The Scrutiny Review Panel - District and Local Centres - best practice and building upon it met on Tuesday 25 February 2025 to consider a draft final report on improving district and local centres. The report, compiled between September 2024 and April 2025, aimed to identify best practices and explore how they could be applied to enhance the vibrancy of these centres across Stockport. The panel was scheduled to review and potentially endorse this draft report before it moved on to further scrutiny committees and the Cabinet.

Draft Final Report on District and Local Centres

The main item scheduled for discussion was the draft final report of the Scrutiny Review Panel, titled District and Local Centres – best practice and building upon it. This report was the culmination of a review process that began in September 2024 and involved gathering evidence from businesses within Stockport's district and local centres.

The report's foreword, written by Councillor James Frizzell, Chair of the Scrutiny Review Panel, highlighted the positive impact of the two District Centre Manager posts, established in January 2022. These managers, each overseeing four centres, have been instrumental in implementing recommendations from the Institute of Place Management's (IPM) 2022 report, which aimed to create strong and healthy district centres. The report noted that Stockport is now considered an exemplary model for other towns and cities.

The review's scope included understanding best practices for supporting the vibrancy of Stockport's district centres and assessing how these could be extended to local centres. It also aimed to explore how national policy could support these areas and consider other examples of best practice. The panel engaged with local businesses through a series of questions designed to gather feedback on improvements, unique aspects of their centres, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and potential replicable initiatives.

Key findings from the evidence gathering indicated that district centres had benefited from events and activations that increased footfall and supported high street businesses. Local events, markets, greening projects, and street art were also well-received in both district and local centres. The report noted that while many businesses felt a strong sense of community and camaraderie, some high streets were dominated by certain types of businesses, reflecting national trends influenced by online shopping. Concerns were also raised about high rents and vacant units, with an emphasis on the need for collaboration with landlords. The cost-of-living crisis had led businesses to adapt, with many not fully aware of available support from the council and other organisations.

The review also examined best practices from other local authority areas. Desk research suggested that while other councils often provided business information on their websites, they did not typically employ dedicated District Centre Managers. An interview with Bristol City Council revealed the importance of their two District Centre Managers in facilitating business collaboration and their early capital investment in addressing vacant units and greening. Bristol's success with a monthly Saturday market, which required no council funding, was also highlighted. The report mentioned an upcoming interview with Lincolnshire County Council, the findings of which would not be included in this report but would inform future work. Other councils had established design guides for their district centres, a concept suggested for Stockport to create more cohesive areas. The report also noted that Withington had received UK Shared Prosperity Funding, suggesting that similar strategies could support bids for funding in Stockport.

A significant part of the review focused on the planned establishment of a new information portal for District and Local Centres. The panel provided input to inform the portal's content, suggesting inclusions such as crime prevention information, an interactive forum for businesses, details on flooding and road works, information on council services, and an events webpage. Suggestions were also made regarding the portal's structure, with specific sub-sections for prospective or new business owners, existing business owners, and councillors. The report recommended that the portal be created as soon as possible and be continuously updated, with a suggestion to share case studies of successful events and achievements.

The draft report summarised that while Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council was performing well compared to many others in supporting its district centres, particularly with the work of its District Centre Managers, more could be done. The report stressed the need for deep partnerships between businesses, landlords, community groups, residents, and the council to address challenges such as vacant units and changing retail habits. The importance of business collaboration, local vision meetings, and events was repeatedly highlighted. The report also noted the need for better-informed local councillors, suggesting a councillor 'playbook' or guide as part of the information portal and a dedicated session within the Member Induction Programme.

The report concluded with a series of recommendations for the Cabinet. These included endorsing the establishment of the dedicated online information portal and its accompanying communications plan, supporting the introduction of a councillor 'playbook' and induction session, and reviewing the structure of local vision meetings to focus more on business collaboration. The panel also recommended that the Cabinet reiterate and strengthen its support for frequent events in district and local centres, endorse more local events, markets, maintenance, greening projects, and street art, and give further consideration to addressing vacant units and improving communication with landlords. Finally, the panel requested that the relevant Cabinet Member write to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the financial and other support needed to enhance the vibrancy of district and local centres, acknowledging the council's limited resources.

The panel was requested to consider and comment on the draft final report and endorse it for onward submission to the Economy, Regeneration & Climate Change Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet, subject to any amendments.