§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make732W a statement on the funds made available by the Government for the Market and Coastal Towns initiative. [77531]
(2) when the Market and Coastal Towns initiative was established; what the criteria are for the awards given by this scheme; who decides how and to whom such funds should be allocated; and if she will list the grants made to whom and when they were made. [77532]
§ Alun MichaelAs announced in the Rural White Paper, the Government made available £37million over three years for the revitalisation of small rural towns under the Market Towns initiative (referred to in the south west as the Market and Coastal Towns initiative). £32 million of this was channelled via the regional development agencies and £5 million via the Countryside agency.
It is for local town partnerships, using the Countryside agency's Healthcheck process, to draw up and agree action plans and for regional development agencies to approve individual projects. Detailed information on grants awarded is not collected centrally.