Community Barometer sets out blueprint for high street recovery

The 2026 Community Barometer report is the first major report into the health of the high street that focuses on putting place first. The Association of Convenience Stores launched the report, which highlights the use of the ‘Makerfield Test’ as a means to deliver good growth on high streets.

The ‘Makerfield Test’ is the idea that a policy must work for somewhere like Makerfield or the government ditches it.

There is a stark contrast in the report between the high streets that people feel are getting better and those that are getting worse. Across the UK, only Greater London emerged as a net positive when it comes to high streets. Every other part of the country feels as though high streets are getting worse than before.

The worst affected areas are Scotland, the East of England, and the South West. Although outside of London, all parts of the country clearly need more targeted support to create high streets that people can be proud of.

The Community Barometer report seeks to identify the reasons why these places feel left behind. The top five reasons why people believe their high street is getting worse are:

• Too many empty shop units.
• Poor range of shops and services.
• Fewer shoppers due to the cost of living.
• Stronger competition from online shopping.
• Prevalence of dodgy shops.

The report asks about the services that people want more and less of. And it finds a clear need for a diverse range of services like:

• Specialist shops.
• Bank branches.
• Pubs.
• Bars.
• Restaurants.
• Sports facilities.

However, the businesses that people don’t like appearing on their local high street are:

• Vape shops.
• Pawnbrokers.
• Barber shops.

Respondents suggest these kind of shops seem to pop up when a high street is losing its vitality.

What do people want in their high street?

This sentiment shows in the ranking of local services and their impact on the community. Pharmacies, post offices and convenience stores rank as the top three services that people regard as essential and having a positive impact on an area. Convenience stores rank as the number one service for supporting local growth.

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Ed Woodall said:

Access to local services that make people feel good about where they live should not be a nice-to-have. The Community Barometer sets out a blueprint for the changes that are needed to give the whole of the UK reason to be proud of their high streets.

Thriving local shops, diverse places to eat and drink, and core services like post offices and pharmacies are all part of the makeup of a successful high street. But too often these businesses are failed by rising costs, slow planning decisions, and lawlessness that goes unpunished.

If the next prime minister is serious about effecting change and delivering good growth, high streets need to feel safer, business rates need be reduced and planning decisions need to speed up.

The Community Barometer sets out three priority areas for the government to consider as it forms its new High Streets Strategy. These three priority areas are consistent with the recommendations of 15 reports on high streets delivered over the last decade that successive Westminster governments have failed to implement. They are:

• Making safety on the high street a priority, with better and faster use of closure orders and criminal behaviour orders. These can address the problems of retail crime and the presence of dodgy shops locally.
• Reducing the cost of operating by leveraging business rate reliefs, making it more appealing to take on empty properties. This addresses the number one reason why people feel their high streets are in decline.
• A town centre first planning system that moves at the pace of the businesses it serves. It would direct new retail sites onto high streets, concentrating footfall and investment activity where it’s most needed.

The Association of Convenience Stores has written to Andy Burnham ahead of his appointment as prime minister, setting out the change needed on high streets.

You can download the full Community Barometer report here.

Featured image via the Canary