The government has been accused of "exploiting the beauty" of Rochester High Street to advertise a scheme which the town is not involved in.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government used a picture of the high street to launch The Open Doors project.

This is a government scheme which will encourage landlords to fill empty shops with community hubs.

A press release, on the gov.uk website, leads with a picture of Rochester High Street in the sun, decked out in festival bunting.

Yet the scheme will not be rolled out in the town but will be held in Stoke-on-Trent, Bradford, Kettering, Slough and in similarly prefixed Rochford.

Although it's not part of the investment, Rochester High Street does have several vacant shops including the old Nucleus Art Café.

Rochester West, Cllr Alex Paterson (Lab) said: "The Government really has a cheek exploiting the beauty of Rochester to promote an initiative which local people won't see a single penny of.

“Putting this misleading picture of Rochester on its website is actually the most that the Tories have done for our High Street in nine years.

"All high streets face challenges, but Rochester has been abandoned by the banks which were bailed out by taxpayers.

"We are a cash desert with no on-street free-to-use ATMs and with the nearest branches now in Strood or Chatham.

“Small-scale trials like this Open Doors scheme, which re-purpose vacant retail units, are all very well but after nine years of Tory austerity it’s hardly the kind of radical thinking needed to save our high streets.”

The image has since been changed to a shot of Bradford.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment.

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