Action for Market Towns E-Newsletter Issue 3: August 2007

Dear AMT member

Are you getting the most out of your membership of AMT? In this Insight, there are details of our insurance package for members and also how you can access Grantnet to discover project funding possibilities.

There are more details of the AMT Convention in September, including the bursaries available help with convention fees.

As usual, Insight has a variety of items of interest to market towns. Thanks to Jane Thomson from Godalming for her letter. Please keep the feedback coming - I would like to hear your opinions about Insight or any of the topics featured.

Finally, there is an item from Tim King in Shropshire about the response to the recent flooding. I'd like to hear from towns elsewhere about how local communities coped with the floods and I will do a roundup in the next issue of Insight.

John Pole
Communications Manager

A snapshot of rural Britain in 2007 shows that the population is older and ageing faster than in urban areas. The Commission for Rural Communities State of the Countryside 2007 is a wealth of data about life in the countryside, economic wellbeing, housing, employment and land use. For an Insight briefing on key facts from the report go to weblink

Yorkshire Forward has funded research into problems of car parking in its market towns. The research looks at what the issues and problems faced by market towns are and how management of car parking can assist in town regeneration. The full report will be issued shortly, but a copy of the Executive Summary can be downloaded at weblink

Ludlow in Shropshire was flooded for the second time on July 20 and houses and businesses were damaged, writes Tim King from South Shropshire District Council.
At the end of June the River Corve flooded parts of the town and the bridge on Coronation Avenue has been swept away. This is being replaced by a Bailey Bridge which is due to open this Saturday, August 4.
The extensive publicity on national TV of June's flooding has had a serious effect of trade in the town and the District Council and trade bodies have been putting out the message that 'Ludlow is open for business as usual' as access is available via two routes to the town centre from the A49 by-pass. There is a free park and ride from the Eco Park outside the town and train services have been restored to normal on the Shrewsbury - Hereford line.
Ludlow will also benefit from the region's response to the floods crisis. Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands is putting considerable resources to support the region's tourism industry. See more at weblink Flood recovery
Specific resources have been allocated to promote recovery in the Severn Valley and River Teme areas including Tenbury Wells and Ludlow.
How have towns in your area coped with the summer floods? E-mail Insight and a roundup of town experiences will be in the August edition.

In last month’s Insight, we reported on work by Craig Wheway of the University of Leicester into the ‘gentrification’ of market towns. AMT members can now download Craig’s Master’s Degree thesis on the subject.
Craig uses the case study of Market Bosworth, building on studies investigating the ‘service role’ of market towns in relation to the population pressure towns face from wider non-metropolitan growth. This population turnaround has an impact on rural market towns as well as traditional rural villages.
The town in this study, Market Bosworth has demonstrated evidence of gentrification through the influx of middle class people has well as physical modification to pubs and conversion of farm buildings. The retail offering was found to have altered significantly over the 1990s. Conspicuous consumption was highlighted via the development of land through infilling. As a result of these changes, property prices have rocketed.
To download a pdf of Craig’s thesis, go to weblink

An important Action for Market Towns membership benefit is access to comprehensive, all risks insurance for community groups specially negotiated by AMT. As more and more groups are set up at arms length from the local authority, independent insurance is a must, but many groups are finding it difficult to negotiatwe their own insurance or that the premiums are prohibitive. For more information on the AMT-negotiated insurance package go to weblink

Do you need project funds, but don’t know where to look? An important Action for Market Towns membership benefit is access to Grantnet, an online search facility for funding sources. You will be asked seven simple questions about your organisation and the project which you wish to undertake and then GrantNet will provide you with an overview of the relevant schemes available, with links to more detailed information. To find out more go to weblink

Leicestershire County Council and the Leicestershire Economic Partnership have commissioned BMG Research to carry out a survey of visitors and users in 17 town and village centres across Leicestershire. The purpose of the research was to conduct customer satisfaction research in each of the centres, to inform the establishment of baselines to support the Local Area Agreement work. The intention of the survey has been to understand the issues specific to each settlement with a view to developing action plans for intervention. The reports are available to download from weblink

The South West RDA is now inviting expressions of interest in delivering the new LEADER programme. Interested parties can register their details now. A list will then be published on the RDA website prior to the launch of the first stage of the selection process (‘call for expressions of interest’) in September, to facilitate contact between groups and organisations. All those that register will also receive guidance on the selection process and criteria for Local Action Groups, once it is published.
The principal contact for each group/organisation can register by clicking on the following link: South West LEADER.

Yorkshire Forward is offering full guidance on the activity that can be supported through LEADER partnerships, how LEADER fits with the rest of the RDPE, and application forms to become a LEADER area on its website. They are also organising a series of events, where they will be introducing the LEADER programme and the key organisations involved with its delivery. These are the dates of the events:
15 August – West Yorkshire, Saltaire (afternoon)
21 August – The Humber, Hessle (early evening)
22 & 23 August – North Yorkshire, Harrogate and Pickering (afternoons)
24 August – South Yorkshire, Sheffield (morning)

They are working with the region’s Rural Community Councils to organise these events and to publicise them to rural communities. We’re very grateful for their help and support.

For full details go to weblink

Third sector organisations are set to benefit from an increased funding pot, as the Futurebuilders fund now has access to an additional £25m. The government-backed fund, which offers support and investment to third sector organisations to deliver better public services, is to have access to an additional £25m from the Cabinet Office, bringing the fund total to £150m.
Futurebuilders invests in a range of organisations including charities, social enterprises, community interest companies, voluntary groups and community organizations with a mixture of loans and grants. For more information got to weblink

Government needs to recognise the role and potential of parish and town councils and integrate them with the work of third sector organizations, according to the Commission for Rural Communities. The Commission was responding to a Communities and Local Government consultation paper on Third Sector Strategy. To see the full text of the Commission’s paper, go to weblink Third Sector
The consultation closes on 20 September. To download the consultation document go to weblink

The Department for Transport seeks views on proposals for the main issues associated with the operation of the second local transport plans that were not dealt with in the 2006 capital settlement of December 2006. It also looks forward to how the local transport plan framework might be developed for the period beyond 2010-11. The consultation deadline is 19 October. For more information go to weblink

In February 2007, the Government announced its intention to transfer ownership of private sewers and lateral drains to the statutory water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. This consultation invites views on options for the method and the scope of transfer, and measures to prevent the increase of new private sewers and the recurrence of existing problems. The consultation ends on 19 October. For more information go to weblink

This consultation aims to provide an open debate on drugs by engaging with everyone who has a contribution to make, from professionals through to those with everyday experience. It calls on communities, families, experts and current and ex-drug users to let the Home Office know what they think can be done. The consultation closes on 19 October. For more information go to weblink

Just a note to say how much I appreciated receiving your newsletter. As a new Borough Councillor with a ward in Godalming, I am really trying to get up to speed, particularly with issues on planning. I am particularly concerned about the ability to provide affordable homes in an area such as this, where a roof over your head is now translated as an investment opportunity for the commuted portion of so many peoples' pensions. This 'buy to let' frenzy is taking its toll on the available housing stock for first time buyers and those on lower incomes. I fear that in areas such as ours, we will be seeing a whole generation of local people who will be denied the opportunity to own their own homes, and have to pay rent to a private landlord during their peak earning years, if not for their full working life.
I certainly welcome the links you have available, and will be using them a lot!
With kind regards,

Jane Thomson

Let Insight have your feedback - either on the e-newsletter itself or any of the topics covered. E-mail to:

Action for Market Towns Convention

Find out about bursaries to help you attend AMT's 'New Challenges' convention in Newmarket on 26 and 27 September

AMT Convention weblink

Legal advice

LawWorks is the Solicitors Pro Bono Group (SPBG) - an independent charity which aims to increase the delivery of free legal advice to individuals and communities in need. Community organisations (not local councils) can get information at:

Lawworks

Local Government Association conference

The Local Government Association’s annual rural conference takes place on September 5 in Torquay. The theme is ‘Shaping Places’ and looks at how rural councils can work with partners to shape and protect the environment and services. Download a flyer at

LGA Conference

Post Office focus groups

To help shape its response to the government’s consultation on the future of post offices, the Commission for Rural Communities organised a series of four focus groups in different parts of England. The focus group reports can be downloaded from

Post Office focus groups

Rural housing film

A download of the transcript of the film ‘Rural Housing - A place in the countryside?’ is available for download from

Rural housing transcript

Back numbers of Insight

If you would like to view previous issues of Insight, click on these links:June 2007 July 2007