High Street Fund Must Be Spent Now Say Lib Dems

Bromsgrove Lib Dems have called on the ruling Conservative Group to urgently invest in Covid secure safety measures for the district's high streets, after it was revealed that less than 10% of the district's dedicated funding allocation for safety measures had actually been spent.

The shock underspend was revealed when Lib Dem Grou p Leader Cllr Rob Hunter questioned how much of the authority's Reopening High Streets Safely Fund had been spent at the recent full council meeting on Wednesday 16 September. It was revealed that only £8,000 of the £89,000 fund has so far been used.

Earlier in the year Bromsgrove's Lib Dems called for the money to be invested in new initiatives such as free hand sanitiser and signage.

Cllr Hunter said: "Our local businesses have worked incredibly hard to reopen in a Covid secure way and I'm pleased that we were able to get public health measures such as free hand sanitiser put in to support their efforts. With a second wave now sadly looking increasingly likely it is vital we do everything we can to avoid businesses having to close again. The time to invest the remaining funds to support our local shops in now."

Bromsgrove Lib Dem Chair Josh Robinson, who works on the town centre high street added: "As a shop worker myself, I know how hard it has been for small and local shops on the high street. It would be an absolute travesty if this money was returned to the Government in London instead of being used to help keep tills ringing and protect jobs in Bromsgrove."