[Margaret Pilkington]

I shop in town on a regular basis....I buy something in the town centre every weekday...fruit, vegetables....fresh meat. But I do not linger to browse because it just isn't a good place to be. I can't quantify it any better than that.
We used to have a good bookstore...with a good range of books. I could lose myself for an hour or more just browsing(and sometimes spending)...we no longer have this.
The reasons are because people don't read the same...and can buy books online at a cheaper price....and when money is scarce you go to where the value is..loyalty has no place in an empty purse.

There have been changes in the way people shop,what they want to buy, but none of this has been taken into account....this fake shop business is not being inventive...it is just sidestepping the issues...being a bit of an ostrich.
So while it might not be all the councils fault, there are things that they could do to make things much better.
Example. Let people have the market stalls on Market days for a peppercorn rent.....a full and bustling market is tempting and gives a bigger footfall...which inevitably will have benficial effects for other traders.
If Broadway is going to remain vehicle free......consider moving market stalls to this site, get rid of the stalls on the Peel street side of the market - what few there are - make this area something else(not a car park)....again it would have a beneficial effect for the shops on Broadway.
Offer shops to diverse traders at low rent and rates.

There needs to be some innovative ideas to regenerate the town centre.
If it is to work, it needs to be done sooner rather than later, because the town is on borrowed time.