The High Streets Task Force was commissioned by the government in 2019 as part of its Plan for the High Street and in response to recommendations of an expert panel on the high street chaired by the highly successful entrepreneur Sir John Timpson. 

Run by the Institute of Place Management on behalf of government, the Task Force brings together a range of expert organisations on reinventing and restructuring places.

The Task Force has been set-up to strengthen local leadership in high streets and town centres in England. It does this by providing information, advice, training, knowledge and data - helping people to make a positive difference to their local communities. To support this, the Task Force focuses on delivering four objectives:

• Boost local authority capacity;
  by providing expert knowledge and support to Local Authorities and others, to solve the problems that are holding places back.
  
  
• Build place making skills;
  by building the skills of organisations and groups to deliver effective strategies that make a difference to their local area.
  
  
• Coordination;
  by connecting local and national decision makers and those that can influence high streets, as well as promoting positive messages about towns and cities.
  
  
• Information and data sharing;
  by vetting, integrating and providing data and evidence to people making important decisions about the future of their high streets, towns and city centres.

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Find out more

The High Streets Task Force is currently in its pilot phase, preparing to launch its national programme of support in 2021.

You can read more about the Task Force, it's approach and resources, via it's website.