Carlisle city centre is “batting above average” in a difficult trading climate, council chiefs have insisted.

Paul Nedved was responding to claims by Independent councillor Robert Betton that rates were too high, and small businesses were being squeezed out of the high street.

But coun Nedved, who holds the Economy, Enterprise and Housing Portfolio challenged Mr Betton’s comments on the city centre.

He said: “We had a major report on city centre vitality in which consultants and a small group of individuals looked in great detail at the strengths of the local economy and found that we were batting above average.

“The number of closures was substantially less than other parts of the region and other parts of the country. We are attracting good business into the city, but retail demands are changing with online shopping. However, we have seen a number of businesses come into the city.

“We have taken on the push for the Future High Streets Fund which comes to fruition in July, giving an extra impetus to the city centre.

“Add to that the important components of the Borderlands (a Government growth initiative to boost the economy in the Anglo-Scottish border region). These are all part and parcel of a jigsaw for the economic growth and vitality of the city.”

He added: “But we are not being complacent because business is changing.”

Garry Legg, council’s Investment and Policy Manager, said there was recognition that business rates could be “challenging” but also stressed that these were “nationally set”.

He said that one of the key measures in the Government’s Future High Streets Fund was based around business rate relief and this was an avenue that businesses would be able to explore.

Earlier in the meeting of the Economic Growth Scrutiny Panel, Coun Betton said that more needed to be done to create an incentive for businesses in Carlisle.

He said: “What is being done? I have been told that rates are high and the cost of having businesses is high and small businesses are closing down.”