TOWN: SMSTs Policy Issues from the case studies Rob Atkinson(UWE) RTPI Conference: Planning for the Future of Small and Medium Sized Towns, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay 17 th September 2014 EUROPEAN UNION Part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE

Member State and sub-national level No EU Member State has an explicit and/or consistent focus on SMSTS although different MSs are concerned with ‘types’ of towns and functions that relate to SMSTs- e.g.  Market towns  Coastal towns  Remote towns  Retail hierarchies  Service roles

Member State and sub-national level But some regions with appropriate powers do recognise their role (e.g. Wales and Catalonia) Here we see the identification of ‘hierarchies’ of towns in relation to their specific regional context. Such hierarchies can relate to:  Employment  Housing  Services of general interest  Transport/connectivity  Retail  Or a combination Plus need for towns to ‘work together’ in complimentary ways

Case Studies – Issues 10 Regions of varying types 31 case studies of SMSTs of varying size, location and ‘type’, e.g.  Agglomerated  Networked  Isolated Range of constitutional/governmental contexts BUT NOT A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE Regional context important - not totally determinant

Case Studies – Issues Some ‘independent towns’ Some part of larger local authorities or municipalities But no clear pattern emerges in terms of SMSTs capacity to act in terms of their ‘independence’ Generally the public sector is the ‘driving force’ The private sector is generally ‘weak’ and fragmented

Case studies – Issues But in some circumstances the private sector and civil society are the drivers – seems to relate to the presence of:  Strong sense of local identity (‘remote/isolated’ location),  Social cohesion and cooperation  Social capital (bonding and bridging)  A ‘local entrepreneurial culture’ – but difficult to be sure  Locally generated investment?  Good examples of this: Alba and Athienou – successful SMSTs – here many benefits remain locally

Case studies – Issues Economy generally dominated by residential sector but manufacturing well represented and in some cases dominant Small (local) business often dominate: can be both a strength and a weakness – diversity v stability or flexibility/resilience v over-reliance Much depends on the local capacity of firms to respond to change, especially in current crisis Regional location important – SMSTs in urban regions can benefit from ‘spill overs’ but also run risk of becoming ‘dormitory towns’ Connectivity important Land availability also significant for expansion

Case studies – Issues Political relationships with upper tiers of government important regardless of whether they are ‘independent’ or part of wider local authority area – fit into wider regional/local strategies Generally SMSTs lack the capacity to directly access EU funds – rely on other tiers Cooperation with surrounding SMSTs and larger towns/cities But often only on basic issues rather than more ambitious projects such as LED Leadership often significant

Case Studies – Issues Some of the SMSTs (especially the independent ‘larger ones’) had long-term strategy, but still needed support from other tiers Those part of larger local authorities dependent on them for action

Case studies – Issues Virtually all of our SMSTS had important service, administrative and retail functions But this varied depending on their regional location and demographic structure, e.g.:  ‘Dormitory SMSTs’ in metropolitan regions had larger number of young families  Whereas ‘isolated SMSTs’ in rural regions had older population  Different demands on services and economy In particular isolated rural SMSTs had service functions typical of much larger places – reflected serving wider rural hinterland

Case Studies – Issues Not much evidence of sharing services with other proximate SMSTs Reflects tendency for ‘local interests’ to dominate Many small towns losing young people – ‘brain drain’ Some had problems attracting ‘highly qualified’ residents despite good quality of life ‘Creative sector’ significant in some SMSTs – but not a panacea - most cannot become ‘creative towns’ Industrial sector still important – needs support

Summary At all levels of governance there is a need to recognise the importance of small towns and for a clear focus on their role(s) ‘Joined-up’/place-based approach needed Need appropriate forms of multi-level governance in terms of vertical, horizontal and territorial governance - nested approach Inter-municipal cooperation/coordination needs to be better developed Spatial planning at regional level can play an important role here – ‘pulling things together’ and focusing action Developing mobilisation capacity vital