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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of high street closures on town centre vitality and local employment, particularly in areas with limited alternative sources of work.

The high street provides a critical source of employment and skills in our economy, accounting for 4.4m jobs in 2018.

No specific data is held on the impact of closures on employment. However, the national rate of persistently vacant high street retail and leisure properties increased to 5.3% in 2023, up from 3.6% in 2018, reflecting factors including long term shifts in consumer behaviour, rising costs, and retail crime.

The Government is acting to reverse this decline with support for high street businesses, such as banning upwards only rent reviews in commercial leases and reforming licensing rules, strengthening powers to tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour, and empowering councils to auction the lease of persistently vacant premises on our high streets.