The deputy leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council has has called for openness, honesty and teamwork to help Penarth's high street thrive.

Councillor Lis Burnett was speaking as part of our Your High Street: Use it or Lose it campaign, which aims to encourage more people to make use of the town's high streets.

As cabinet member for regeneration, she said she feels determined to break down barriers and find new ways to help the high streets grow.

"I will continue to search out public, private and voluntary sector partners who are willing to develop and deliver the new ideas that will see our town centres thrive," she said this week.

"In the Vale of Glamorgan, we are blessed with many distinctive high streets, lined with independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

"What makes these special is not just the look and feel of our town centres but the people that make up the community of traders and shoppers which enables them to thrive."

She said that, for our high streets to be all they can be, traders, shoppers and the organisations that support them need to be open and honest with each other about what needs to be done, and - most importantly - willing to work together.

She said the council recognises the eagerness of local people to contribute to their community and take control of their lives and businesses, and that this is why the local authority's goal is to provide support to those operating under "very challenging" market conditions.

Cllr Burnett added: "The council has a team of staff on hand to provide a range of advice and guidance and who regularly attend public meetings at which business owners can raise the issues that matter to them.

"On top of this, in recent years, this support has also been evident in the development of a year round programme of town centre events designed to bring more shoppers to traders’ doors."

She highlighted the Picnic Penarth street food festival, which brought an estimated 10,000 people to the town centre, as inspiration for others.

"The aim of all of this work is to support our main retail centres by offering high quality events which bring more visitors, and more importantly, shoppers to our high streets throughout the year," she said.

Cllr Burnett also confirmed the Vale will be once again supporting the town council’s Christmas events programme, Christmas lights switch-on and late night shopping initiatives.