§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many applications for funding under the Market Towns Initiative her Department has received; and what proportion has been successful; [155946]
(2) which towns have been awarded grant funding under the Market Towns Initiative; and how much has been spent through the scheme, broken down by (a) town and (b) region in each year for which records are available. [155950]
§ Alun MichaelThe £37 million funding identified in the Rural White Paper was to enable the Regional Development Agencies and the Countryside Agency to support market town regeneration in the regions. The initiative was therefore not established as a national funding programme, but as a means of enabling regional partnerships to target towns in their region according to regionally agreed selection criteria.
When the announcement of the funding was made, it was envisaged that 100 towns would benefit from this funding. I am pleased to report that, through the innovative methods used in each of the regions, currently 227 towns are receiving support.
660WAs the Initiative is being delivered through regional partnerships in different ways and we need to collate the data, I will be writing to the hon. Member with more detailed information in due course. In the meantime, set out as follows is a list of the market towns in each of the regions.
Market towns chosen in the Regions
North East
- Northumberland
- Alnwick
- Berwick-upon Tweed
- Haltwhistle
- Hexham
- Morpeth
- Seahouses
- Wooler
- Rothbury
- Amble
- Prudhoe
- Co. Durham
- Barnard Castle
- Crook
- Middleton-in-Teesdale
- Stanhope
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Guisborough (pilot)
- North West
- Cumbria
- Cockermouth
- Egremont
- Keswick
- Longtown
- Millom
- Penrith
- Ulverston
- Wigton with Silloth and Aspitria (pilot)
- Windermere, Ambleside and Bowness
- Lancashire
- Barnoldswick
- Carnforth
- Clitheroe
- Garstang
- Padiham
- Cheshire
- Sandbach (pilot)
- Neston
- Frodsham
- Yorkshire and Humber
- North Yorkshire
- Malton/Norton (pilot)
- Pateley Bridge
- High Bentham (pilot)
- Pateley Bridge
- Thirsk
- Whitby
- Richmond
- Calderdale
- Todmorton (pilot)
661W - Doncaster
- Thorne (pilot)
- North Lines
- Brigg (pilot)
- East Riding
- Hornsea (pilot)
- Market Weighton
- Leeds
- Otley
- Barnsley
- Penistone
- Wakefield
- Hemsworth
- North East Lines
- Immingham
- West Midlands
- Shropshire
- Craven Arms
- Oswestry
- Wem
- Bridgnorth, Highley and Alveley
- Market Drayton
- Whitchurch
- Herefordshire
- Kington
- Ledbury
- Bromyard
- Staffordshire
- Leek and Cheadle
- Uttoxeter
- Warwickshire
- Alcester
- Atherstone and Polesworth
- Worcestershire
- Pershore
- Evesham
- Bewdley
- East Midlands
- Derbyshire
- Belper
- Bolsover
- Chapel-en-le-Frith
- Clowne
- Glossop
- Heanor
- Killamarsh
- S Normanton
- New Mills
- Lincolnshire
- Louth
- Spalding
- Market Rasen
- Mablethorpe
- Alford
- Spilsby
- Wainfleet
- Horncastle
662W - Leicestershire
- Market Harborough
- Melton Mowbray
- Thurmaston
- Broughton Astley
- Earl Shilton
- Bottesford
- Ibstock
- Lutterworth
- Market Deepening
- Northants
- Rothwell
- Thrapston
- Desborough (pilot)
- Brackley Towcester
- Heathfield (funded by RDA) Rutland
- Oakham
- Nottinghamshire
- Ollerton
- Retford
- Harworth Bircotes
- Bingham
- Eastwood
- East of England
- Cambridgeshire
- Wisbech
- March
- Chatteris Ely
- Littleport
- Whittlesey
- Essex
- Walton on the Naze
- Manningtree
- Brightlingsea
- Burnham on Crouch
- Saffron Walden
- Norfolk
- Dereham
- Walton
- Downham Market
- Diss
- Aylsham
- Harleston
- Wymondham
- Suffolk
- Beccles
- Brandon
- Wickham Market
- Debenham
- Woodbridge
- Newmarket
- Mildenhall
- Haverhill
663W - Hertfordshire
- Tring
- Berhamsted
- South East
- Kent
- Aylesham
- Minster
- New Romney
- Cranbrook (funded by RDA)
- Hythe (funded by RDA)
- Sheerness
- Lenham (funded by RDA)
- Edenbridge
- Oxfordshire
- Faringdon
- Carterton
- Thame
- Hampshire (co-ordinator to work with 11 towns within the county)
- Yatley
- Odiham
- New Milton
- Botley
- Hythe
- Alton
- Petersfield
- Whitchurch
- Whitehill
- Wickham
- Bishop's Waltham
- Fordingbridge
- Dibden
- East Sussex
- Battle (funded by RDA)
- Hailsham (funded by RDA)
- Rye (funded by RDA)
- Isle of Wight (island wide partnership and Co-ordinator)
- Sandown
- Shaklin
- Wooton Bridge
- Brading
- Cowes/East Cowes
- Ventnor (separate health check funded by RDA)
- West Sussex
- Pullborough
- Steynning
- Storrington
- Billinghurst
- Surrey
- Haslemere
- Cranleigh
- Buckinghamshire
- Princes Risborough
- Buckingham
- Milton Keynes
- Wolverton
- Stoney Stratford
664W - South West
- Devon
- Hatherleigh
- Okehampton
- Holsworthy
- South Molton
- Crediton
- Great Torrington
- Tavistock
- Tamar Valley (pilot) (including Tavistock)
- Collumpton
- Dartmouth
- Ilfracombe
- Ivybridge
- Kingsbridge
- Somerset
- Totnes
- Minehead (pilot) (funded by RDA)
- Cornwall
- Launceston
- Helstone (pilot)
- Camelford and Delabole
- Mevagissey
- Bodmin
- Hayle
- Lostwithiel
- Saltash
- Tamar Valley Torpoint
- Westward Ho!
- Gloucestershire
- Lydney (pilot)
- Cinderford
- Newent
- Coleford
- Stroud
- Cam
- Dursley
- Tewkesbury
- Wotton Under Edge
- Somerset
- Minehead (pilot) (funded by RDA)
- Langford (pilot) (funded by RDA)
- Wiyeliscombe
- Burnham on Sea and HIghbridge
- Chard
- Shepton Malet
- Sturminster Newton
- BANES (Bath and North East Somerset)
- Midsotner Norton and Radstock (pilot) (funded by RDA)
- Wiltshire
- Melksham (pilot)
- Tidworth
- Devizes (pilot)
- Calne
- Corsham
- Trowbridge
- Warminster
665W - Westbury
- Wilton
- Dorset
- Bridport (pilot)
- Sturminster Newton
- Shaftsbury