Mail online
A government-backed project to devise a “rescue package” for the UK’s ailing high streets has “descended into farce”, according to the paper. Spearheaded by entrepreneur and Channel 4 face of shopping Mary Portas – recruited by David Cameron as high street “tsar” – the scheme had planned to split £1.25 million among 12 “pilot towns” to rejuvenate their retail activities. An additional 370 towns were promised £10,000 each. However, it has emerged that not enough of the pledged money has been handed out to generate the required actions in time for the project’s first progress report, leaving it in limbo.
A government spokesman has denied the Mail’s line. “The Portas scheme is an exciting and very successful project that is allowing local businesses, organisations and individuals to try new ideas and rejuvenate the high street,” he said. “This includes getting empty shops back into use as pop up shops and student cafes, creating discount schemes and loyalty cards for high streets and working with local universities and bus companies to bring students back into the town centre. These are long term projects.”
Observer
New Arts Council chairman Peter Bazalgette has signalled a change of direction on the language the organisation uses to describe its role, with the concept of “subsidy” replaced by “cultural investment”. Bazalgette argues that “subsidy” is an “old, fashioned, passive word” – and points to almost 700 Arts Council-backed organisations that manage to produce £2 for every pound the body awards them.
Sunday Telegraph
Meanwhile, new National Trust chief Dame Helen Ghosh has described wind turbines (previously noted on Professional Manager as by-election political footballs and Donald Trump hate objects) as “beautiful” structures that will be looked back on in decades to come as engineering masterstrokes. “If you think back to what the railways looked like to the 19th Century mind,” she said, “or indeed the 18th Century when the canals were coming through, I think we have to have our minds open to how the wind turbine will appear to us in 100 years.”
Sunday Express
A management shake-up is set to ripple through the investment wing of insurance giant Aviva following “lacklustre” performance, it has emerged. Chief executive Mark Wilson is reportedly keen to strengthen leadership in the division, which has not had a permanent head for a full year since the departure of Alain Dromer. Strategy chief Jason Windsor is overseeing the changes.
Independent on Sunday
Comedian Beppe Grillo has been cited as a potentially destabilising wild card in the Italian general election – already a colourful event thanks to a renewed bid from Silvio Berlusconi to lead the country, despite being out of the picture and mired in scandal since his last administration fell apart in 2011. Spearheading the activist-heavy Five Star Movement, Grillo could, according to experts, raise the chances of an indecisive outcome.
Sun
Olympic Silver-medal boxer Kenny Egan is retiring to become a behind-the-scenes motivational guru to UK bosses, the paper reports. A member of Egan’s inner circle has said that he has already begun work in the field, and is discussing further possibilities with his advisors. The boxer has been a professional pugilist for 23 years – so watch out.