A REPORT has been published on how to improve life for small businesses in Cumbria.

It comes as Carlisle sees progress on the rejuvenation of the city centre, which was marked over the weekend by a party on the newly-reopened Devonshire Street.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a peer-to-peer support organisation, published its Future of the High Street report this week (August 5), which includes various recommended measures such as providing accessible public toilets, establishing creche facilities on high streets and creating mobile phone-based loyalty programmes.

These additions would encourage visitors to stay longer, increase footfall, and support the local economy, the FSB said.

The FSB also called on local authorities to create a specialised fund to support pop-ups, markets, and temporary-use initiatives for first-time businesses to help them get started and encourage new ventures on the high street.

The report features an analysis of a large-scale nationwide survey the FSB conducted, to which 39 per cent of high street small businesses responded saying the availability of affordable commercial space is important for the future of their area.

The survey also found local businesses in Cumbria saw a range of closures on their local high street since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, including retail stores (77 per cent), hospitality (67 per cent), banks (62 per cent), post offices (28 cent), entertainment venues (26 per cent).

Business rates ‘remain a huge burden’ the FSB said, with the current Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) a ‘key part of their survival’.

42 per cent of respondents in Cumbria said they wouldn’t survive without it, prompting a suggestion in the report that the SBRR threshold be increased from £12,000 of rateable value to £25,000.

Additionally, good transport links were listed as important for the high street’s future by 31 per cent of Cumbrian small businesses responding, and 45 per cent said parking facilities are managed poorly.

Within the report, the FSB called for a ban of ‘on-site high street chiefs’ which would bear responsibility for high street growth and wellbeing nationwide and ‘monitor’ vacant units.

Katy Smythe, FSB’s development manager for Lancashire and Cumbria, said the ‘core high street issues’ are business rates, parking, transport, and more innovative asks.

“Local authorities can play a pivotal role in improving the experience of a high street, encouraging more people to visit, shop and invest there, and we look forward to working closely with them.

“Our high streets have been through many changes and will continue to evolve - and that’s why it’s so important that the small businesses at their heart are well-equipped for the future.”