As much as £5bn needed to revive UK’s struggling high streets, study finds

Business rates cuts not enough as people in poorer areas simply don't have money to spend', says Centre for Cities

As much as 5bn is needed to revive ailing UK town and city centres, with areas including Bradford in Yorkshire, Newport in south Wales, and Blackpool in Lancashire having double the proportion of empty shops as London, a study has found.

A report from the Centre for Cities thinktank showed that the health of high streets across the country has varied significantly, and called for authorities to focus on developing homes and high-paying jobs in central locations to increase local spending power.