We're about to begin our latest online event - "Exit Strategy: Can the high streets survive?"

@Paul_Swinney & @lramuni will take us through the challenges facing high streets post-Covid-19 & discuss how they could build a sustainable future.

If you can't join us follow here

First off, the hashtag for this event is #covidhighstreets

@lramuni starts us off by outlining the sectors that have been hardest hit by lockdown.

Non-essential retail
Hospitality
Leisure

Have all been hit hardest.

She reminds us that not all high streets were struggling pre-lockdown. Places like Brighton, York and Oxford had few vacancies, while Wigan and Newport had lots of vacancies.

The proportion of vacancies is linked to the strength of the broader local economy.

Also, assume that high streets are all about shops and cafes. On average, 50% of city centre units are offices.

Broadly speaking, more offices pre-lockdown meant more high-paid jobs and more footfall for local shops and restaurants. #covidhighstreets

You can see in this chart that pre-lockdown there was a correlation between the proportion of high-skilled city centre jobs and the strength of the high street.

So what effect has lockdown had?

Rise in online shopping
Mass furloughing
Business rate relief

Lockdown did force a drop off in city centre usage - but not everywhere. Bigger cities with more office jobs saw a bigger dip in city centre footfall than smaller ones.

. @lramuni tells us that post-lockdown she'd expect stronger city centres to bounce back more quickly after lockdown.

But weaker city centres are likely to struggle. While the lockdown had a smaller short-term effect, the lack of demand for local services will remain.

So how can policy makers support high streets post-lock down? @Paul_Swinney tells us...

He argues that policy should focus on weaker high streets that are less likely to bounce back post lock down.

First: introduce a city centre productivity fund that would improve the economic structure of cities and make them more attractive places to do business

Second: Property - the Government should establish a property fund that purchases city centre properties on behalf of LAs for strategic repurposing into either office space, housing or another use.

Now for the Q&As...

"Where should be re-purposing city centre property, and how can they overcome local opposition"

. @Paul_Swinney says anywhere that needs to increase purchasing power and footfall should embrace these policies. And opposition could be overcome with data.

"How will Centre for Cities be tracking high streets' recovery"

@lramuni tells the audience that we'll be launching a High Street Recovery Tracker in June, which will follow the recovery of the high street in different cities.

"Do you think that lockdown home working will lead to a change in living and working practices post-Covid19"

@Paul_Swinney expects to see a return to offices when lockdown lifts because of the value of face-to-face interaction.

He also notes that the internet revolution of the past 20 years has enabled people to work from home. But despite this, it's never really taken off.

"Will the average age of a city's population affect how quickly they recover from lockdown"

@lramuni suggests that younger cities may recover more quickly but we need to see the evidence first.

"Is now a good time for the Government to kick start the Future High Street Fund again"

@Paul_Swinney says yes in principle, as long as the LA can come up with a clear plan to improve the city centre as a place to do business - not just shop eat or socialise

"How can we ensure the supply of commercial office space"

@Paul_Swinney say that good office space is crucial to high street recovery. LAs can do some of the work to ensure this, but will need help and funding from central government.

#covidhighstreets

"What role should mayors have in high street and city centre regeneration"

@lramuni says that analysis and planning should be done at a city-region level. This would allow us to understand commuting patterns, broader investment, skills and provision.

. @Paul_Swinney adds that current metro mayors (e.g. Greater Manchester West Midlands ) should be central to city centre and high street regeneration.

#covidhighstreets

And that's all we have time for today. If you've just joined us here's a chart outlining our analysis of the challenges facing high streets and city centres post-lockdown and the solutions we propose.

You can join us online at 11.00 next Thursday, when @sjeffrey01 will be talking about the future of urban transport in a post-lockdown world. Not one to miss! https://www.centreforcities.org/event/the-future-of-urban-transport/