The Hampshire Market Towns Project 2001-12

Anne HarrisonMarket Towns Project Manager

18th April 2012

The Hampshire Market Towns Project

• How it has operated • Results and achievements • Legacy • Looking forward

The Hampshire Market Towns Project

• 2001-Market Towns Manager and three Project Officers funded by HCC and

• 2004- project supported by SEEDA Small Rural Towns Fund until 2011

• £1.1M allocated to Hampshire towns from SRT

• 32 towns eligible for grants• Working through Partnerships

My role as County Co-ordinator to co-ordinate the SEEDA funding

programme• Meet partners and community groups,

facilitate town partnership development • Promote the programme and assist with

the Market Town Healthcheck and Action planning

• Assist with project selection and development, applications to the SRT fund

• Appraise other counties’ projects • Report to SEEDA

Some Hampshire Facts and Figures

Reported SEEDA Outputs in 7 Hampshire towns allocated Small Rural Towns Programme grants (as at 31.12.11)

Number Hants

SE

FT jobs created or safeguarded 7.5 214

Seasonal jobs created 0.6

People assisted to get a job 3

Business start-ups 20

Businesses attracted to the region 3

Businesses assisted in improving their performance 157

Businesses helped into a business network 61

Businesses assisted with management skills 2

Businesses using support services eg Business Link 24

Businesses assisted to use ICT more effectively 4

Regeneration funds levered in – public and private £2,21M £11.6M

People assisted in skills development 20

People undertaking workbased training 16

New community facilities (infrastructure) 6 23

Improved community facilities (infrastructure) 30 59

First phase of SEEDA grants allocated

Alton (£50K)Business support, website

Alresford (£111K)Long stay parking, footpath

Milford on Sea (£65K)Community Centre build

New Milton (£240K)Streetscape, town development officer

Stockbridge (£130K)Town Hall, tourism, events, project officer, young people

Whitchurch (£120K)Streetscape, shop fronts, business centre, website

Whitehill Bordon (£240K)Event space, town improvement officer, events

Final phase of SEEDA grants allocated

Bishop’s Waltham (£1K)Welcome to the town boards

Botley (£7,600)Training equipment

Emsworth (£7,000)Train station waiting room

Hayling Island £12,150)COPP Memorial signage

Petersfield (£7,500)Streetscape, signage, retail

Romsey (£10,500)Destination Romsey

Stockbridge (£32,265)Town Hall ground floor

Whitehill Bordon (£4,335)Retail training and frontages

Resources – match funding and volunteers

• Local authorities (parish, town, district and county)

• EU Leader • Lottery Heritage Grant• Big Lottery• Developers’

contributions• Private sector• Community Builders• Awards for All • Veolia, Biffa

• Steering group and topic teams from community groups

• > 400 volunteers involved

• Over an average of 3 years

• Estimated 120,000 hours

• To the value of >£720,000

Riding the SRTprogramme waves

Make SRT application

interest

Healthcheck

Identify priorities

Group formsAppraisal

offerOnly the start!

Storming or performing

All sub projects underway

Claims in

In better place for next ascent

Community Group effort over time

But it’s not just been about grants….

• 20 Market Town Healthchecks completed, Action Plans prepared and implemented

• 19 networking events in Hampshire and the SE to facilitate sharing of ideas and good practice

• Town Partnerships created in many towns to assist town councils

• Groups and individuals working more closely with local councils to make their towns a better place

And despite the rigours of the Healthcheck ….

….which some said was …

Whitchurch Bollards

… a pain - it’s helped people in towns do the things they know need to be done,

for themselves

Lee on Solent’s programme of regular guided walks, designed to bring people to the town, in action.

Milford’s replacement community centre, for which they raised £921,000, hosts a small business area and meeting room

It’s combined the energy of individuals and disparate groups

Hayling’s DVD Postcard, supported by local business

Fordingbridge Flower Festival brought many new visitors to the town

Alton 2020 - a plan for Alton

It’s acted as a catalyst Consultation event in Kingsclere

Odiham Spice Restaurant at the Odiham Food Fair (Matthew Trow)

Thomas wows the crowds in Petersfield

It’s left a legacy • Some real successes • Key lessons learnt (managing expectations,

dealing with views of disparate groups)• Greatest where there has been buy-in at

County, District and local level• Most effective with a paid member of staff • Real community engagement• a demonstration of how rural communities

can come together to address their own needs with modest amounts of funding

• Big society in action before it was invented

Looking forward

• SEEDA• more than ever, your town needs to be pro-

active - Mary Portas (Town Teams, BIDS)• It needs a long-term vision and a plan • Plans must be evidence-based (up to date)• Your town needs to be ready with an identified

project outline when the funds become available • Find partners from public, private and voluntary

sectors and pool resources• Use other agencies and other people’s ideas to

help you (AMT, ATCM eg free Portas Pilot workshops 24th May in London)