Sarah Newton MP is encouraging community teams from across Truro and Falmouth to nominate their best local High Streets in the Great British High Street Awards 2018.
The awards, sponsored by Visa, celebrate local achievements on our high streets and will encourage communities to share top tips to make their high streets a success, shining a light on great examples of how high streets can meet new challenges.
Community teams, councils and trading associations can register their local high streets by visiting thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk. Members of the local community can also register their high street by getting in touch with their MP or local council.
The 26 shortlisted entries in the Champion High Street category and 12 Rising Stars will be announced in October. They will then go through to a public vote and be visited by a judging panel made up of industry leaders from across retail, property and business.
Britain’s best high street will be announced in November, with the winner receiving a £10,000 cash prize for a local community project.
The Conservatives are committed to helping local business communities and have introduced over £9 billion worth of business rate support, so that many small businesses now pay no rates and helping shops and restaurants across the country to do what they do best.
Sarah said: “Local high streets are vital to the quality of life in Cornwall. They are at the centre of our communities and this competition celebrates the creativity of the many businesses that preserve our high streets.
“I have been working hard to ensure shops are accessible for everyone and that includes anyone with a disability. It’s not only the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense too. That’s why I pushed for accessibility to be a key judging criteria and I’m delighted to see in both the Champion Award and the Rising Star Award the customer experience specifies this.”
Secretary of State for Communities, James Brokenshire MP said: “The Great British High Street Awards acknowledge how vital high streets are to our nation. They are crucial in creating jobs, nurturing small businesses and driving local and regional economies.
“As a government, we are committed to ensuring high streets continue to thrive and I’m delighted to support this brilliant competition.”