HIGH St Campaign takes to Westminster

BID Manager invited to attend All Party Town Centres group meeting at Houses of Parliament following letter from the BID to the Prime Minister and launch of Save the High Street Campaign

The Falmouth BID’s Save the High Street Campaign reached the corridors of power in earnest this week following an invite to Richard Wilcox, the Falmouth BID Manager from Sarah Newton, MP for Falmouth & Truro to attend an All Party Parliamentary Town Centres Group meeting at the Houses of Parliament on October 18^th, to discuss key issues in which Government appointed High Street Advisor Mary Portas will be present. Truro BID Manager Neil Scott will also be joining Richard Wilcox and Sarah Newton at the meeting.

The Save the High Street Campaign launched by the Falmouth BID, aims to raise awareness of the main areas that currently affect or inhibit economic growth in Falmouth and is a direct response to the appointment by the Government of Mary Portas, to undertake a review on what is needed to save the British High Street as well as raising awareness of initiatives running in Falmouth that have been instigated by the BID and other organisations.

The Falmouth BID is lobbying the Portas team, the Government and regional authorities, to recognise and initiate change on a number of key restrictions that are affecting growth and these are contained in a letter sent to her and the Prime Minister and centre around five key points:

1)   The need for free or low cost, innovative and flexible car parking schemes that are attractive for people to visit, dwell longer and spend money in town centres rather than acting as a barrier 

2)    Co-ordinated, imaginative and well-integrated local public transport which meets the needs of customers and POTENTIAL customers

3)    Well-funded and professional town management which can form proper retail strategies and plans for the development of the high street and the improvement of the shopping experience

4)    Business rates that need to have a greater effect locally with businesses having a real say on how the business rates are spent. Successful businesses should not be penalised with massive rate increases and the success of schemes like BIDs should be recognised and expanded by being funded from existing rates not as an additional levy

5)   Cut VAT in half to 10% on retail/restaurants/hotels/tourism businesses

To view the range of media coverage click here

To listen to Source FM interview click here