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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the safe reopening of high streets as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Through our Safer Urban Centres Guidance, the Government has set out how our high streets can be made COVID secure through social distancing. Building on this, our £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) is providing councils with additional funding to support their business communities and local economies with measures that enable safe trading in public places. This funding is playing a key role in getting people back to work, supporting businesses and helping to reinvigorate our communities, safely kick starting the economy as lockdown eases.