A year after the first Portas Pilot winners were announced, the BBC has reported that ten out of twelve government funded towns have seen a drop in the number of ‘occupied retail units’. This is a massive blow for the scheme which was fronted by local MP Grant Shapps. Over 400 towns entered a competition in the hope of winning a £100k prize to improve their failing High Streets with guidance from television celebrity Mary ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas. Hatfield was one of the winners, but critics believe that the prize money has been wasted. Hatfield’s town team spent £27k on a portable stage that has only been used once in the town centre; and they spent £44k on new market stalls when the existing ones were perfectly serviceable and only needed new coloured covers costing just £24 each. The upshot is that the town centre is as dispiriting as it was prior to the much hyped win.

Some of the Portas winning towns have seen an improvement in shop lettings, but more have closed than opened.