IRRV Alert - week ending 30th October 2020
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Supporting high streets after Covid-19 (30 October 2020)
Supporting high streets after Covid-19
30 October 2020
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee holds the opening session of its new inquiry into supporting high streets after Covid-19 on Monday 2 November when it takes evidence from witnesses including the British Retail Consortium, Royal Town Planning Institute and the Charity Retail Association.
- Watch Parliament TV: Supporting our high streets after COVID-19
- Inquiry: Supporting our high streets after COVID-19
- Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
In a report published last year, the Committee highlighted the challenges facing high streets and town centres due to strong competition from online competitors, an unfair taxation regime and fragmented ownership of commercial properties. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed even greater pressures on businesses with many having to adapt to new ways of operating or not being able to open at all.
In this opening session, the Committee will investigate the scale of the impact that Covid-19 has had on high street retail and leisure sectors. This will include examining the impact of Government support during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic and current strategies for mitigating the effects of local lockdowns. It will also look at how high streets can adapt to the post-Covid world and the role that the planning system can have in supporting this.
Witnesses
Monday 2 November - remote participation by witnesses and Committee members
At 4.00pm
- Professor Cathy Parker, Co-Chair, Institute of Place Management, & Professor of Marketing and Retail Enterprise, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Professor Aude Bicquelet-Lock, Deputy Head of Policy and Research, Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
- William Grimsey, Author, Grimsey Review
At 5.00pm
- Dominic Curran, Policy Advisor – Property, British Retail Consortium
- Robin Osterley, Chief Executive, Charity Retail Association
- Michael Wheeler, Political Officer, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers