Eleven out of 12 of the winning Portas Pilot towns have high street vacancy rates above the national average, according to new analysis.

The Local Data Company found that only the Lincolnshire town of Market Rasen has vacancy rates below the 14.6 national average. Of the other winning towns, Margate’s shop vacancy rate is highest at over 35%, followed by Dartford – also in Kent - at around 30%.

Its analysis also revealed the disparity between how much each shop would benefit from the £1.2m funding, which will be split between the 12 towns. The funding in Croydon equates to only £164.47 per shop, while in Newbiggin by Sea, Northumberland, it works out at £2941.18 per shop.

Meanwhile, multiples account for more than 40% of the retail environment in Bedminster, Croydon, Stockport and Wolverhampton.

Matthew Hopkinson, director at the Local Data Company, said: “As the data shows they are a diverse mix of towns with very different occupancy and vacancy profiles.

“I look forward to providing the most comprehensive data via the latest delivery technologies to enable each town to have a ‘radar’ of what is happening inside and within the vicinity of the town in terms of retail and leisure offer.”

The other winning towns are Bedford, Bedminster in Bristol, Liskeark in Cornwall, Nelson in Lancashire and Stockton on Tees, Teeside.