TOWN Councils in South East Cornwall are consulting with the business community and residents on which actions would best support trade during the ‘new normal’.

Non-essential retail shops began reopening on Monday and as lockdown measures ease, but social distancing and new regulations remain in place, traders have been implementing measures to keep staff and customers safe.

Councils are keen to help where they can by providing town centre-wide resources such as signage and posters. There’s also discussion going on about longer-term measures such as temporary changes to the rules on vehicle access and parking.

Government funding for any of the interventions is currently limited: there is £152,000 across Cornwall, plus a £500k European Regional Development Fund pot for the county, but the criteria attached to this are strict, says Cornwall’s Association of Local Councils.

In Looe, more than 1,000 people responded to a survey on ‘Keeping the streets safe’.

The town has already seen an increase in pedestrian traffic, and is looking ahead to the summer when the hospitality sector may be able to open to visitors.

Almost three quarters of the respondents were in favour of a one way system for vehicles, and 87 per cent agreed with introducing a ‘keep left’ system for people on foot.

Slightly less than half of the respondents – 47 per cent – thought that the backstreets should be closed off to pedestrians.

In Liskeard, there was ‘a lot of common ground’, said the town clerk, at a meeting between councillors and business groups about some immediate practical measures that could be taken to welcome people into town safely.

Street and shop signs, pavement markings for queuing, and signs asking motorists to be careful of pedestrians were among the suggestions, and the town council has distributed posters for retailers to use.

The Council is also looking at long-term measures that could be implemented on parking and access, such as pedestrianisation of certain parts of the town centre.

‘We’re talking to individual businesses and putting together a plan which includes applying for money to carry this out,’ said clerk Steve Vinson.

‘We’ve also got an online survey at  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KY5SKH3 which we would like people to fill in by Monday (June 22).’