Understand
New government rental auctions could help fill empty high street shops, says Cornish MP
Overview
The UK government has allocated £10m for local authorities to run rental auctions on shop units vacant for over a year, aiming to rejuvenate town centres. While Labour MP Noah Law welcomed the scheme as a powerful tool for towns like St Austell, local councillors like Ellie Allen in Redruth warned that the impact would be limited because the rules only apply to properties for rent rather than those for sale.
Key points
- The government has allocated £10m for local authorities to run rental auctions on high street shops vacant for more than a year.
- Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, described the scheme as a powerful tool to rejuvenate town centres and help places with high vacancy rates.
- Rental auctions empower councils to find tenants and can force landlords to accept lower rents.
- Independent town councillor Ellie Allen warned the scheme's impact would be limited in Redruth because many empty buildings are for sale rather than for rent.