"Hampshire Market Towns - Securing their Future"
LATEST NEWS - MARKET TOWNS DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
read all about the recent networking event in Romsey
Introduction
For centuries, Hampshire’s market towns have been the focus of social and commercial activity for the county’s many rural areas. Since the war, however, this function has been under constant pressure from changes in the social, agricultural and industrial fabric of the county, and today many small towns are struggling to survive and keep their identities.
The Rural White Paper in 2000 identified the need to take action to assist small rural towns in retaining and growing their function as rural service centres or ‘hubs’, and the Countryside Agency introduced the Market Towns Initiative in 2001, designed to be accessible to individuals and partnerships through access to a web-based ‘toolkit’, handbook and resource documents.
The Economic Development Office at Hampshire County Council recognised the need to join the Initiative in 2001, and the Market Towns Project began.
Hampshire Market Towns Project
The Hampshire Market Towns Project is led by the Economic Development Office at Hampshire County Council, in partnership with the South-East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and with the South-East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP). A full time Market Towns Co-ordinator, Anne Harrison, part-funded by SEEDA, works with small rural towns, and promotes the Market Town Healthcheck (toolkit) throughout the county, helping to deliver the new SEEDA Small Rural Towns funding programme and to create and develop networks of interested groups.
The total programme is worth around £7 million over a 7 year period from 2004 –2011, and the EDO works with the Hampshire Economic Partnership (HEP) Rural Economy Task Force and the Hampshire Market Town Partnership, HMTP, to deliver around £1.2 million of this funding to Hampshire to benefit some of its small rural towns, of which 32 are potentially able to apply for project funding. Delivery schedules are submitted regularly to SEEDA, with £1.013M already committed to Hampshire projects, and work is ongoing in New Milton, Alton, Whitehill and Bordon, Whitchurch, Stockbridge and Alresford.
The Hampshire Market Town Manager is also responsible for the supervision of one staff member, in New Milton. In other towns, town project managers / officers are supported by their town and/or district councils, with some assistance from local businesses.
See Market Town Healthchecks and Town Plans for more details on town healthchecks and plans
Also, an up-to-date Word file on the progress of the Hampshire Market Towns project can be downloaded here 
191kb
Further information can be obtained from the local council Economic Development Offices, or from the Market Towns Officer, Anne Harrison, on 01962 846558 or by email to Anne Harrison
LATEST NEWSDOING IT FOR THEMSELVES - PEOPLE FROM SOUTH EAST REGION'S RURAL TOWNS MEET IN ROMSEYSmall towns from five counties in England were represented at a networking event at King John's House in Romsey,Hampshire, on 27th November.2008. With furthest to travel, from Yorkshire, Steph Hryschko told delegates from Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Berkshire about her community trust's enterprising activities in selling on eBay. As well as providing a much-needed service for the community of Kiveton, a small pit village, the work brings in funds for local projects and is used to train volunteers in relevant skills. Other enterprising projects were show-cased at the event, with presentations from Alton, Romsey, Hythe and Hayling Island, each of whom had received Commendations from their entries into the Delegates made some useful contacts and left inspired by the hard work and enterprise of volunteers from our rural communities. Some were already thinking forward to next year, and planning an event on youth projects in Hythe. More information soon....... The following presentations can be downloaded: |
|---|
2008 Action for Market Towns Awards 2008. Certificates were presented by Councillor Jonathan Glen, Portfolio Holder for Skills, Economic Development and Human Resources at Hampshire County Council. PREVIOUS EVENTS IN 2008
Market Towns Networking Day 31st March 2008
-
Presentations available to download here:
John Tweddell - EFF: What we have learnt (Emsworth Food Festival)
Sarah Davis - Supporting Rural Towns (Tourism South East)
James Turner - An Introduction to Hidden Britain
If you are unable to download these presentations and would like copies please contact anne.harrison@hants.gov.uk or call 01962 846558