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 Market
towns will thrive if they learn from a report published today,
according to Richard Wakeford, chief executive of the
Countryside Agency - particularly if the whole community is
involved.Commenting on the results of the study published
at the Action for Market Towns Convention today (Friday 24
September), Richard Wakeford said, “The idea of our Market
Towns Initiative is to draw on all the knowledge there is in
the community, with visiting experts ready to be realistic
about the art of the possible, and all the public agencies
lined up to invest in a joined up way.
“Each town is very different, facing different sets of
challenges. The evaluation highlights those towns with
committed and entrepreneurial leadership as particularly
successful.
“Market towns need the skills, experience and commitment of
local people to take a lead in the regeneration of their own
towns. Our initiative has acted as a catalyst, showing that
disparate groups and activities in the community can come
together with partners and agencies to ensure that the right
range of skills can be identified, engaged and nurtured to
ensure a better future for their town,” he added.
The MTI evaluation and its case studies provide a vital
tool for any market town. Highlights include:
- The healthcheck approach: now a recognised tool for
collecting baseline information provides a focal point for
activity, a medium through which local communities can
express both local and strategic issues, and a model for
widespread adoption. It is generally seen as a successful
way to address key issues within the
town.
- The partnership approach: the MTI process is
characterised by diverse forms of partnerships, which make
the most of existing relationships and seek to minimise
conflicts of interest.Successful partnerships need to
include a range of local public, community and business
groups. Where existing structures exist, opportunities to
build upon them should be taken; where there are none, the
importance of inviting officers from the local authority and
people from within the community who are known to have
energy, knowledge and experience is crucial. The key to
getting the job done appears to be the commitment of members
to the partnership.
- Funding: MTI towns have, in general, been successful in
securing funding from a wide range of sources. However, the
study revealed concerns now about the future of funding, as
funding regimes change and action plans mature. The
challenge is to achieve a joined up approach drawing on
funding from RDAs, local authorities and other sources such
as voluntary and charitable organisations, the Lottery and
European funding, as well as the private sector and national
organisations such as English Heritage.
Next year will see much of the Countryside Agency’s
successful market towns demonstration work mainstreamed, with
regional development agencies, government offices in the
regions and rural community councils taking it forward.
The Countryside Agency will be working hard to ensure that
there is a smooth transition of its regional socio-economic
functions to the Regional Development Agencies and will seek
to ensure that the lessons learned through MTI are
disseminated and will continue to be available and
developed.
- ends -
Assessment of the Market Towns Initiative: a
summary - carried out in partnership between
Defra and the Countryside Agency - includes a number of case
studies, and is available as a PDF from the Countryside Agency
website www.countryside.gov.uk/market-towns
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact the Countryside
Agency press office on 020 7340 2909.
Market towns are towns in rural England with a variety of
backgrounds, usually with populations from 2,000 to 20,000.
In defining a market town, the ability to serve people in both
the town and its surrounding countryside is more significant
than population size. Some towns are thriving, some are in
decline, but all have the potential to carry out a healthcheck
and prepare an action plan to ensure a stronger future.
Case studies
Frodsham in Cheshire successfully levered
in £2.4 million in just nine months. This success has been
attributed to the knowledge and experience of the project
officer and signing up external agencies to the Action Plan.
Aside from securing new sources of funding, the partnership
has also been very successful in identifying money earmarked
for the area and, where appropriate, have successfully had it
re-directed towards projects identified in the Action Plan.
Contact: Anne Boyd on 01928 735967 or
07909 801779.
In Thirsk, North Yorkshire, medium term
plans, which include closer engagement with the local
authority, the local business sector and the Local Strategic
Partnership have been developed. They hope this will allow
them to develop effective and well-considered long term plans
which are likely to include establishing an asset base.
Contact: Mark Haynes 01845 524964.
Wolverton was established in 1838 by the
London and Birmingham Railway Company as the first Railway
Town. It now sits adjacent to Milton Keynes, which has been
identified by the Government as a Growth Area. The proposal
will result in the development of 70,000 new homes in Milton
Keynes, with provision for 2,000 homes within Wolverton. For
Wolverton this presents both problems and opportunities.
Within Wolverton affordable housing is becoming a significant
problem, with first-time buyers finding themselves priced out
of the market. The new development will bring around 600
affordable homes to the town, but residents are concerned
about where these might be situated and their style. The
town’s partnership, ‘Wolverton Unlimited’ is a unique example
of community engagement. Its key role will be to assess how to
influence the strategic location of housing development.
Contact: marie.osborne@btopenworld.com
Malton/Norton Market Towns Partnership:
Knowing that the MTI was due to end in March 2004, the Malton/Norton
Market Towns Partnership wanted to make sure that they could
continue to serve local communities once MTI funding had come
to an end. They have now got together with three other market
towns in Ryedale District to form a district-wide Development
Trust. The resulting Development Trust, the Ryedale Economic
Trust, will shortly come into being. The Malton/Norton
Market Towns Partnership will continue in a more
advisory/consultative role. By repositioning itself in this
way, the Market Towns Partnership has developed from a vehicle
to deliver projects in the town, to acting in a more strategic
and consultative way, hence ensuring greater likelihood that
it will be sustainable in the long term.
Contact: Andrew Leeming 01653 600666. |
