Breadcrumbs
Market Towns - interim evaluation and future direction (AP02/35)
FOR DECISION
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Relevance to Strategy
and Corporate Plan:
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Staff and financial
implications
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Main issues to
concern the Board:
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Background
1. The Agency has a broad vision for the role that market towns can play. The outcome we seek is 'a new lease of life for market towns so that they provide convenient access to retail and professional services that surrounding rural communities depend on, training and jobs, leisure and cultural opportunities' (Corporate Plan 2002/03). We consider their environmental, social and broad economic health, and not just their retail performance, to be crucial.
2. The Rural White Paper (2000) recognised the critical role that market towns play in helping rural communities to thrive. It committed £37m to the Regional Development Agencies and the Agency to support regeneration in around 100 towns. It also charged the Agency with;
- establishing and encouraging the use of the healthcheck.
- establishing a best practice programme, and
- identifying a national beacon town network.
Progress to Date healthchecks
3. The Rural White Paper described the desired outcome of the healthchecks as 'a variety of physical improvements as well as in renewed local pride, with the community taking and keeping control of its town's destiny.' To date 124 healthchecks have been completed or are under way, and 54 action plan managers are in post. The geographical distribution of towns is shown in annex 2. By region, progress is as follows:
4. In terms of need, the towns in the programme tend to be more deprived than the average of all market towns, especially in the 2,500 - 5,000 population range (full details in annex 1). The success of the programme will not however be determined by numbers. The ability of communities to take an objective but holistic view of their towns' potential, increasing social capital and the delivery of successful projects on the ground are the things that will make a difference to people's lives.
5. We have employed consultants to carry out an evaluation of the health check process. The first 100+ towns in the programme were sent a questionnaire and 76 were returned. The consultants concluded as follows (executive summary in annex 1.
"The market towns initiative has been embraced by those towns that have responded to the questionnaire. The healthcheck, although noted to duplicate many activities in towns that were already actively looking to regenerate, has brought coherence and structure to a complex process. The integration of differing perspectives and aspirations from the partnership approach has itself identified a range of immediate opportunities to address locally identified needs and issues. For those towns that are already preparing or who are, with the support of others, implementing an action plan, there is considerable optimism of positive change in the communities ability, willingness and confidence that it can make a difference."We believe that this is a very satisfactory report on the first stage of our contribution to this Rural White Paper initiative.
Progress to date: establishing a best practice programme
6. Establishing the learning network has been challenging. But by August 2002 the network had 190 members including healthcheck coordinators and action plan managers, other leading thinkers and practitioners, and businesses with an interest in market towns. Of these 190, however, 43 had not yet visited the site (a number had been recently invited). Statistics for the 147 active members have been analysed as follows:
| statistics | commentary |
| during July and August, 104 members (70%) logged on at least once | this indicates that most members feel it is worth visiting the site on a regular basis |
| during June, July, and August, 127 (86%) members logged on at least once | this suggests that about 14% have little interest in the site |
7. The tool kit enabling the completion of a healthcheck is available on the market towns web site. In September 2002, there were 1,887 visitors to the site, bringing the total to just over 21,000
8. We will commission an evaluation of the best practice element of the programme in 2003.
Proposals for the future: beacon towns
9. Our overall approach for the whole programme, and in particular for beacon towns, is summarised in the following diagram.
10. We will continue to:- play a national role (expertise and awareness) in the development of market towns to ensure that our broad vision is implemented
- support towns in the existing regeneration programme by completing healthchecks and supporting project managers for up to 3 years; longer in cases of demonstrable need (cost in 03/04 £2.38m; in 04/05 £2.30m)
- promote the continued use of the healthcheck to other funding agencies, particularly the RDAs, and oversee these healthchecks where our contribution is fully funded
- develop relationships with funding bodies at national/regional and sub- regional level so as to channel project funding in to the programme
- develop the learning network to facilitate knowledge transfer
- continue research into the role of market towns and support the National Market Towns Forum
- continue to seek a suitable organisation to take on a national support role for market towns in the long term, once our broad strategy goal is achieved.
12. Beacon towns will form the bedrock, therefore, of our future engagement with market towns. They will be:
- test beds for integrated solutions to the top ten challenges in market towns
- places to pilot solutions to challenges appearing on the horizon
- places where we can demonstrate our effectiveness through visits and high profile public relations
- focal points for intra agency projects and co-operation
- focal points for inter agency projects and demonstration
- examples on which we base future learning for all
13. We will not have large sums of money to attract towns to become beacons. However there is much enthusiasm among towns to share their experience and we do not envisage any difficulty in finding volunteers. It is just as important for volunteers as for recipients of largesse that the process of selection should be fair.
14. First, we need to agree with partners the problems and challenges which we think the wider population of market towns will benefit most from having beacons to show the way. We call these the "top ten challenges".
15. We have considered, and rejected, a competitive process for selecting beacon towns. The subtlety of our requirements for identifying the issues to be dealt with in each town, sometimes addressing challenges which have not emerged fully, would make it difficult to specify in advance. Nor do we want to encourage a large number of towns to devote resources to a bidding process which for most will be wasted effort.
16. We think it important to involve partners in the selection process, as well as developing criteria.
17. We therefore recommend that beacon towns are selected:
- from towns within the existing market towns programme;
- against a set of well defined criteria which have widespread support;
- with the involvement of RDAs and other interested regional and national bodies such as the Local Government Association, Action for Market Towns and the Association for Town Centre Management;
- by invitation not competition;
- over the next two years as we develop solutions to the top ten challenges and other issues.
18. There will be some changes to the roles that staff undertake as we move our focus to national issues and demonstrations, but no change to overall staff requirements. We will have limited resources within the programme for projects in beacon towns in 2003/4 but will be able to provide public relations and some seed corn funding to individual beacon towns as they come on stream. Project funding will come from the RDAs and other funding agencies. By 2005/6 we should be able to devote £ 1.5m to beacon towns.
Communication Strategy
19. We will want to maximise the public relations benefits of our success so far through press releases and articles. That's the whole project of our role of spreading best practice through our influence. We will promote the healthcheck approach through success stories and by direct approaches to the RDAs. The establishment of beacon towns will be supported with high profile public relations activity.
Risks and Mitigation
20. The main risks arising from our recommendations are:
- That, in a rapidly expanding field of activity which the Agency does not control, our role as the lead national body is diluted and our broad vision us not implemented.
- That we are unable to ensure succession funding for all project managers in the towns currently supported, leading to damage to our reputation
- That we are unable to secure the funding necessary to establish meaningful projects in 20 beacon towns, but without the projects the beacons fail to demonstrate best practice.
- Continue to support the National Market Towns Forum and expand the learning network, whilst developing closer relationships with public and private sector service providers
- Reserve the right to continue support for the most needy towns, if extending support is likely to deliver succession funding after that extension
- Pace our selection of beacon towns so that each is a clear leader in tackling a top ten challenge.
Annex 1
EVALUATION
In August 2002, Birkbeck College ranked the towns in the programme at that time against two domains (income and employment) of the Index of Multiple Deprivation. The results show that the population of towns selected for healthcheck are more deprived than the whole population of market towns, especially in the 2,500-5,000 population range.
Interim evaluation
External consultants have recently completed an interim evaluation of the healthcheck process. This is the executive summary of their report:
Executive Summary
This report summarises the findings of a questionnaire survey of Market Town Initiative (MTI) towns undertaken in summer 2002. It provides a snapshot of what has been achieved in year 1 of the MTI. Inevitably progress has been varied across different towns reflecting pre-existing town development groups, the ability to recruit co-ordinators and the availability of necessary information amongst a range of factors affecting progress.
Data collection has been centred upon a questionnaire sent to the lead contact in individual market towns supplemented with additional anecdotal information provided by project co-ordinators and regional staff of the Countryside Agency. The questionnaire has focused on identifying the local benefits, consequences and views of carrying out the healthcheck and the subsequent development of visions and action plans.
A total of 76 towns returned the questionnaire. This sample is considered to provide a firm basis for interpretation and assessment of implementation to date. It is apparent that a degree of consistency of response is occurring across the sample, with most differences explained by differences in the specific detail of the approach adopted.
Establishing Partnerships
Overall the responses show that the MTI is gaining a wide base of community involvement and support in the development of ideas and actions for improvement, which are then taken through to delivery by those organisations and groups best placed to provide resources and funding for implementation. Around 70% of MTs report actively involving individual members of the public in stages of the MTI, the voluntary sector is reported by around 75% of MTs and the private sector by over 50% in the healthcheck. The public sector are noted to be most frequently involved and include Parish, Town, District and County councils and the Regional Development Agencies. Of particular note is the strong lead being taken by community groups or the general public in developing ideas for projects on the action plan, where 57% of respondents report them as taking the lead.
This breadth of involvement appears to match the model envisaged by the Countryside Agency as providing an effective means for delivering Market Town improvements. At this stage this appears to bode well for success of the MTI.
- The beneficial effect of applying the healthcheck and developing an action plan is well illustrated by the positive changes in attitudes being reported in Aylesham in Kent. The locally selected consultant, already trusted by many members of the community, has facilitated the establishment of a partnership now operating through 4 working groups that draws together representatives from the town and hinterland communities and has largely overcome previous tensions between different sections of the community. One important benefit has been the realisation that much support and assistance is available, but that the community was not integrating its actions in a manner that would allow it to access them.
The guidance provided on the establishment of partnerships is generally perceived to be useful, with 60% stating it was helpful. Many of those initially stating it was not helpful, did however identify that it had simply reinforced what they would have considered doing in the absence of any guidance.
In 58% of the responses received the MTI has been implemented through a partnership based on groups or partnerships already in existence, this in some cases has contributed to quick success. In others, particularly where the partnership has been public sector led, it has generated concerns that there has been insufficient community involvement and that it is simply perpetuating traditional approaches. Fortunately these appear to be relatively few and indeed many comments were reported about the positive new relationships that had been established and the immediate benefits that were arising.
- This comment from Whitchurch captures the perceived benefits of the MTI approach. "The groups focus has changed from being primarily economic development to looking at the wider community and its needs."
Most MT partnerships are seeking to be as inclusive as possible and have a wide constituency inputting ideas at healthcheck stage. There is no evidence that any MT partnerships are intentionally seeking to exclude particular groups or sectors of society, geographical areas or parishes. Indeed evidence indicates willingness amongst many MTs to incorporate views and comments from anyone who has a legitimate interest in the future development of the town.
The initial focus of most partnerships appears to have been on the market towns themselves, though all those who responded reported that efforts have been made, and continue to be made, to draw in the hinterland. Of some concern however is the limited range of organisations that are noted as being consulted about the hinterland. Parish councils are the main group identified, although rural businesses were reasonably well noted. Despite this identification of hinterland contacts the tone and wording of comments gives an impression of uncertainty about who to include to address hinterland issues. Further guidance to partnerships may be appropriate about which groups to involve to fully represent the hinterland.
A consensus appears to be emerging that the hinterland is best defined on the basis of the area from which the population currently makes demands, or has aspirations, for services from the MT though most MTs use existing definitions, such as school or medical practice catchments to provide a starting point. It also appears that there are strong reasons to be flexible in defining a boundary, perhaps adopting different definitions for different types of services.
Community Involvement
Considerable efforts appear to have been made by the MTs to consult with the community. During the healthcheck, a diverse variety of techniques (open meetings and community events, questionnaires, working groups amongst others) have been used to promote awareness, prompt comment and views and investigate particular issues. The consultation itself has allowed positive benefits to be identified, for example in Clitheroe.
- Healthcheck consultation activities in Clitheroe, about the provision of accessible IT facilities in the town, have themselves led to a new partnership being formed between Ribblesdale School and a local IT centre. This partnership is working to deliver a significant extension in the school's IT facilities which will also help the school to retain its specialist status.
A need to be as inclusive as possible during consultation is widely recognised and efforts have been made to ensure traditionally excluded groups are included. The interpretation of the additional comments provided by respondents does however lead to some concern that groups less used to promoting their interests may not be adequately engaged, and specific hinterland issues may not be drawn out. A clear emphasis lies with those developing the action plan to ensure all groups are adequately represented, whether their views are proactively expressed or not. The responses and comments that are made suggest no deliberate intention to exclude, but a lack of knowledge about techniques to increase involvement.
Although evidence is limited to date, it appears that community involvement has, and continues to be, beneficial. It has highlighted additional issues of concern during the healthcheck, encouraged individuals and groups to establish working relationships that otherwise did not exist and contributed to the identification of actions and their relative priority.
- The response from Bromyard also illustrates the benefit of the healthcheck in challenging traditional perceptions. It was noted that "Many of the healthcheck questions ask for factual information and statistical data. Often local perceptions are different from reality and it was often the case at public meetings that respondents expressed views that, on checking, were factually incorrect."
- Other responses included: "Totally different perspectives of the information gathered from previous Town appraisals." (Brandon); "Found new people to assist with healthcheck" (Coleford); "Without the community comments, the healthcheck is a series of facts not related to the reality of Watton life" (Watton)
There is qualitative evidence that an increased sense of community spirit and focus is being created, though this, the establishment of a 'self-help' attitude and the extent of inclusion of the excluded, are all considered to be at a critical stage. Successful project delivery and demonstrable positive local effects are critical to achievement of each of these aspects. Ensuring that adequate funding is available to deliver quick win projects effective promotion of success are likely to be key issues for the MTI over the coming months.
Getting the best out of the healthcheck, vision and action plan.
Experience of applying the healthcheck has highlighted no fundamental changes that are considered necessary for the completion of the worksheets, the development of a vision or identification of an action plan. Around half the respondents thought it beneficial with many of the remainder noting it had not added significantly to either an approach they were already adopting or would have adopted. No substantive changes were noted, though helpful suggestions included:
- Examples of completed worksheets;
- Examples of partnership success;
- Further guidance on engaging reluctant or excluded groups.
With hindsight respondents have highlighted that they underestimated the amount of time required to complete the worksheets and that they would have placed greater emphasis on the use of working groups to tackle particular issues.
The approach, and particularly the emphasis and encouragement to involve the community, has allowed for transparent discussions and reduced the extent of disagreement and dissatisfaction with the final vision and action plan. This provides a firm building block for successful project delivery and has established the basis for long term partnerships.
Project successes
This study has not specifically sought to establish all the beneficial changes arising from the MTI, though the following attests to the breadth of projects that have been reported and that are now or have been implemented. Many towns have still to establish the action plan and this list will therefore inevitably expand.
- Projects addressing deficiencies in provision for particular groups such as wheelchair access at fishing lakes, teenage trim trail and skate park, community resource centres, under 5's playground, churchyard lighting and additional footpath provision, integrated park and ride schemes.
- Projects encouraging community involvement and interaction through staging of events and festivals, provision of town centre notice boards, establishment of business group forums.
- Those that seek to develop the economic activity of the MT through regeneration studies, provision of business planning advice, identification of training needs, establishment of farmer's markets, completion of marketing and tourism strategies, support for new enterprises etc.
- Others to improve the physical environment of the MT by improving the townscape.
Summary
The market towns initiative has been embraced by those towns that have responded to the questionnaire. The healthcheck, although noted to duplicate many activities in towns that were already actively looking to regenerate, has brought coherence and structure to a complex process. The integration of differing perspectives and aspirations from the partnership approach has itself identified a range of immediate opportunities to address locally identified needs and issues. For those towns that are already preparing or who are, with the support of others, implementing an action plan, there is considerable optimism of positive change in the communities ability, willingness and confidence that it can make a difference.
