Resolved – That the Director of Regeneration & Place has approved the commencement of the procurement exercise to seek a suitably qualified organisation to provide dedicated support to high street stakeholders in Liscard and Birkenhead Town Centres based on the specification set out at paragraph 3.12 – 3.17 of this report and in accordance with the Most Economically Advantageous Tender evaluation criteria.

To support the agreed UK Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan priority to deliver a range of interventions to boost town centre activity and raise the profile of high street businesses.

Providing support to a larger number of high streets has been considered. Given the limited amount of funding available and the retail hierarchy set out in the Wirral draft Local Plan, it is considered that targeting Birkenhead Town Centre and Liscard Town Centre would provide maximum benefit with the funding available. The Council is intending to launch a marketing campaign later in 2023 targeting local high street businesses across the Borough as part of the UKSPF programme.