Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out how a £210 million regeneration package will support councils and communities to bring empty high street buildings back into use. The funding covers derelict properties, threatened local venues, rental auctions and new co-operative businesses across England.
Burnham said people judge whether their area is improving by looking at their high street, rather than at national economic figures. In a social media post, he pointed to boarded-up shops and disused cinemas as buildings that could become community hubs, health centres, workspaces or cafés.
“People don’t measure growth by looking at a spreadsheet,” he said. “They measure it by looking at their local high street.” The examples describe what projects could deliver; the government has not announced that each type of facility will be built in every area.
Where the money will go
The largest part of the package announced on Friday is a £125 million Derelict Buildings Fund. It is intended to help local authorities turn vacant buildings into uses chosen for their communities, including civic spaces and health facilities.
A further £65 million is earmarked to help communities protect and renovate buildings and businesses at risk of closure, such as pubs and sports clubs. Another £10 million will support high street rental auctions, through which councils can seek tenants for properties left empty for at least 12 months.
The remaining £10 million is for a regional Co-operative Development Programme. The government says mayors and strategic authorities will use it to help establish businesses owned and run by staff, customers or communities. For Labour, that makes local ownership—not only a fresh coat of paint—part of the argument for high street renewal.
Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said local people should have a direct say in what happens to neglected buildings. First Secretary of State Louise Haigh described the investment as an example of devolution giving local leaders resources to protect places that matter to residents.
Delivery is the next test
The government says the £210 million comes from money already earmarked by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for high street support and regeneration. It should therefore not be presented as £210 million of newly identified spending on top of existing departmental plans.
Turning a long-empty building into a useful local service will depend on decisions about ownership, renovation and a viable tenant or operator. The announcement sets out the funding streams, but does not yet identify the buildings that will receive support or how many will reopen.
Ministers say a fuller high streets strategy will follow later this year. That will be the next opportunity to judge how councils and community groups can access the funds—and how far the programme can move from boarded-up premises to places people use.
