Decision Details

Implemented

Trends in East Suffolk Town Centres

No

Report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economic Development

Tue 4 Feb 2020

1. That the approach so far taken through the People and Places work to support and enhance east Suffolk’s town centres and that the next, action planning phase be supported.

 

2. That the allocation be approved of £30k from ESC reserves, which has been ringfenced to support the action planning phase of the town centres work and will form part of £128k seed fund budget to support towns to develop and address their priorities in this next phase.

Economic Development & Regeneration

Not applicable

No

Not Applicable

Committee

Cabinet

No

Yes

Yes

No

Town centres across the country have been in decline for a number of years and without undertaking an evidence-based approach to fully identify the specific drivers of this and subsequently putting in place interventions based on this evidence, this decline will likely continue. The P&P work has already completed the first phase of this process and this recommendation is focused on supporting the next, action planning, phase. Town centres are vital to our communities as they provide a wide range of local services, if we are to preserve and enhance this role, as an enabling Council, we need to be able to facilitate local stakeholders to support the enhancement of these centres.

Not applicable

No other options were considered for the future of this initiative as it was always designed as a two-stage process with funding already committed from the Economic Development budget for the action planning phase. If Cabinet do not approve the additional ringfenced £30k it will limit ESC’s ability to enable towns centres to progress their priorities, however some interventions will still be able to take place.

1. That Cabinet support the approach so far taken through the People and Places work to support and enhance east Suffolk’s town centres and approves the next, action planning phase.

 

2. That Cabinet approves the allocation of £30k from ESC reserves, which has been ringfenced to support the action planning phase of the town centres work and will form part of £128k seed fund budget to support towns to develop and address their priorities in this next phase.

None.

None.