To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail what initiatives he is progressing to build on Coleraine High Street’s joint success in Retail NI’s High Street Heroes awards.

I was honoured to be involved once again in the High Street Heroes campaign this year. Our retailers are the lifeblood of our economy, and it is right that they are celebrated for their excellence. I was delighted to see Coleraine awarded ‘High Street of the Year’ alongside Newtownards.

My Department’s Vision for a 10x Economy was published in May last year. The vision places innovation at the centre of our economic action with the aim of enabling businesses of all sizes, stages and in all locations, to expand and grow.

I also want to see more people and places participating and benefitting from this economic growth with better opportunities, quality jobs and higher wages available to all our people. The vision was only a first step in setting out our economic priorities. It will be supported by a series of publications to outline, in more detail, how we will transform our economy over the next decade. Officials are currently undertaking work to develop policies and interventions that will deliver the Economic Vision.

The success of our high streets requires the involvement of many agencies and stakeholders. The Executive Office established a High Street Task Force, while other departments have lead responsibility for town regeneration, planning and licensing. From the perspective of my Department, I am confident that the actions arising from the vision will enable Coleraine to flourish economically and build on its well-deserved success.