Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support local authorities to improve high streets.

This Government is committed to rejuvenating our high streets. At Spending Review, it announced 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods that will each receive up to £20 million over the next decade as part of a new fund. This forms part of communities funding for up to 350 places announced at the Spending Review, including the 75 places already named in the £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods in March.

We have introduced High Street Rental Auctions, powers for local authorities in England to auction the leases of persistently vacant commercial properties; through the English Devolution Bill we will introduce a community ‘right to buy’.