High streets staging a comeback

We need to be looking after our towns:
Futures Forum: 'Is it time to pay attention to towns as distinct types of places - both as sweet spots for understanding political change, and as laboratories for social policy?'

And one way might be some redirected money from central government - preferably not as part of any cynical ploy:
Futures Forum: Of Brexit bribes, the Strong Towns Fund and Local Enterprise Partnerships
Futures Forum: "Government announces small bit of funding for something that needs a bigger bit of funding" > 'Stronger Towns Fund' vs local government cuts

Maybe the 'Stronger Towns Fund' will help - but maybe towns will just have to help themselves better - as reported this evening on Radio 4: 

A Tale of Two Towns

In Business

Much has been made of the death of the high street, but some places are staging a comeback.

The government has announced this Spring a £1.6bn Stronger Towns Fund to help less well-off areas. Six hundred million pounds of that will be shared out to towns which can come up with credible plans to help their high street adapt to the rapidly changing retail environment.

So what does it take to turn a town around? In this programme, Ruth Alexander visits two towns in Cheshire - Northwich and Altrincham - which have tried two quite different approaches to see what works, and what doesn’t.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander
Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

BBC Radio 4 - In Business, A Tale of Two Towns

With more on Northwich:
Northwich runner-up in Great British High Street 'Rising Star' | Northwich Guardian
The Great British High Street Awards | The Great British High Street
Northwich High Street pub's 200-year-old history | Northwich Guardian

And on Altrincham:
Saving our shops as easy as pie - Lancashire Evening Post
Is this the secret to High Street success? - BBC News
From ghost town to boom town - how Altrincham became the place to be - Manchester Evening News
CHAMPION! Altrincham named England's best high street at the Great British High Street awards - Altrincham Today
.
.
.