Over the past couple of weeks, Warrington town centre has come alive with activity once more, as we continue the roadmap out of lockdown.

With shops now able to re-open and pubs, cafes and restaurants able to serve customers outside, there’s been a return to the vibrancy that our town centre has missed for so long.

Large numbers of people have returned to our town centre, and it’s been wonderful to see people enjoying the outdoor eating and refreshments area in Old Market Place, shopping and dining at the new Warrington Market and visiting the shops on Bridge Street and in Golden Square and Cockhedge shopping centres.

It has also been really positive to see the return of ‘alfresco dining’ in our wider communities.

Meanwhile, hospitality businesses across the town centre have obtained temporary pavement café licences from the council to enable them to provide outside seating, tables and street stalls to serve food and drinks. The council, working closely with the police, has adopted an appropriate, flexible approach to pavement café licencing.

The successful re-opening, after such a tremendously difficult and challenging period, demonstrates, once again, the resilience, positivity, and adaptability of our business’s community.

Our retail, leisure and hospitality businesses have put a huge amount of effort into ensuring they can re-open safely – working with the council, police and the Business Improvement District (BID) to put the safety of customers and staff first. It’s fantastic to see this work paying off.

Of course, Warrington residents have a crucial role to play during this period. It’s really pleasing to see local people spending locally and supporting local businesses and each other by following the guidance around face coverings and social-distancing, one-way systems and queuing arrangements, and observing the signage when moving around the town centre.

Thank you for staying safe and supporting our businesses.  As we head towards Step 3 of the roadmap out of lockdown on 17 May – when indoor hospitality and entertainment venues can re-open - your continued support is vital. Complacency is now a major danger.

Please continue to follow the rules – and remember the basics of hands, face and space - when you are out and about, to ensure we can keep the number of Covid cases here as low as possible.

By working together, we can ensure the re-opening of our town centre, and hospitality and leisure sectors, continues to progress safely and successfully.

Professor Steven Broomhead MBE

Chief Executive, Warrington Borough Council