An Evaluation of the South East

Small Rural Towns Programme

Prepared by

The Rural Consultancy March 2011

Contents

Executive Summary

1 Background

2SEEDA Small Rural Towns Programme Objectives

3The South East Rural Towns Partnership

4The CountyCo-ordinators

5Mid Term Review of the Small Rural Towns Programme

6Actions Since the Mid Term Review

7The Process for Towns to Access SEEDA Funding

8Projects Supported by Small Rural Towns Programme Funding

9Town Partnerships

10The Programme from SEEDA’s Perspective

11Conclusions

Appendix 1List of Small rural Towns in the South East

Appendix 2Completed Small Rural Towns Programme Evaluation Questionnaires

Executive Summary

In January 2011 the South East Rural Towns Partnership board appointed The Rural Consultancy to undertake a review of the Small Rural Towns Programme.

The Small Rural Towns Programme was launched by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) in April 2004 and had a value of more than £7 million.

There have been projects supported by the SRT programme in all nine Counties of the South East Region.

A total of 62 projects have been approved, 54 of which are either completed on in progress. The remaining 8 have all been contracted to start.

SEEDA spend on projects including management fee £5,721,151

Total project costs £16,798,938

Average project cost is £270,950

Average grant from SEEDA £92,276

The outputs listed below have been extracted from SEEDA’s project management system.

  • Number of jobs created or safeguarded 214
  • Businesses supported 1055
  • Training opportunities76
  • New Business or people helped into employment237
  • Improved Community facilities (Infrastructure)59
  • Improved Community services (Revenue projects)9
  • New Community facilities (infrastructure)23
  • New Community services (Revenue projects)3
  • Regeneration- Private Sector Leverage £2,230,468
  • Regeneration - Public Sector Leverage£9,401,587

SEEDA in partnership with the SERTP produced a list of 179 small rural towns in the South East that could potentially apply for funding from the SRT programme. Of these 179 towns a total of 106 towns have completed a healthcheck with another 11 in the process of doing so and a further 3 in the planning stage.

All of the partnerships rely very heavily on unpaid volunteers, many of whom freely gave many hours of their time The 69 partnerships, who responded to our questionnaire, identified a total of 1,202 volunteers. That gives an average of 17.5 volunteers per partnership.

We have estimated that each volunteer carried out 80 hours work during the programme, at a level between project manager and project researcher, which would give a value of approximately £15 per hour. The total value of the voluntary contribution would therefore be £1,442,400.

The success of the Small Rural Towns programme in attracting local champions and their teams of volunteers is clear evidence that the concept of ‘The Big Society’, being promoted by the new political scene is well established and has been working for many years in the South East of England. By giving the local community groups responsibility they were able to attract huge support from their local population for practical and needed projects with a view to setting them up on a sustainable basis and handing them over to their own management teams.

There are many examples where the localism approach is working well particularly in rural areas where the local population feel an affinity for their fellow inhabitants and are prepared to devote time and effort to improve their environment. Localism, which is at the heart of the Big Society concept, empowers communities to set their own priorities and get on with projects and greatly reducing the bureaucracy. The legacy of the Small Rural Towns programme is that there are many community partnerships established in their locality and able to deliver on-going support for new ventures.

1Background

1.1The Small Rural Towns (SRT) Programme was launched in 2004 by the then Chairman of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) Jim Brathwaite. The aim of the programme was to provide direct support for a number of the 179 small rural towns across the region.

1.2The total value of the programme was more than £7 million and the aim was to evenly spread the investment over a seven year period, 2004 to 2011. Within this budget, £880,000 was allocated over the four year period, 2004 to 2008, to fund support structures required to deliver the Programme.

1.3This included support for the regional body – the South East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP) and a contribution to specific CountyCo-ordinator posts to work with local town partnerships to deliver the Programme.

1.4The SRT programme was SEEDA’s third programme aimed at supporting small rural towns in the South East.

1.5The first programme was a Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funded programme Rural Towns Rural Life which provided grants to towns and developed a network of support for town partnerships.

1.6The second programme was the SEEDA funded Market Towns Initiative (MTI) which provide £2.5 million between 11 market towns in Kent, East Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

1.7The South East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP) was set up in 2000 and initially played a key role in managing SEEDA’s Rural Towns Rural Life programme. They naturally were key partners in the development of the new programme SRT.

2SEEDA Small Rural Town Programme Objectives

2.1Small rural towns in past times have been the lifeblood for rural areas and still provide a key focus for their surrounding hinterland of villages and hamlets. Small rural towns provide jobs and major services. They are a focus for public transport routes and many have developed leisure facilities.

2.2However many have seen a real downturn in their retail position. New patterns of shopping and the influence of out-of town shopping centres have all taken their toll.

2.3Many towns are trying to find a new role. However they have significant assets that can lead any renaissance.

2.4SEEDA, in partnership with the SERTP, produced a list of 179 small rural towns in the South East that could potentially apply for funding from the SRT programme.

The full list of towns is attached as Appendix 1.

2.5The criteria used for selection were

Must have a population of between 3,000 and 20,000, taken from the 2001 Census.

The town must have a hinterland and serve several smaller rural communities and

the town must also meet at least one of the following

Good range of retail [major or medium sized supermarket, representatives of national chains; or hold a market]

Good range of key services [key service businesses, libraries, financial services, health, leisure etc]

Good range of employment [business estate or major employer]

Provide for state secondary education

Is a centre for administration

2.6SEEDA stated that it was hoped around 60 towns would receive funding for projects.

2.7Towns would need to carry out a healthcheck using the Countryside Agency guidelines before accessing funding.

2.8Grants could be between £240k and £40k but each would need to have match funding.

2.9Projects would need to focus on SEEDA’s economic outputs but two new rural outputs were also agreed.

New or improved services in Rural Communities

New or improved Community infrastructure.

3The South East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP)

3.1The South East Rural Towns Partnership (SERTP), originally set up in 2000 to manage the SRB programme Rural Towns Rural Life, has become the champion for national and regional recognition of the strategic importance of small rural towns in the South East. It acts as a catalyst for improvement and champions’ rural towns’ local distinctiveness, bringing together key agencies working towards development and providing a focus for knowledge coordination/good practice exchange.

3.2SERTP recently incorporated and is now a company, limited by guarantee[C1]. It has a Board of Directors drawn from a range of different interests but all are committed to working for the interests of small rural towns in the South East. The Board Members are:-

  • Frances Stokes - Hampshire County Council (Chair)
  • Malcolm Rowe - The Rural Consultancy
  • Chris Windridge - Caterham Partnership
  • Iain Lynch - WaverleyBC
  • Henriette Reinders - South East Food Group Partnership
  • Paul Kinvig - representing South East Economic Partnerships
  • Rachel Simpson - Tourism South East
  • Tony Jackson - HenfieldTown Partnership
  • Patrick Perks - Billingshurst Partnership
  • Ross Ellens - Stony Stratford Partnership
  • Peter Keen - Princes Risborough Partnership
  • Valerie Carter - Ecovast and Asset
  • Pat Ward - Company Secretary

3.3A legacy from SERTP before incorporation is the the Partnership’s Steering Group, which oversees the implementation of the SRTP, includes representatives from each county / unitary authority, together with other agencies who have committed themselves to working positively with local communities and partnerships to deliver improved services and quality of life in rural towns across the region. The Steering Group works closely with SERTP the company.

3.4Some of the principle roles carried out by SERTP and still carried out by the Steering Group for the SRT programme include:

  • They were partners with SEEDA in the development of the programme.
  • They ensured all of the Counties were fully involved in its delivery.
  • Managed the annual spend on behalf of SEEDA within budgets.
  • Became the voice for small rural towns in the South East.
  • Developed and managed the small rural towns website
  • They were SEEDA’s principle source of accurate information concerning small rural towns.

4CountyCo-ordinators and Accountable Bodies

4.1The CountyCo-ordinators are an important part of the SERTP. They represent a vital bridge between local town partnerships and communities, local authorities, county/sub regional bodies and SEEDA.

4.2The CountyCo-ordinators were all part funded by SEEDA under separate contracts for the first 4 years of the programme. Some changes were made by SEEDA following the mid term review and the co-ordinators were then able to be funded from the main SRT contracts.

4.3Much of the success of the programme is down to the hard work and dedication of the Co-ordinators. Some of the key roles they have carried out included:-

They have provided the vital link between the Town Partnerships, the CountyPartnerships, SERTP and SEEDA.

Helped and encouraged Town Partnerships to carry out healthchecks.

Helped in project development

Carried out project appraisals for other County partnerships.

Have provided a comprehensive training programme for town partnerships covering all aspects of developing and running projects.

Completed SEEDA’s output monitoring forms.

Working with Action for Market Towns developed the ‘Healthcheck Light’.

4.4Accountable Bodies have also played an important role in the delivery of the programme. There are nine accountable across the region, eight County Councils and one Rural Community Council in Oxfordshire. Some of the key areas of support they have focused on include:

  • Overall management of the programme in their respective counties from the provision of support to explore project feasibility to undertaking all the processes related to claims and reporting from projects back to SEEDA
  • Provision of key match funding for some projects
  • Provision of funding for the Coordinator posts
  • Some accountable bodies have also been the host organisation for the Coordinator post
  • Provision of direct support for Community Partnerships to enable their development beyond the SRTP
  • Contribution at regional level by participating in SERTP meetings; the commitment of accountable bodies to the regional agenda has contributed significantly to the recent incorporation of SERTP.

5Mid Term Evaluation of Small Rural Towns Programme

5.1In October 2007 the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) appointed Kingshurst Consulting to undertake a mid term evaluation of the Small Rural Towns Programme.

The key positive findings of the report were:-

5.1.1The programme represents a good ‘strategic fit’ with SEEDA’s overarching objectives and cross cutting priorities for rural areas set out in the Regional Economic Strategy.

5.1.2It addresses the identified needs of small rural towns that were set out in the Government’s Rural White Paper. There is therefore a strong link with national policy objectives and SEEDA’s ambition to support and develop the region’s small rural towns in a practical way

5.1.3The devolved nature of the Programme is a real strength and has enabled local communities to address identified priorities in ways that best meet their needs

5.1.4The central benefit of the Programme is the strong evidence of Strategic Added Value it demonstrates

5.1.5The roles of the various organisations involved in delivering and overseeing the Programme work well and we do not propose any major changes to roles and responsibilities

5.1.6SERTP has developed well and there is potential to broaden its strategic role as an authoritative voice of the region’s small rural towns and as a regional network which brings key partner organisations together

5.1.7CountyNetworks are well placed to steer the continuing development and delivery of the Programme in their county/sub region. They also have an important potential role as a single point of entry for other relevant programmes in their area

5.1.8CountyCoordinators are judged to be central to the achievements of the Programme so far and its continued development. They represent an important bridge between local town partnerships and communities, local authorities, county/sub regional bodies and SEEDA. We consider a full time Coordinator post in each county/sub region to be essential, funded by a combination of Programme expenditure and matched funds from their host organisation

5.1.9At their best, town partnerships represent a practical example of real community engagement and a demonstration of how rural communities can come together to address their own needs. We therefore believe the development of town partnerships to be an important legacy of the Programme.

6Actions since the Mid Term Evaluation

6.1Following the mid term evaluation of the programme SEEDA and SERTP undertook a number of actions to improve the programme.

6.1.1SEEDA retrained the CountyCo-ordinators in its requirements of recording project outputs and outcomes.

6.1.2SEEDA introduced a new internal recording system to ensure all of the data being collected by the CountyCo-ordinators was being accurately captured on its project management system.

6.1.2A contract amendment was signed to allow the continued employment of the CountyCo-ordinators for a further 3 years.

6.1.3The CountyCo-ordinators carried out an extensive review of the healthcheck process, with Action for Market Towns, and developed a simplified version called ‘Healthcheck Light’.

6.1.4Hampshire County Council became the accountable body for the partnership.

7The process for towns to access SEEDA funding

7.1In 2004, at the start of the programme, SEEDA contacted with each County for their allocation of money to cover all the 7 years of the programme.

The allocations for each County were

  • Berkshire£500,000
  • Buckinghamshire£875,000
  • East Sussex£590,000
  • Hampshire£1,190,000
  • Isle of Wight£330,000
  • Kent£1,190,000
  • Oxfordshire£700,000
  • Surrey£420,000
  • West Sussex£500,000

7.2SEEDA set the total annual budget every year that could be allocated to the rural towns programme. It was a key role of the SERTP to manage this spend on behalf of SEEDA

7.3Town Partnerships wishing to access SEEDA funding have to undertake a ‘Health-Check’ following the Countryside Agency web-based model. They are given full support in this process by their local CountyCo-ordinators.

7.4The programme is a devolved programme and no projects go direct to SEEDA for appraisal. All of the decisions about which projects to support are taken locally.

7.5Town Partnerships work with the CountyCo-ordinator and develop projects. The developed projects are then appraised and passed to the County partnership for approval.

7.6A role vital to the success of the programme is the appraisal of these projects. The CountyCo-ordinators have always undertaken this role. They were all trained to carry out appraisals and they now are able to carry out independent appraisals for each other’s County groups. This is not only much cheaper than employing external consultants to carry out the work it also ensures the spread of best practice throughout the South East

7.7The agreed list of projects to be supported will then be conveyed to the relevant Delivery Body/Accountable Body, who will then start delivery of the projects.

8Projects Supported by the SRT Programme

(At June 2011)

Projects forBerkshire

Town & Project Name / Project
Description / Total Project Cost / SEEDA
Grant (includes 7% management fee)
All Projects
Old Windsor / St Lukes Road semi-pedestrianisation / 80,000 / 42,800
Eton and Eton Wick / To refurbish 3 separate recreation areas / 110,000 / 58,850
Pangbourne / Village Hall extension / 192,000 / 42,800
Stratfield Mortimer / Community Centre / 240,000 / 90,700
Shinfield / Café Active - café and meeting space / 116,800 / 64,200
Twyford / Urban design and environmental enhancements and identification of transport schemes / 100,000 / 61,359
Total / 838,000 / 360,709

Projects for Buckinghamshire

Town & Project Name / Project
Description / Total Project Cost / SEEDA
Grant (includes 7% management fee)
All Projects
Princes Risborough / Putting Princes Risborough back on the map. Making the town more attractive to visitors / 80,000 / 42,800
Buckingham - Circular Walk / Addition of new footpaths to create a circular walk around the town. Plus new signage,leaflets,street furniture and a Youth shelter / 790,479 / 256,798
Newport Pagnell- Brooklands Club / Re-build of old peoples day care centre. / 1,100,000 / 256,800
Stony Stratford - High St Heritage / Regeneration of High St / 250,000 / 128,400
Amersham - St Michaels forecourt / Regeneration of forecourt and opening up for greater community use. / 80,000 / 42,800
Chalfont St Giles / Riverside walks, play area, benches and regeneration of the river / 80,000 / 42,800
Chalfont St Peter / Regeneration of town centre. Plus new riverside walks / 80,000 / 42,800
Total / 2,460,479 / 813,198

Projects forEast Sussex