The award was made at the association’s annual conference dinner at London’s Lord’s cricket ground on Saturday 11 December.

David said, “I’m delighted to have been honoured by the association, which brings together managers across the country to make our town and city centres living places rather than just somewhere to shop.’

Before he became an MP David chaired the Brighton Town Centre Business Forum, now the City Centre Business Forum. He has since worked in partnership with the Business Forum on projects such as the campaign to impose legislation on face-to-face fundraisers.

In Parliament he helped to set up a cross party group on town centres in 1998 and remained its chair until he stepped down this year to concentrate on chairing the national steering group for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

David has campaigned for making town centres safer places in which to work, live and enjoy leisure time. This has involved supporting moves back to brownfield site development in urban areas and away from the out of town shopping developments of the 1980 and 1990s.

David has welcomed the government strategy for urban renaissance following Lord Rogers’ report on revitalising town and city centres.

David added, “The government's new legislation on Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) gives more scope for councils and businesses to make areas safer, cleaner and greener. In the large American cities they have helped deal with graffiti, vandalism, retail crime and pollution. “Kingston upon Thames has just become this country's first BID and I know that people in Brighton and Hove are looking at similar ideas for their communities.”