Queen of Shops gets high street brief

The government has appointed the Queen of Shops Mary Portas to lead an independent review into the future of the high street. The troubleshooter’s brief is to identify what government, local authorities and businesses can do to promote the development of more prosperous and diverse high streets.

Her findings will form part of the government’s wider growth review which is looking at how barriers can be removed so that strong, sustainable and balanced growth can be achieved that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.

David Cameron, prime minister, said the high street should be at the heart of every community, bringing people together, providing essential services and creating jobs and investment so it was vital the government did all it can to ensure they thrived.

Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister, said: “Empty high streets are a blight on the local economy. Vacant shops are also a wasted opportunity with far reaching consequences. When goods and services start to disappear our sense of community can be weakened and undermined. It is vital therefore that we examine what steps can be taken to revitalise and reinvigorate high street shopping centres across the country.”