By Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor PUBLISHED: 06:30 EST, 14 March 2013 | UPDATED: 06:57 EST, 14 March 2013 A rescue fund for Britain’s high streets championed by retail guru Mary Portas has gone almost completely unspent, it emerged today. Councils have spent just seven per cent of more than £7million assigned to turn around struggling town centres. Town halls were today accused of ‘fiddling while Rome burns’ at a time when one in seven shops is standing empty. Retail guru Mary Portas was tasked by the government to help revive town centres but little of the funding given to the councils has been spent
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TV retail guru was hired by the government to draw up a battle plan to save town centres
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100 towns received share of £10million fund to attract shoppers
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But of 72 councils surveyed, 47 still have the money sitting in their bank
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Others have spent it on Christmas fairs despite warning from Portas not to
The latest revelations come after criticism levelled at 12 so-called Portas Pilots, set up as trailblazers for the @placeholder reforms.