FAMILIARITY breeds contempt goes the well-known saying and that might be part of the problem why we Brits don’t seem to have much of a love affair with our town centres.

The more time you spend in a town, the more your respect for its retail offering or its attractions seem to wane.

It would appear that Bournemouth and Poole are not alone in a survey that claims only 49 per cent of Britons are proud of their town centre.

Before I came to work in Poole – and subsequently Bournemouth – almost 25 years ago, the town centres where I spent most of my time were Altrincham, Stockport and Warrington.

While all had their attractions, they most certainly did not include seven miles of golden beaches, a fascinating and historic quayside, beautiful gardens and an expanse of sea.

Indeed, I used to call my former colleagues from the beach in Bournemouth at lunchtimes just to irritate them about them having to wander around a characterless industrial estate rather than the edge of Poole Bay.

We’re all cynics when it comes to our towns and if you look closely enough, you’re bound to find something that irritates you or lets the place down.

But let’s feel lucky for a change.

These are glorious places whose future could well be improved with the introduction of Business Improvement District status, offering a chance for those with a stake in the place the chance to govern its future.

And if we all want to feel proud about living here, let’s harness the enthusiasm of the people whose living depends on it.