IT is a striking statistic, although anyone who regularly walks down any of our high streets will recognise the truth of it: almost one in every ten retail premises in Scotland is now sitting empty. What’s more, the trend appears to be going in the wrong direction, with the vacancy rate for town centres increasing over the last six months; the number of people going into shops is also steadily falling – footfall has only grown in five of the last 12 months.

The temptation is to blame online shopping and while that is part of the explanation, there are bigger factors at play. For a start, the Brexit effect is continuing to tighten the screw on household budgets. Since the vote to leave the EU, inflation has risen and real incomes have continued to fall, meaning that people have less cash and are therefore less likely to go out shopping.

An added issue in Scotland is the state of the economy, which is lagging behind the UK’s, sometimes uncomfortably close to recession. The way people use the high street has also been changing in recent years, with people just as likely to come into town for a coffee and something to eat rather than shop. In addition, there has undoubtedly been a massive migration to the internet, with a quarter of all non-food retail sales now done online. And finally, retailers complain about the burden that business rates have put on them.

All of these factors need to be tackled in some way if the high street is to change and recover, but it is particularly important that the Scottish Government deals with the mess of business rates. As highlighted by The Herald’s series on the issue, the recent rises have real potential to further damage the high street and with the Barclay Review due to report soon, the opportunity to reduce the tax burden and remove the blatant anomalies in the system must not be missed.

Some creative thinking is also needed elsewhere. Finnieston in Glasgow has flourished in recent years thanks largely to the Hydro music venue providing a hub and a reason to go to the area. Other parts of Glasgow, and other cities, should think in similar terms and try to attract visitors not just with shops but with arts venues, pop-ups, and events as well as good places to eat and drink in a pleasant atmosphere.

Councils should also attempt to adjust the balance of office and residential premises in the centre of our towns and cities. In the past, there has been far too much emphasis on lucrative but soulless offices and not enough on attracting residents back into towns. More residents can improve the atmosphere of a place as well as attract more money and business.

The new figures on footfall and empty premises may suggest to some that it is already too late and, sadly, the Brexit effect is only likely to intensify. However, encouraging shoppers back to the high street is not just about the money they have in their pockets – it is about creating a place that encourages new and exciting businesses. It is also about offering an alternative to the inexorable effect of shopping online.