THE FACT that Bradford and Keighley are among 29 town and city centres across the UK selected to take part in a new scheme to improve their high streets can only be good news for both.

For too long, both areas have suffered from a seemingly never-ending rise in the number of unoccupied shops which, despite well-meaning efforts to disguise them or use them creatively, has prevented them from shrugging off the idea that their retail offerings are in serious decline.

In Bradford’s case, there is no doubt that the rapidly emerging Broadway shopping development will boost confidence in the city centre and help to draw in new visitors who might be tempted to look elsewhere. Keighley is also awaiting a new shopping and leisure development which, although on a much smaller scale, may have a similar effect.

There is always a danger, though, that a new concentration of retail provision in one area of town might pull shoppers away from another, so anything that helps keep interest in the whole retail area must be welcome.

The Healthy High Streets campaign, organised by Business in the Community, aims to provide intensive support for shopping areas over a three-year period, increasing footfall by 10 per cent, reducing the numbers of empty shops by 20 per cent and helping to create 3,000 new jobs.

The scheme is backed by some major players - Boots, M&S, the Co-Op and Santander - who will be lending their expertise to develop and implement action plans.

Let’s hope they can succeed in giving both centres a much-needed boost to carry them through until they are further revived by their big new schemes and an even faster improving economy.