Welcome to the November issue of the Place Bulletin. This month we have more from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who has been pledging further support to businesses still feeling the after effects of August’s riots. We also have news of a Guardian newspaper campaign looking into empty homes in the UK, plus a piece from the BBC on why Blackpool isn’t being marketed to foreign tourists. In addition we have news on the reaction to Mary Portas’ claims that charity shop numbers on the high street should be limited, and we have a more light hearted story on the calls for Canada to change its national emblem from the Beaver to the Polar Bear. Finally, we have news of Manchester’s preservation of its ‘2nd city’ tag, and a Guardian photo slideshow of Berlin’s Festival of Light (which might help all the town centre managers out there get in the mood for Christmas!).