Town centre manager Andrew Sloman said the size of the town, its layout, and the fact it was flat made it an idea place to shop.

He said: "The town centre is compact but it's also open, attractive and pleasant. It's got good links from the motorway and we have lots of routes into the town.

"You can get on the train in Leeds or Huddersfield, which are considered competitors of Dewsbury, and you can walk down lovely cobbled streets from a very attractive train station and be in the centre of Dewsbury within 10 minutes.

"Dewsbury has a fantastic market and one that's resisted a lot of the problems a lot of markets in other towns are faced with.

"We have a lot of independent businesses, from traditional ones to those that have come in very recently and are making a good living out of doing something different, like Taz at Strange Tales comic shop in the Kingsway Arcade. She has lots of energy and vision and is a good example of what you can do if you set your mind to something."

Mr Sloman said Dewsbury, like many other towns across the country, had its problems – but it had excellent potential. He added: "It's a good time for Dewsbury because a lot of things are in a real state of change right now. We know there are some areas that don't look great, but if you look at them with a different set of eyes you can see potentially they could be fantastic shops, offices, all sorts of things.

"It's a difficult time – but I think potentially it's an exciting time. Lots of people are getting together and having lots of meetings in and outside the council and saying what a great range of ideas and opportunities there are in this area. We can push things forward.

"I think the Reporter's Support our Shops campaign has done a fantastic job by concentrating on the things that make Dewsbury special, rather than concentrating on the problems we have in Dewsbury.

"We want to feel Dewsbury is a great place to come and shop and just be, to enjoy the spaces and greenery and buildings. Our challenge is to make sure people don't go to Leeds and do their shopping there, they say, 'I can be in Dewsbury town centre in minutes and it's all there for me.'"