Thousands of pounds will be spent on encouraging people to shop local around north Norfolk through autumn and in the lead-up to Christmas.

North Norfolk News: A Christmas tree in front of Cromer church. Thousnads will be spent on a campaign encouraging people to shop local through autumn and in the lead up to Christmas. Picture by Andeas YiasimiA Christmas tree in front of Cromer church. Thousnads will be spent on a campaign encouraging people to shop local through autumn and in the lead up to Christmas. Picture by Andeas Yiasimi (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk District Council chief executive Steve Blatch, inset right, said at a meeting on July 22 that “around two-thirds” of a £93,000 government grant to bring in social distancing and reassurance measures as the high streets reopened has already been spent.

Mr Blatch said the rest of the grant would be spent on boosting business through to the end of the year.

He said: “We are looking at how to spend that budget in the autumn to promote a shop local and buy local at Christmas campaign.”

He said the council also had access to a Norfolk tourism sector support grant, and money from that would be spent in the next few weeks improving the cleaning of public toilets and litter bins. He said there had been a rise in the need for public bins, as more people were eating takeaways outdoors.