'High streets have suffered from a tragic lack of attention'

Andy Burnham has an ambition to get the high streets buzzing again.

In an early speech, the prime minister promised “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”, backed by a Number 10 North based in Manchester. 

So we asked MSPs: What would make your town centre a hub of good quality shopping and leisure activity?

Hannah Mary Goodlad, SNP MSP and public finance minister, Shetland Islands

I may be wrong, but there cannot be many communities of 23,000 people where if you said, ‘I am off to the street’ (or ‘da street’ in Shaetlan language) to a shopper, they would know exactly which street you were headed to. Lerwick has grown over the decades around its historic flagstone-paved Commercial Street, but it remains a draw to both islanders and thousands of tourists each year.

The double-edge sword that is being a popular cruise ship destination, however, means that Lerwick town centre suffers from a seasonal split personality. It is vital that island communities, such as Shetland, remain sufficiently populated and prosperous to be able to support the necessary local content, in terms of their retail offering, to sustain themselves throughout the very long winter months. This can only be sustained where communities are politically empowered, allowing them greater control over the decisions that shape their future.

David Green, Lib Dem MSP, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

Our town centres are the beating heart of our communities – from the shop where we pick up the local paper, to the pub where we up meet up with friends. When they thrive, the whole community feels it.

That is certainly true across the Highlands – just ask anyone about gala week. Although, on second thoughts, some stories are best left in town.

But for too long, small businesses have struggled under the pressure of rising energy costs, increases in National Insurance contributions and an unfair playing field with faceless online retailers.

If the prime minister is serious about getting our high streets buzzing, he must create the conditions for businesses to thrive. Business is not a dirty word – far from it. A cut in VAT for hospitality, cafés and restaurants would give many businesses the breathing space they need and encourage people to choose local.

Murdo Fraser, Conservative MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife

There are two major issues impacting on the decline of town centres: the burden of business rates and the cost of parking. With so much of retail now moving online, businesses which have a physical high street presence are being unfairly penalised by non-domestic rates, a system which disincentivises expansion. The whole system needs to be revisited if we are serious about reviving high streets.

Secondly, the high cost of town centre parking actively deters shoppers and visitors. We only have to look at how busy out of town retail parks are at the weekend to see that is where people prefer to go because the parking is more convenient and usually free. Reducing town centre parking charges, or providing two hours free, would be the single most useful step councils could take to encourage shoppers back to traditional high streets.

Morven-May MacCallum, Lib Dem MSP, Highlands and Islands

I adore the high streets and town centres in my region, though I’d use them more if I could do my weekly shopping there. At last count, you can leave with 11 varieties of tartan tea towel, a shortbread tin shaped like a Highland cow, and a fridge magnet of a puffin that doesn’t live within a hundred miles.

None of that is the fault of the shops. They’re simply responding to the type of footfall we are now used to seeing here in the Highlands, but it does leave local people feeling like tourists in their own town.

What we need is a mix of shops that serve the local community who live here as well as the people visiting, and rates that encourage shops to open rather than causing them to close.

The rest is up to us. Online might be easier, but you’ll often find the quality is better and the price no worse on your own high street. And you’ll never be asked to confirm you’re not a robot.

Daniel Johnson, Labour MSP, Edinburgh Southern

High streets are the physical, economic and social heart of our communities, yet they have suffered from a tragic lack of attention. As a politician – and a former retailer – I believe three simple decisions can reverse this decline.

First, we must protect commercial premises through the planning system. Currently, changing a shop into housing is far too easy, wiping out secondary high streets. Making these conversions more difficult would force commercial rents down, giving local retail a chance.

Second, we need to lower the rates burden. Retail generates about 10 per cent of our economy but pays roughly 20 per cent of non-domestic rates. We must rebalance this so consumer-facing businesses pay their fair share, rather than double.

Finally, we need to improve high street policing. With shoplifting increasing by half, retail crime requires urgent prioritisation. Police Scotland’s new dedicated team is a start, but we need visible officers on the ground to respond and deter.

Amanda Lindsay, Reform MSP, Central Scotland and Lothians West

If the prime minister wants to see a busy shopping centre, Livingston is hard to beat. But that’s also part of the problem. Retail parks and outlets have become so successful that they’ve sucked much of the life out of traditional high streets.

However, places like Linlithgow show there’s still a winning formula. Independent shops, cafés and local businesses give people something they can’t find online or in a retail park. Character still counts.

The challenge is that too many town centres, from Falkirk to Bathgate and beyond, are being asked to compete with one hand tied behind their back. High business rates, parking charges, online competition, rising energy costs, and higher employment costs all make it harder for local businesses to survive, never mind thrive.

Give businesses a fair chance, make it easy for people to visit, and they’ll do the rest. Our town centres don’t need another slogan, they need customers.

Adam Harley, Lib Dem MSP, Strathkelvin and Bearsden

I fully support the notion of getting our high streets buzzing again. I think to do that we need to make it easier to start a small local business and keep it thriving. I’ve heard from countless folk just how hard it can be to get up and running and then to make the numbers add up at the end of the month.

More support getting going would help people to take the leap and open that coffee shop or bookshop they’ve always dreamt about.

We also need to remove barriers for would-be customers. Some places only allow you to pay for parking by downloading an app. Ideally we’d have as little friction as possible so that everyone can get out into the community and into local businesses.

Joe Long, Scottish Labour MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife

Scotland’s ancient capital and newest city, Dunfermline (where I call home) has so much potential. We have a small number of independent cafes and shops, and a wonderful library and museum in the city’s heritage quarter. As green spaces go, Pittencrieff Park is as beautiful as they come.

But to make the most of this heritage, and encourage more independent businesses that will bring people to our city centre, we need a wholesale reform of business rates as Scottish Labour proposed in our manifesto. In an era when the big retailers have retreated from town centres, we need a level playing field between the online giants found on the outskirts of Dunfermline and the unique and creative local businesses that draw people into our city centre.