Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish information on the remaining six pilot areas to receive financial support from the High Streets Task Force; and whether one of the pilot areas will be located in the Sheffield City Region.

The High Streets Task Force will support local leaders in their work revitalising their high streets and town centres. Rather than providing funding, it will provide places with access to expert advice, training, a repository of data and best practice and will also help to coordinate a range of groups with an interest in the evolution of our high streets and town centres.

The first 14 locations to pilot the products and services of the Task Force were announced on 30 December and were chosen due to their status as “near misses” in their Future High Street Fund bids. The remaining pilot locations will test individual products and services and will be announced in due course. They will include a range of other Task Force users, including Business Improvement Districts, community groups and a Local Enterprise Partnership.

Following the pilot, the Task Force will roll out the products and services tested in the pilot phase to benefit localities across England, including the Sheffield City Region, this summer.

With regards to funding, Sheffield City Region is already benefitting from our focus on towns and local high streets, with four places across South Yorkshire currently developing business cases as part of the Future High Streets Fund and five towns invited to develop Town Investment Plans to agree Town Deals for each place.

We will open a second round of the Future High Streets Fund in due course and will welcome proposals from local authorities and communities to bring about change for their high streets. We have also committed to a competitive round of the Towns Fund to ensure more towns are able to benefit from Town Deals.