Professional Research and Data Group

The PRDG is an important part of the High Streets Task Force and was initially established to pool and review research, resources, data and knowledge, and to build consensus to help the Task Force adopt positions on significant issues that are blocking the transformation of England’s High Streets.

This Group brings together:

• professional bodies who represent members that have a specialised interest in the high street
• UK academics who have research expertise in high street and town centre issues
• data providers who have useful data on the changing high street
• data delivery partners who have relevant skills and knowledge to inform the work of the group.

COVID-19 research and data

The advent of COVID-19 has meant refocusing the PRDG to a new aim - to work collaboratively, using our data, networks, skills and expertise to:

• Understand the scale of the crisis and its impact on town centres/high streets
• Support government with evidence/data for policy/response
• Provide/sense-check the evidence-base for HSTF action and messaging

Group contributors

The PDRG is chaired by HSTF consortium partner the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Deputy Head of Policy and Research Professor Aude Bicquelet-Lock. Current contributors to the Group include

• RTPI
• Institute of Place Management
• MHCLG
• Ordnance Survey
• Office for National Statistics
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Google
• Springboard
• Maybe*
• Centre for Towns
• PwC

Data and intelligence reports

The High Streets Task Force publishes monthly data and intelligence reports from the PRDG.

View the latest PRDG reports in our resources section.

The High Streets Task Force commissions the PRDG to undertake research to inform the work of the Task Force and MHCLG. For example, a recent survey was undertaken to understand the impact of COVID-19 on high street/town centre businesses.