Yesterday, Mark Robinson (Chair of the High Streets Task Force Board) and I met with UK Government
Ministers Alex Norris MP (Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety) and Gareth Thomas MP
(Minister for Services, Small Businesses, and Exports) to discuss the impact of the High Streets Task
Force programme, which concluded in September 2024, and to explore future policy directions. You
can see me pictured below with Minister Norris.

The meeting was not just a reflection on the past but also an opportunity to discuss future policy
innovations. Ministers expressed strong interest in several key ideas including:

• Ensuring that every high street has a local leadership structure to drive long-term transformation.
• A proposal to introduce apprenticeships in place management within local authorities was met with enthusiasm as a means of building much-needed capacity.
• Acknowledging the value of a central repository of resources and best practice, expressing interest in finding ways to maintain this knowledge. (Remember that you can access the IPM Members Area, which includes the Journal of Place Management and Development, case studies, and other resources as part of your IPM membership. Be sure to check it out!).