Councils Join Forces to Help Region Shop Safe, Shop Local

PR Date: Wednesday, 25 November 2020 - 10:30am

East Herts District Council and North Herts District Council have joined forces to help people to shop safe, shop local with the ‘Reopening the High Street Safely Campaign to the Public’, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

High Streets across the region from Royston to Hertford and Bishop’s Stortford to Hitchin have all been working tirelessly to ensure shops, pubs, restaurants and hair salons have the necessary Covid-19 secure measures in place to keep their customers and employees safe. This latest funding will be spent on adding new planters, sanitisers, signage and temporary barriers to ensure physical distancing and to keep residents safe whilst shopping and at work. A new communications campaign will also launch shortly, which will encourage people to shop safe, shop local.  This builds on the huge efforts already put in by Business Improvement Districts, town councils and town centre businesses, to safely encourage shoppers back to local high streets.

Cllr Jan Goodeve, Executive Member for Planning and Growth, East Herts District Council is delighted with the funding. She says: “It’s essential we keep our High Streets safe; this funding will allow us to add attractive planters to our street scene, which will aid physical distancing, as well as more hand sanitisers and signage to ensure we’re as Covid-19 secure as possible.”

Cllr Keith Hoskins, NHDC’s Executive Member for Enterprise and Co-operative Development, added: “Look out for a new campaign coming to a high street near you soon! The Shop Safe, Shop Local campaign will demonstrate the measures that have been put in place to keep everyone as safe as possible and will urge residents to support their local High Street during the pandemic by shopping local, whether that be in person, click and collect or online.”  

To find out more about the latest Covid-19 news in your region, visit  www.eastherts.gov.uk/coronavirus or https://www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/emergency-planning/coronavirus-covid-19.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

The RHSS EHC project is receiving up to £132,170 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

Towns taking part in the Shop Safe, Shop Local campaign include: Hertford, Buntingford, Sawbridgeworth, Ware, Bishop’s Stortford, Baldock, Royston, Hitchin and Letchworth.