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SMALL TOWNS TASK GROUP

Ian Lindley

Director of Planning and Economic Development

Scottish Borders Council

Chair of Small Towns Task Group

May 2007

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ORIGINS OF SMALL TOWNS TASK GROUP

Small Towns Conference held in September 2004 at Tweed Horizons,

Newtown St Boswells, Melrose.

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KEY FINDINGS FROM CONFERENCE (1)

Challenges and issues facing small towns:

• economic – fragility;

• social – services/social exclusion;

• physical – town centres;

• infrastructure needs and connectivity.

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KEY FINDINGS FROM CONFERENCE (2)

• Backlog of investment - fragile and vulnerable.

• Learn from MTI and Europe.

• Need evidence based survey for Scotland.

• Need Scottish Executive support / commitment / resources.

• Engage with communities.

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SMALL TOWNS TASK GROUP MEMBERSHIP

• From May 2005.

• 20 local authorities.

• Administered by Scottish Borders Council on behalf of the South of Scotland Alliance, with support of COSLA.

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PROCESS

Used:• Small Towns conference findings.• Literature review.• Scottish Parliament’s Inquiry into Accessible

Rural Areas evidence.• Small Towns Task Group members –

example surveys.• Meetings with VisitScotland / Communities

Scotland / Scottish Enterprise National / Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

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SURVEY COVERAGE

• 20 local authorities.

• 33 towns.

• 298,192 population.

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SURVEY FINDINGS OVERVIEW (1)

• 4 different types of towns – commuter

influenced, industrial (including fishing), rural

market towns and island towns.

• National issue - much common ground.

• Policy gap between city and remote rural.

• Major resource constraints.

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SURVEY FINDINGS OVERVIEW (2)

• Important part of Scottish population and culture.

• Important contributor to national economy.• Small towns have inherent strengths,

opportunities and energies.• Towns want to be ‘real communities.’ • Proactive approach to sustain, regenerate and

seize opportunities. • Develop, with the Scottish Executive, a

focused policy framework.

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STRATEGIC AIMS OF POLICY FRAMEWORK (1)

• Policy continuum - cities / remote rural areas.

• Improve small towns contribution to national priorities.

• Enhance cross-cutting portfolios coordination.

• National agencies to contribute to small towns and community planning.

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STRATEGIC AIMS OF POLICY FRAMEWORK (2)

• Better engage community interests / release latent social capital.

• Make best use of existing national funds.

• Provide a robust database / network for exchange of best practice and further develop / maintain policy framework.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (1): SMALL TOWNS POLICY STATUS

• Policy framework should enable flexible approach for all towns below city status.

• Significant public sector resource requirement at national level.

• Clarification of role re city or metro regions.

• The Scottish Executive should address this cross-cutting issue.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (2):NATIONAL PRIORITIES

• Improve support for small private retail outlets.

• Improve incentives to attract private sector investment.

• Develop proposals for changes to fiscal regime to encourage private sector investment.

• Improve integration of public / private sector infrastructure investment in development areas.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (3):NATIONAL PRIORITIES

• Support proactive work under SPP8.

• With Scottish Executive better align / share

common data between departments and

environmental protection agencies.

• Develop / use building condition survey

national template and proactively

address physical deterioration.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (6):WHOLE TOWN STRATEGIES

• Community planning partnerships to engage agencies and stakeholders.

• Complement / integrate community planning with other statutory planning processes.

• Coordinate service planning, investment / delivery by public agencies.

• Identify local needs, community interests / business opportunities.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (5):WHOLE TOWN STRATEGIES

• Clarify role of towns in their rural hinterland / city region / regional contexts.

• Identify opportunities for co-operative / joint working between towns.

• Focus resource delivery on communities - reduce resource duplication.

• Develop, facilitate and release local skills / capacities of stakeholders.

• Enable collective community, business sector and public agency action.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (4):ROLE OF NATIONAL AGENCIES

• Review regeneration activities of Scottish LECs.

• Review regeneration role of Communities Scotland.

• Ensure Regeneration Outcome Agreement addresses town regeneration.

• Explore opportunities / lessons learned from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

• Better engage VisitScotland with small towns.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (7):RESEARCH

• Share best practice / agree performance standards. • Establish independent research resource.• Undertake comparative / longitudinal analysis of

major retail developments.• Improve understanding / recognition of small towns

in city-regions.• Improve data on current / forecasted tourism spends

in small towns.• Develop / implement national template - nation-wide

systematic buildings and public realm condition survey.

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THE WAY FORWARD (1)

Audit Scotland

• Community Planning okay between agencies.

• Not reaching communities.

• CPPs weak / direction less.

• Poor community engagement.

• Talking shops.

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THE WAY FORWARD (2)

• CPPs to engage communities– Social, economic, environmental / physical

‘Healthchecks’.

• CPP strategic vision and sub groups for specific interests.

• Need carrot to engage / make a difference.

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THE WAY FORWARD (3)

• Need Scottish Executive / Minister role in small towns– Recognition of value in economy, society,

environment.

• Need resources to engage communities and enable change.

• Create Small Towns Fund £90M as carrot – additionality welcomed.

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THE WAY FORWARD (4)

• CPPs to select two priority towns for action.

• Direct Scottish Executive agencies to release funds for local activity in priority towns.– Staff time and funds (but will retain their

national agenda).

• CPP / agencies / local authorities work up “Whole Town Plans”.

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THE WAY FORWARD (5)

Whole Town Plans• Social, economic, environmental, physical –

holistic.• Direct spends, enabling, support, leverage.• Outcomes based on “Healthchecks” analysis and

Whole Town Plan vision.• Delivery over 4 years.• SMART outcomes.• Scottish Executive assesses bids and bid

outcomes against Healthcheck data and Whole Town Vision.

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THE WAY FORWARD (6)Outcomes:• Agency and community engagement.• CPPs invigorated.• Capitalise on and develop local skills, knowledge,

experience and capacity.• Greater involvement in locally elected

organisations.• Develop community pride.• Subsidiarity / localism.• More sustainable local communities.• Demonstrates links between community

engagement and sustainable development.• Unites People and Place …

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... PEOPLE AND PLACE

THE MISSING LINKS?

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WEB LINK TO SCOTTISH SMALL TOWN REPORT

http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/outabout/townsvillages/index.html