

The news follows the announcement of a new £6.5 million fund for North West councils to support their local high streets to get safely back to business, announced in May by High Streets Minister Simon Clarke.

Ready to spend as of Monday 1 June, the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund will help councils in England introduce a range of safety measures in a move to kick-start local economies, get people back to work and customers back to the shops.

It will also support a range of practical safety measures including new signs, street markings and temporary barriers. This will help businesses get ready for when they can begin trading safely, not only in high streets and town and city centres, but also in other public spaces. 

Councils will also be able to use this money to develop local marketing campaigns to explain the changes to the public and reassure them that their high streets and other commercial areas are safe. 

The funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and will be allocated to councils on a per capita basis.