Twitter   Facebook

AMT Public

join amt
Promoting vibrant and viable small towns

AMT Convention

The Action for Market Towns (AMT) National Convention 2011 took place in the Shropshire town of Ludlow on 13 October.

Presentations and photos from the day have been added below – as well as online forums to continue debate and discussion from the workshops.

With a strong reputation for its local produce, the historic town of Ludlow and its Shropshire neighbours also exemplify community action in a way that brings the government’s Localism Bill and Big Society initiative to life.

Living Localism and Delivering Enterprise

Action for Market Towns National Convention 2011

The theme of this year’s Convention – Living Localism and Delivering Enterprise – encompassed two flagship government policies and AMT campaigns that impact greatly on small towns across the country.

Hosted in the attractive and historic market town of Ludlow (for more information on Ludlow see their Town Benchmarking report here {opens pdf}), this national theme was illustrated by local examples as well as pioneering policy and practice supported more widely by Shropshire Council (read Living Localism and Delivering Enterprise: The Shropshire Story So Far {opens pdf}).

As ever at AMT, we practised what we preach and brought people together from across the country to share experiences and enjoy the atmosphere that can be created in the heart of a market town.

The programme

Interviews

Click the links below to watch online

Richard Benyon MP addresses the AMT Convention 2011 {6 minutes 30}

Alastair Ballantyne talks about the launch of Big Society Capital and its relevance for small towns {4 minutes 40}

Margaret Williamson of Congleton Partnership on the value of the AMT Convention and AMT membership {3 minutes 22}

Chris Wade, chief executive of Action for Market Towns addresses the AMT Convention 2011 {14 minutes 34}

Virtual Study Tour

Self-financing community assets. Watch online Cleobury Country Centre {3 minutes 33}, Wem Town Hall {1 minute 36} and Mayfair Community Centre {3 minutes 46}

Download presentations

The Council Case for Doing Things Differently {opens pdf} by Tom McCabe, Corporate Director Places, Shropshire Council

Community Leadership and Enterprise: A Tale of Two Towns
Much Wenlock {opens pdf} by Milner Whiteman
Oswestry {opens pdf} by Martin Bennett

Policy Workshop: Making Localism Pay {opens pdf} by Jake Berriman, Head of Strategic Delivery at Shropshire Council
Policy Workshop: Making Localism Pay {opens pdf} by Kathleen Dunmore, Economist and co-founder of Three Dragons

Policy Workshop: Delivering Truly Local Enterprise
The Marches – Local Enterprise Partnership – Creating the Conditions for Growth {opens pdf} by Mark Pembleton

Gearing up for New Investment in Enterprising Communities
Big Society Capital – An Overview {opens pdf} by Alastair Ballantyne

Action for Market Towns Awards 2011 presentations:

Mold Town Council – Mold Spring Clean – National Winner {opens pdf}

Alcester Town Council – Conway Fields Youth and Community Project {opens pdf}

What’s In Thame {opens pdf}

See photos from the AMT Convention 2011 on Flickr

Shropshire supports small towns

Shropshire County Council logoSupport for the convention has come from Shropshire Council, which has a long-standing commitment to delivering localism through community-led planning.

It has countered the current culture of cuts by going ahead with a £3m capital investment programme to improve the county’s small towns.

The event was also supported by Ludlow Town Council and the Big Lottery Fund.

Historic venue

Ludlow Assembly RoomsThe event was held at the town’s historic Assembly Rooms.

There were study tours around the town as well as topical workshops with transferable case studies from across the country.

A highlight was the gala Action for Market Towns Awards dinner at Ludlow Racecourse where delegates got to taste local produce and find out which towns had delivered the most improvements in the last year.

What next?