§ Lord Vinsonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the money intended for regeneration projects under the Market Town initiative is reaching its intended targets; and. in particular, 75WA whether the single programme, administered by officers of the Northumberland Strategic Partnership, has not subsumed funds intended for the town of Alnwick. [HL156]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)The Market Town initiative, announced in the Rural White Paper in 2000, continues to make progress, even if in some areas slower than in others. In Alnwick the main limitation on fund availability has been the time taken to put forward its action plans and projects. However, the long-term benefit and the effectiveness of local plans are what matter most.
One North East, the Development Agency for the north east region, has set aside £2.6 million for the initiative in Northumberland over the three years 2001–02 to 2003–04. This will be allocated to the eight towns in the regional programme—including Alnwick—according to the quality of the projects put forward to the Northumberland Strategic Partnership by the individual town partnerships. One North East's single programme has been allocated sufficient funds for the initiative to continue indefinitely after 2004.