SOMERSET West and Taunton Council is holding a series of virtual town hall meetings to discuss a £500,000 cash boost to support Minehead, Wellington and Taunton town centres as part of its commitment to recovery, investment, jobs and opportunity.

The council is working with Wellington and Minehead town councils, Minehead BID and Taunton Chamber of Commerce to understand what it can do to help town centre businesses fully recover and grow back stronger from the impact of Covid-19.

The online sessions – webinars – aim to give local businesses, members of the community, shoppers and visitors a chance to share their ideas.

Places can be booked using the Eventbrite links on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ followed by 113356065042  for Wellington at 7pm on Tuesday (July 21) and 113362223462 for Minehead at 7pm on Wednesday.

The council is also keen to hear from Wiveliscombe, Watchet, Dulverton, Dunster and Porlock.

The sessions will focus on two discussions:

n What do businesses and the town centre need to help them to stay open in the next 12 months? 

n How should the high street be shaped, what should it look like and what should it offer in the future?

Council leader Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts said: “This council has a track record of delivery and we must deliver real change for our town centres. How we place them back at the heart of our communities will be key to the future prosperity of our whole area.

“Covid-19 has introduced us all to a different way of life. As so much of the world stopped, we took time to reflect. We could ask ourselves if we could take some good from this terrible pandemic.

“We are now faced with a potentially very serious recession, accelerating the problems so many of our retail and hospitality sectors already faced. We now have a once in a generation opportunity to decide how we move forward, because now we have no choice but to take that opportunity.”

In the short-term, the money will be put towards freshening up town centres, keeping them clean, tidy and attractive.

Cllr Marcus Kravis, portfolio holder for economic development, said: “Places are still defined by their town centres. They can drive good public health, community cohesion, great transport and connectivity.

“Before the coronavirus struck, 47 per cent of retail businesses across the UK were at significant risk of failure. We know that without the millions of pounds made available to our local companies many would have gone under in the past four months.

“For so much of our lifetimes town centres were places of opportunity and they still can be. But shopping is just one opportunity.

“As well as short-term measures we know we have to act now to secure the future for our town centres. The conversation we’re starting now with our business and communities is how and where we invest in the longer-term.

“How they should look and the role they can play in our future will form the foundation of our conversation with the people of Somerset West and Taunton.”

Anyone with views to share but unable to make the events may email [email protected]