Rochdale borough to benefit from High Streets Task Force support

Photo: Journeaux

Support will be tailored to a specific local high street or centre to help create the best vision and strategies for the area

Rochdale has been named as one of the first 70 local authorities to benefit from High Streets Task Force support.

As part of its programme to help communities and local government transform their high streets, the first 70 local authorities to be selected, including Rochdale, were announced last week (Friday 19 March).

Regional indicators of deprivation and inequality have been used, alongside research on the impact of Covid-19 on high street retail, to produce the list of areas that would most benefit from support.

Each local authority is eligible to receive direct support from Task Force Experts who will consult with local leaders from government, business, and the community to diagnose the issues blocking transformation and to recommend ways to make positive change happen on the high street.

This support will be tailored to a specific local high street or centre to help create the best vision and strategies for the area. Following a one-day expert visit, each location can receive a range of services offered by the Task Force, including expert consultancy, mentoring, visioning or place making workshops, access to local footfall data, and training programmes for place managers and leaders.

Learning from the support provided to selected locations is then expected to be applied to other places, by the local authority and stakeholders in the area.

Simon Quin, Executive Director of the High Streets Task Force, said: “This is not just about support for 70 locations alone. The High Streets Task Force is a wider commitment to raising the skills and resources of local leaders to transform our towns and cities for many years to come. For every high street we support directly, we hope that many more will benefit from the approaches and learning gained locally.”

The High Streets Task Force has been open to all involved in managing high streets across England since June 2020. It brought forward its launch to offer support to towns and cities responding to Covid-19 and national restrictions.

The Task Force is to begin visiting the first of the 70 local authorities from April 2021.

Visits to each of these areas will continue until mid-2022, when a further list of local authorities will be nominated.