Help Dover become a "Portas" Town !
by Dover Town Team on Monday, March 12, 2012 at 6:35pm ·
From the new Town Team's Facebook Page
Help Dover Win!
Mary Portas and the Local Government Minister, Grant Shapps, have launched a competition to choose 12 towns to become "Portas Pilots", with the winners benefiting from a share of £1million to help turn around their "unloved and unused" high streets.
The cash incentive is offered to those towns that come up with the best High Street blueprints in a move that fulfils the first and last recommendations of Mary Portas' High Streets Review, commissioned by the Prime Minister and published before Christmas.
Grant Shapps said:
"Our high streets have faced stiff competition from Internet shopping, and out-of-town shopping centres - leaving them underused, unloved and under-valued. The Internet is not going to go away, and so for our high streets to survive they need to offer something new and exciting.
"So today I'm offering a golden ticket to 12 town centres across the country to become "Portas Pilots" - areas with the vision and enthusiasm to breathe new life into what should be the beating heart of their communities, and they will get Mary's and my support as they try out the ideas in her recent review."
Taking forward the first recommendation from Mary Portas's review, the 12 successful localities will create Town Teams, made up of the key players in their local community - such as the council, local landlords, shopkeepers and the local MP.
These teams will then benefit from the backing of the Minister, Whitehall and Mary Portas herself as they take forward the recommendations from the review and in their area. They will also receive a share of £1million.
A small team of local businesses has joined forces to help put in a completed bid to win one of the grants available under the Portas scheme. We are actively encouraging all businesses in Dover to get behind the campaign and have a voice. The more vocal we are the better chance we have of winning a bid for a slice of the £1 Million on offer.
We also need the people of Dover to vote and express their views of the regeneration of the High Street and other areas in Dover to bring people into the town to spend their money!
Share this with all your friends and colleagues, if you want to become part of the team then drop us an email or send a PM through their Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/notes/dover-town-team/help-dover-become-a-portas-town-/258371974247348