The former government high street tsar has called for business rates relief to be extended until the end of the year and for an “Eat Out to Help Out-style” incentive scheme to be introduced to encourage people back into shops.
In a letter to the Treasury, Mary Portas, who a decade ago led a review into the future of the high street, says that immediate action is needed “or we face a future with hollowed-out streets and no places left for communities to come together. When it is safe to open up we are asking the government to incentivise shopping at independent retailers to combat the impact of multiple lockdowns.”
Ms Portas, 60, has joined a Save Our Streets campaign, spearheaded by Ross Bailey,
