In July 2018, an Expert Panel was launched by former High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP, then-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG). The panel was tasked with identifying some of the most pressing challenges faced by England’s high streets and town centres and proposing practical actions central government could take to support their revival.

Chaired by retail leader Sir John Timpson, the panel brought together a diverse group of experts from the retail, design, property, and community sectors, as well as local government. Their collective aim was to provide fresh, actionable insights to help high streets adapt to evolving consumer habits and economic pressures.

One of the Expert Panel's key recommendations was to establish a High Streets Task Force to provide a coordinated voice for town centres, expert support, encourage the sharing and use of data in decision-making, and form and maintain local networks and partnerships. Sir John Timpson was particularly keen for the Task Force to support “inspirational local leaders, working with all sections of their community” who could “put the buzz back into their town centre.”

Manchester Metropolitan University's Institute of Place Management led a consortium bid to run the High Streets Task Force on behalf of the Government and was awarded the contract on 24 June 2019. The consortium included universities (Manchester Metropolitan University and Cardiff University), professional bodies and networks (Institute of Place Management, Royal Town Planning Institute, Landscape Institute, Design Council, Association of Town and City Management, Civic Voice, The BID Foundation), data providers (MRI OnLocation, Maybe*), and support organisations (PwC, MyKnowledgeMap, and The Teenage Market).

After more than five years of dedicated effort, the High Streets Task Force (HSTF) has concluded its programme, leaving a legacy of positive transformation across England. Later today, many of the Task Force consortium partners, experts, beneficiaries, and government officials will gather at Manchester Metropolitan University to celebrate and reflect on the programme's important work. Attendees will hear directly from people who have benefited from the programme in locations such as Bolsover, Darlington, Grimsby, Hamlet Court Road (Southend), and Rochdale.

The consortium worked with 150 local authorities and engaged thousands of stakeholders in high street transformation activities, training programmes, and workshops, delivering over 91% of its promised services despite disruptions caused by COVID-19.

“This ground-breaking programme has made a real impact in many areas it has supported.”

Alex Norris MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Local Growth

Achievements at a Glance

The Task Force achieved success by unlocking the potential of places through collaborative work with local councils and place leaders, as Sir John Timpson suggested. It developed an expert network of professionals to give advice and apply research-backed frameworks, such as the 25 Priorities for Vitality and Viability and the 4Rs of Renewal. These efforts produced practical, actionable recommendations that made a measurable difference.

  • 79% of councils acted on HSTF recommendations, and 69% increased their capacity for high street transformation through improved collaboration.
  • The HSTF trained nearly 1,000 place makers, with 90% reporting enhanced skills and 97% feeling encouraged to continue collaborating to improve their high streets.
  • The Task Force created the most comprehensive online resource library for high streets globally, featuring over 1,000 items, which received over 250,000 viewsfrom 45,000 unique visitors. The High Streets Task Force website and resource repository has been saved through The National Archives.
  • Over 100 experts were recruited from professional bodies, providing 300 days of expert support and 2,700 hours of local analysis.
  • 90% of media mentions about the HSTF were positive, highlighting success stories and outcomes. The HSTF challenged the “death of the high street” narrative by showcasing stories of hope and renewal.

“The success of the HSTF is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of all involved.”

Mark Robinson, Chair of the High Streets Task Force Board

Challenges Faced

The programme highlighted several challenges:

 

Lack of place partnerships

The paucity of place partnerships across the country was a key barrier to progress. The need to restructure local governance arrangements to mobilise expertise, enthusiasm and effort from the business and the wider community was the number one recommendation of HSTF experts. Recognition of the role of partnerships and local place leaders as advocated by the HSTF is a message policymakers have got loud and clear from the High Streets Task Force.

Also released today was a report from the House of Lords Built Environment Committee with the results of its inquiry ‘High streets in towns and small cities’. Both the Institute of Place Management and consortium partners such as Civic Voice and the Association of Town and City Management submitted evidence to the inquiry. Chair, Mark Robinson gave oral evidence on behalf of the High Streets Task Force.

Lord Moylan, Chairman of the Built Environment Committee, commented on the findings of the inquiry saying:

“Delivering a successful and sustainable high street often involves a local leader, who can be from the local community, authority or business. This leader very often motivates teams from the public and private sector to use their imagination to breathe new life into their high street. Decision-makers shouldn’t be afraid of trying new things.”

 

Underrepresentation of youth

Few initial diagnostic meetings, facilitated by local authorities, included participants under the age of 25, limiting the perspective of younger stakeholders.

 

Uneven local authority engagement

Particularly in deprived areas, deep-seated challenges made it harder for councils to lead or support high street regeneration activities.

 

Limited support time

The “wide but shallow” model, where most high streets received about five days of support, was insufficient for addressing systemic issues.

Lessons Learned

Despite challenges, the HSTF demonstrated that even short, targeted expert interventions based on robust evidence could revitalise high streets. When place partnerships existed or were formed, the impact was significantly greater.

The HSTF’s final recommendations for future policy and practice include:

  • Increasing place management capacity in local authorities to support inclusive partnerships.
  • Emphasizing “softer” interventions that improve the high street experience and local perception.

“The High Streets Task Force has shown what is possible when government (at local and national level), research, expertise, and community effort come together. The future of our high streets depends on sustaining this momentum.”

Professor Cathy Parker MBE, Research Lead, High Streets Task Force

What’s Next?

The HSTF has developed a reliable blueprint for high street regeneration, showcasing the power of collaborative, research-driven approaches. Final reports, set for publication by the Government, will consolidate the outcomes of five years of interventions, providing insights and legacy options for successful products and services.

You can receive updates when the final reports are released by signing up to IPM’s email newsletter.

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HSTF Consortium

Manchester Metropolitan University was the lead partner for the Task Force. It provided the underpinning research and knowledge for the Task Force, developed the products and services, delivered the HSTF repository, abstracting over 1000 studies and reports, led the production of the Task Force's annual research studies, and provided research and insight to MHCLG, and other governance groups in the HSTF. It matched expertise with local area need, trained experts, and co-developed the training and data dashboards products.

The Institute of Place Management (IPM) is the international professional network for people involved in making, maintaining and marketing places. IPM provided experts in place management. The Institute is part of Manchester Metropolitan University.

PwC is a global professional services network with headquarters in London. PwC has broad experience working with public sector clients, helping to deliver and manage large-scale programmes such as the Task Force. PwC acted as a delivery and planning partner, providing expertise and resources for the coordination of the Task Force.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is the UK’s leading planning body for spatial, sustainable and inclusive planning and is the largest planning institute in Europe with over 25,000 members. The RTPI identified experts to boost local authority capacity, developed training sessions with town planning professionals, and chaired the HSTF Professional, Research and Data Group.

Design Council is an independent charity and the Government’s advisor on design. Their purpose is to make life better by design by enabling better places, products, and processes. The Design Council worked with the Task Force to: develop a sustainable brand; use design tools and methods to challenge people to think innovatively about the future of their high streets; and share expertise in inclusion, healthy placemaking, service design, and social and environmental sustainability.

The BID Foundation is an industry body for Business Improvement Districts established in January 2018 following a UK-wide consultation. It is an independent and authoritative voice for BIDs and has led the development of industry standards. Its members are active place leaders in towns and cities with extensive networks. The BID Foundation co-chaired the High Streets Task Force Sector Leaders Group and worked with IPM to identify experts and resources for the Task Force.

The Landscape Institute (LI) is the chartered body for the landscape profession. It is an educational charity that promotes the art and science of landscape practice. Its landscape practitioners include landscape scientists, planners, architects, managers, and urban designers. The LI provided a pool of experts to contribute to Task Force delivery and services.

Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) is a not-for-profit membership organisation, dedicated to promoting the vitality and viability of urban centres across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Its members develop and implement shared visions, strategies and action plans for hundreds of district, town and city centres. ATCM co-chaired the High Streets Task Force Sector Leaders Group and provided resources on how to improve high streets

Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement in England. Civic Voice was formed following extensive consultation with hundreds of civic and amenity societies and other interested organisations in 2009. Civic Voice provided relevant advice and guidance for place leaders to understand the contribution of the community, as well as helping to identify place leaders in their own network for capacity mapping.

MRI OnLocation is a leading provider of data and intelligence on customer activity in stores and destinations. MRI OnLocation monitors customer behaviour in town and city centres, including footfall, demographic profiling, and capacity monitoring. MRI OnLocation provided the Task Force access to all UK high street and town centre footfall data, as well as training courses and webinars for Task Force users to attend.

Maybe* uses AI to provide sentiment analysis from social media directly to over 150,000 businesses. They have worked to develop the digital evolution of some 30 towns through the ‘What do you think’ campaign which aims to improve digital influence to drive footfall. Maybe* provided the Task Force with consumer sentiment data for UK towns for benchmarking and held regular webinars that focused on high street data evaluation.

The Teenage Market, set up in 2012 by two brothers in Stockport, is active in over 30 locations across the UK, giving local young people the chance to actively engage and take part in events in their town or city. The Task Force worked with the Teenage Market over the five years to provide guidance and expertise for local authorities in England to hold their own teenage markets.

Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science and Informatics is an internationally leading research School that impacts areas as diverse as healthcare, mobile and social computing, and the environment. They developed and integrated data sets on footfall and other high street performance indicators, as well as contributing to further

MyKnowledgeMap is a leading e-assessment software and solution specialist, with a full product, project, services, and integration delivery. MyKnowledgeMap developed technology solutions that improved skills and knowledge for Task Force users, including high street data dashboards and an online resource repository.

IPM

About the author

IPM

Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.

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