Strategy aims to provide two-way communications on strategic issues affecting market towns.
Welcome to Strategy
Strategy is a new e-news service from Action for Market Towns bringing you in-depth analysis of strategic issues affecting market towns.
Strategy aims to be a two-way communications medium - we want your reaction to emerging policy positions and your feedback on AMT position papers.
Strategy is a new e-news service from Action for Market Towns bringing you in-depth analysis of strategic issues affecting market towns.
Strategy aims to be a two-way communications medium - we want your reaction to emerging policy positions and your feedback on AMT position papers.
Government Consultation on Local Partnerships and Place-Shaping
Proposals on ‘place-shaping’ in a new Government discussion paper could be very relevant to planning the future sustainable development of market towns. Or at least they could be if they showed a greater understanding of existing partnership arrangements in rural areas.
What the proposals do not recognize is that in many market towns, broad-based partnerships already exist and have a track record in local community consultation and planning. Furthermore, these partnerships work alongside locally elected town councils and operate on a meaningful scale across readily identifiable communities.
Action point: AMT would like show that there are good reasons to build on the existing arrangements in market towns, rather than introducing new mechanisms. To do this, we need evidence of good examples where town partnerships have been able to engage effectively with Local Strategic Partnerships and represent their communities’ views. If you aware of such examples, please email the name of the town partnership and a brief explanation to chris wade@towns.org.uk
To find out more about the Government’s Discussion Paper on the Third Sector Strategy for Communities and Local Government go to
Proposals on ‘place-shaping’ in a new Government discussion paper could be very relevant to planning the future sustainable development of market towns. Or at least they could be if they showed a greater understanding of existing partnership arrangements in rural areas.
What the proposals do not recognize is that in many market towns, broad-based partnerships already exist and have a track record in local community consultation and planning. Furthermore, these partnerships work alongside locally elected town councils and operate on a meaningful scale across readily identifiable communities.
Action point: AMT would like show that there are good reasons to build on the existing arrangements in market towns, rather than introducing new mechanisms. To do this, we need evidence of good examples where town partnerships have been able to engage effectively with Local Strategic Partnerships and represent their communities’ views. If you aware of such examples, please email the name of the town partnership and a brief explanation to chris wade@towns.org.uk
To find out more about the Government’s Discussion Paper on the Third Sector Strategy for Communities and Local Government go to
Policy into Practice
Working with the Carnegie UK Trust and Yorkshire Forward, AMT has just published “Changing Opinions”, the first in a new series of Policy in to Practice Papers.
The paper sets out how town partnerships and other community groups can work to get their voice heard at a local, county and regional level. It includes mini-case studies of good practice including one showing how the Devon Heartlands towns came together to exert a collective influence on their Local Strategic Partnership - one for AMT to share as part of CLG’s consultation!
For a copy of Changing Opinions visit
Working with the Carnegie UK Trust and Yorkshire Forward, AMT has just published “Changing Opinions”, the first in a new series of Policy in to Practice Papers.
The paper sets out how town partnerships and other community groups can work to get their voice heard at a local, county and regional level. It includes mini-case studies of good practice including one showing how the Devon Heartlands towns came together to exert a collective influence on their Local Strategic Partnership - one for AMT to share as part of CLG’s consultation!
For a copy of Changing Opinions visit
Carnegie Charter for Rural Communities
The Carnegie Commission for Rural Development has issued a new report calling for more rural communities to take control of their own local assets and services.
In its Charter for Rural Communities, the Commission recognizes that increasing the capacity of local groups and improving effective community planning will also be fundamental to bringing about change. In particular, the Charter recognizes complementary roles for town councils and partnerships.
To download the full report visit Carnegie Charter
AMT’s own draft position statement on the compatible roles of town councils and partnerships in providing community leadership can be viewed at
The Carnegie Commission for Rural Development has issued a new report calling for more rural communities to take control of their own local assets and services.
In its Charter for Rural Communities, the Commission recognizes that increasing the capacity of local groups and improving effective community planning will also be fundamental to bringing about change. In particular, the Charter recognizes complementary roles for town councils and partnerships.
To download the full report visit Carnegie Charter
AMT’s own draft position statement on the compatible roles of town councils and partnerships in providing community leadership can be viewed at
Sustaining partnerships
AMT is putting the finishing touches to its business plan for the new national Sustaining Market Towns Programme. The business plan that will be submitted to the Big Lotery Fund in July sets out proposals for a five year programme of support worth £2million. The programme aims to support the continued development of effective town partnerships through training, sharing good practice, lobbying, policy development and publicity.
To download an overview of the proposals as a pdf go to weblink
AMT is putting the finishing touches to its business plan for the new national Sustaining Market Towns Programme. The business plan that will be submitted to the Big Lotery Fund in July sets out proposals for a five year programme of support worth £2million. The programme aims to support the continued development of effective town partnerships through training, sharing good practice, lobbying, policy development and publicity.
To download an overview of the proposals as a pdf go to weblink
New LEADER programme
The new LEADER programme, part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), is approximately double the value of the previous LEADER programme. It will be delivered through the Regional Development Agencies, who are at different stages in their preparation of guidance for expressions of interest and bids for inclusion in the programme.
Whilst each RDA is expected to have a different procedure for administering LEADER, there is overall guidance from Defra within which the RDAs must frame their own programmes.
LEADER will be delivered, as previously, through Local Action Groups (LAGs). But Defra expects that there will be approximately 50 LAGs delivering the new programme. EU guidance also raise the upper population limit for a LAG to 150,000.
Taken together, this gives an opportunity for existing Market Town Partnerships to consider whether, together with their rural hinterland, they might make a bid to become a LAG.
The RDA is the first point of contact. AMT’s survey of the state of preparedness of the various RDAs, together with a more detailed explanation of the new LEADER programme is at weblink
The new LEADER programme, part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), is approximately double the value of the previous LEADER programme. It will be delivered through the Regional Development Agencies, who are at different stages in their preparation of guidance for expressions of interest and bids for inclusion in the programme.
Whilst each RDA is expected to have a different procedure for administering LEADER, there is overall guidance from Defra within which the RDAs must frame their own programmes.
LEADER will be delivered, as previously, through Local Action Groups (LAGs). But Defra expects that there will be approximately 50 LAGs delivering the new programme. EU guidance also raise the upper population limit for a LAG to 150,000.
Taken together, this gives an opportunity for existing Market Town Partnerships to consider whether, together with their rural hinterland, they might make a bid to become a LAG.
The RDA is the first point of contact. AMT’s survey of the state of preparedness of the various RDAs, together with a more detailed explanation of the new LEADER programme is at weblink
City Regions
City Regions may be appropriate for some areas of the country but not others, according to a joint report from the Chief Economic Development Officers Society and the County Surveyors Society.
A more ‘polycentric’ approach is required, the report argues, recognizing the importance of county regions, and other based on economic sectors and communications corridors. England’s counties are an essential part of our economic life and county regions are as significant as city regions as economic drivers and as a base for the knowledge economy and business clustering.
They argue the need for a bottom-up approach, devolving real responsibility to local and sub-regional partnerships.
To download a pdf of the report go to
City Regions may be appropriate for some areas of the country but not others, according to a joint report from the Chief Economic Development Officers Society and the County Surveyors Society.
A more ‘polycentric’ approach is required, the report argues, recognizing the importance of county regions, and other based on economic sectors and communications corridors. England’s counties are an essential part of our economic life and county regions are as significant as city regions as economic drivers and as a base for the knowledge economy and business clustering.
They argue the need for a bottom-up approach, devolving real responsibility to local and sub-regional partnerships.
To download a pdf of the report go to
Opening the transfer window
The Government has given strong backing to the concept of transferring under-utilized public buildings to community organizations able to revamp them and manage them as viable assets for local people to use.
AMT is interested in promoting asset transfer and, in central England, in partnering organisations to undertake asset transfer and development.
For a detailed briefing go to
The Government has given strong backing to the concept of transferring under-utilized public buildings to community organizations able to revamp them and manage them as viable assets for local people to use.
AMT is interested in promoting asset transfer and, in central England, in partnering organisations to undertake asset transfer and development.
For a detailed briefing go to
Affordable housing - what progress?
To mark the year since the publication of the report of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission (ARHC), a report and conference has assessed the progress so far.
The report, prepared by the Commission for Rural Communities on the basis of submissions from national and local organizations, gives an overall picture of patchy progress and says that strong leadership at national and regional level is needed to carry forward the recommendations of the ARHC.
For a more in-depth look at the report, together with downloads of the reports of the various conference sessions go to weblink
To mark the year since the publication of the report of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission (ARHC), a report and conference has assessed the progress so far.
The report, prepared by the Commission for Rural Communities on the basis of submissions from national and local organizations, gives an overall picture of patchy progress and says that strong leadership at national and regional level is needed to carry forward the recommendations of the ARHC.
For a more in-depth look at the report, together with downloads of the reports of the various conference sessions go to weblink
Rural Evidence Hub
High quality evidence is a vital underpinning of policy. Defra has developed an online Rural Evidence Hub which provides a wealth of detailed statistical information about rural England.
Reports can be customized, often down to parish level, and there is also a series of research reports on a wide range of rural issues downloadable as pdfs.
For a detailed briefing on the Rural Evidence Hub go to
High quality evidence is a vital underpinning of policy. Defra has developed an online Rural Evidence Hub which provides a wealth of detailed statistical information about rural England.
Reports can be customized, often down to parish level, and there is also a series of research reports on a wide range of rural issues downloadable as pdfs.
For a detailed briefing on the Rural Evidence Hub go to