Saving the High Street

The Conservative Party hustings reached Exeter today:

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt in Exeter for leadership hustings | Devon Live

Conservative leadership hustings: Devon voters quiz Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt | Midweek Herald

Behind-the-scenes at the Tory leadership hustings in Exeter | New European

And each candidate is promising to ‘save the high street’:

Jeremy Hunt pledges to save high street with business rates cut | Telegraph

Boris Johnson reveals new plan to save high street | Express

Sidmouth isn’t doing too badly:

Sidmouth High Street with bunting and flags

But it could be doing much better:

Cash machines disappearing from our high streets

More shops to close on Sidmouth’s high street

Sidmouth loses yet another high street bank

Who will be filling the empty shops along Sidmouth’s High Street?

There are initiatives and ideas out there:

Coalition of retailers and landlords: rip up planning laws to save the high street

High Streets Hub > lessening the burden of the unfair business rates system, the dwindling bank branch and ATM networks and the lack of adequate parking facilities in town centres