Mayor meets businesses to shape high streets fund...

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has been meeting businesses to help shape a new high streets fund worth up to £10 million.

David Skaith was in Thirsk Tuesday 23 July, speaking to traders to develop his Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund ahead of an expected launch later this year.

A four-year £10 million indicative budget for the fund was approved recently by the membership of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. Money has been allocated from the Mayoral Investment Fund, part of the region’s 30-year, £540 million devolution deal.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “High streets are not dying. They’re changing and we need to adapt.

There’s no denying that high streets have been through a challenging time. We need to understand how those that have survived have adapted so that we can support them to help build resilience more broadly.

“I want to support healthy, safe, and thriving communities in York and North Yorkshire and high streets are a focal point for that.

They’re a hub for communities, they generate local pride, they offer identity and help tackle rural isolation.

To shape our fund, I’m listening to the people who know best, gathering local knowledge to provide insight and inform our policy.

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