Town and city centres in Cornwall are to get a share of a new £5 million fund for councils in the South West to support their local high streets to get safely back to business.

The Reopening High Streets Safely Fund has been announced today by High Streets Minister Simon Clarke, to prepare for the reopening of non-essential retail when the scientific advice allows.

The government said the money would help councils in England introduce a range of safety measures in a move to kick-start local economies, get people back to work and customers back to the shops.

It would also support a range of practical safety measures including new signs, street markings and temporary barriers, not only in high streets and town and city centres, but also in other public spaces like beachfronts and promenades, it added.

Councils will also be able to use this money to develop local marketing campaigns to explain the changes to the public and reassure them that their high streets and other commercial areas are safe.

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The government hopes to reopen non-essential retail in a phased way from June 1, subject to the scientific advice, and it said more detail on this would follow shortly.

The new fund is in addition to the longer-term funds already announced, including the Future High Streets and Towns Funds.

High Streets Minister Simon Clarke said: "As we begin to slowly return to normality, the re-opening of our high streets will be key to kick-starting our economic recovery.

“Levelling up the regions and supporting our high streets has always been central to the mission of this government.

“Many businesses have already introduced creative ways of trading such as contactless collection or taking orders by instant messaging and this shows that they are ready for the challenges ahead.

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“That’s why we are providing an extra £5 million for councils across the South West to support a range of safety measures that will help get these businesses back on track and ensure that people can enjoy their time visiting their local high street safely again.”

The funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) that the government is making available to councils to support businesses to re-open safely.

The money, worth a combined £50 million across England, will be allocated to councils on a per capita basis and will be ready to spend from June 1.