AMT Public

Following the official launch of Small Towns for Tomorrow last year, the Policy Forum has undergone some changes.

Sadly, Professor Ray Pahl, the founding chair of the Forum passed away on 3 June 2011. Ray played a tremendous role in bringing the Forum into being and we will always remember him.

Gerald Milward-Oliver is the new chair of the Forum. Gerald lives in Bradford on Avon and has a longstanding interest in the issues facing small and market towns.   He has a wealth of experience in regeneration, consensus building and strategy development related to small towns.  He is a communications professional and has spent over 25 years as a writer and editor at a global level.

In his own words: Making the pitch for small towns

Small Towns for Tomorrow was launched last year as a policy forum, to develop and advocate a greater understanding of the issues faced by small towns across the UK.  We want to start open-minded conversations based on fact, but also on sentiment. We want to see best practice and knowledge shared, both from the UK and from further afield.

All of this within the context of a dramatically changing landscape. Small towns face well-rehearsed but nevertheless fundamental challenges. But they also face unprecedented opportunities, because of the confluence of three factors:

1. Localism and the Big Society
In mid-January Eric Pickles said that all councils will now have a power of general competence, the ability to do whatever they want in the interests of local people. He noted:

“The whole point about localism is that it enables any community, where-ever it is, whatever its circumstances, to make its own choices for growth”

Inevitably there are 1001 unanswered questions and a great deal of scepticism, even cynicism. But small towns should take the government at their word.

2. Climate change & the search for sustainability
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires a reduction of at least 34 percent in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. One element widely discussed as part of the mix is a reduction in levels of commuting. Indeed, the increasing cost of travel to work is already making people rethink.

This offers small towns an opportunity to promote the creation of new employment opportunities within their communities. This should not be confused with working from home (which has questionable efficiency from a low carbon perspective). More mixed town centre employment can provide a valuable boost to the high street. So we need to help small towns fully understand how they can become more sustainable through a more balanced economy.

3. Information technology
An increasing number of small but global businesses are run from small towns, thanks to advances in information and communication technologies. Same as above… technology offers fantastic opportunities to generate wealth in small towns and create a more balanced, sustainable community.

In the months ahead, we will be setting out our stall as a Forum and inviting people to join the conversation. In the meantime, please do send me any comments or opinions.

Gerald Milward-Oliver, Acting Chair, Small Towns for Tomorrow
Contact Gerald at gerald@milward-oliver.com

Action for Market Towns supports Small Towns for Tomorrow for which Policy Manager, Alison Eardley, provides secretariat.  If you are interested in finding out more about Small Towns for Tomorrow, please contact Alison.Eardley@towns.org.uk

What next?

• Go to the Small Towns for Tomorrow AMT page
• Visit the Small Towns for Tomorrow website