Shops: Closures

(asked on )

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the cumulative effect on local economies of the closures of high street stores in (a) the North East and (b) the UK in 2018.


Answered by
Jake Berry Portrait
Jake Berry
This question was answered on 18th July 2018

High streets are a crucial part of our communities. The Government is determined to see our high streets thriving, both now and in the future. We want to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time.

That is why on Monday 16 July, the Department announced the appointment of an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting our high streets, and advise on the best long-term approach to help their revival. Later this summer the Department will launch a call for evidence looking at the future of our high streets.

While retail vacancy rates in the north east have experienced an increase over the past year, they have fallen from 17.5 per cent in December 2010 to 13.9 per cent in March 2018. In Jarrow town centre, the retail vacancy rate is currently 8 per cent. This is below the national average of 12.3 per cent. In 2010 the retail vacancy rate was 6.2 per cent. This increased to 13 per cent in January 2013 before falling to its current rate of 8 per cent in March 2018.

In Great Britain as a whole, the retail vacancy rate has fallen from 14.5 per cent in December 2010 to 12.3 per cent in March 2018.

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