The British high street is more than just somewhere to shop or have a coffee; town centres are a barometer of prosperity and local pride. Places that felt “left behind” were more likely to vote Leave in 2016, and many have since been fertile ground for Nigel Farage’s rightwing populist Reform UK. Little wonder that as Andy Burnham tours Britain as new prime minister, his promise to regenerate town centres comes up often.

The drivers of high street decline are deep‑rooted: the 1980s rise of out‑of‑town retail parks, the online shopping revolution, debt‑funded buyouts leaving chains with heavy rent liabilities, and sharply higher costs from energy, minimum wages, business rates and the Starmer government’s rise in employer payroll taxes. Changes to shopping habits make it unrealistic to expect retail to return to town centres on the scale of 40 years ago.

The aim must be to turn high streets into community hubs with shops, entertainment, housing and facilities such as post offices and NHS neighbourhood health centres. Burnham’s plan to devolve powers to local authorities and use public money to pump‑prime urban renewal — spreading the model he used as mayor of Greater Manchester — offers some promise. At Westminster, a 20 per cent business‑rate cut for pubs, clubs and music venues, funded by reviewing reliefs for “anti‑social businesses” such as vape shops, is proposed.

A wider rethink of business rates — such as a levy on online retail sales or a tax on commercial site values — remains key. Reviving high streets also needs consumers with money to spend, linking success to the government’s ability to tackle the cost of living and boost growth.