Rural Market Towns Group - share your best practice and case studies!
The Rural Services Network would love for you to share your stories and local projects with us so that we can share them with the wider market town group.
If your council has been involved in a project or story which you are proud of and which would be of interest to other members, please do let us know. This doesn’t need to be lengthy. Concise and to the point is often best!
You can download a template return form here or simply send a short written summary by email to [email protected].
Returned case studies: (click on the council logo to view)
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Wisbech Town Council:
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 Wisbech Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Economy
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FOOTFALL COUNTERS
What happened?
The proposal was to install two footfall counters (affixed to existing CCTV camera columns (owned by the District Council) within the Wisbech Market Place area; the “heart” of the town. The majority of the town’s retail activity surrounds the Market Place.
What challenge did the project address?
The reason for installing footfall counters was to be able to monitor changes in footfall. Previously it had not been possible to produce accurate data/evidence as to the amount of people who access the town centre for shopping or other activities. Knowing how many people had attended, say, a community event or have made purchases from market traders would assist the Town Council in evaluating the return on its investments (budget spend) in the town centre.
Why did you decide on these actions?
There is a shared ambition between Wisbech Town Council and the Wisbech and District Chamber of Commerce to take whatever realistic actions are necessary to support the economy of the town and to both retain and create employment. This scheme has enabled evidence to be produced which can be used to help increase footfall and shopper/visitor dwell time, which will help retain the shops in the town.
This is important for the local economy, as it supports local employment.
If the council wishes to “persuade” businesses to invest in Wisbech, it needs to be able to state with accuracy the number of shoppers/visitors that the town attracts.
How was it funded?
Project was implemented in December 2021, following 6 to 9 months of planning and securing funding. The total cost was £19,500 and was funded in full through the submission of a successful bid the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Wellington Town Council:
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 Wellington Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Planning
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THE GREEN CORRIDOR
In January 2023 Wellington Town Council took over the management of an 62.5 acre area of land known as the Green Corridor on a 150 year lease from Somerset West and Taunton Council.
The area of land stretches from Fox’s Field at Tonedale Mill through to The Basins and then over to Rockwell Green and Hilly Head and, when the railway crossing is open, links in to the field off Linden Hill that the Town Council purchased in 2022 which then links the land to Westford bringing the total land area of the Green Corridor to 66 acres. Working with partners our aim is to ensure that the land remains available for public use and that it is used it to promote recreation, healthy lifestyles, local food growing and the development of arts and cultural spaces. We will ensure that the land is maintained and developed in a way that promotes biodiversity and improves wildlife habitats.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Broseley Town Council:
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 Broseley Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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LED STREET LIGHTING
Broseley Town Council have invested £55,000 to convert 55 of our street lights to low energy LED units. The project will also include replacing the 55 concrete lighting columns, to a 6 metre Galvanised Steel column. Broseley Town Council have invested £55,000 to convert 55 of our street lights to low energy LED units. The project will also include replacing the 55 concrete lighting columns, to a 6 metre Galvanised Steel column.
Reasons for the upgrade
- Having declared a climate emergency, they are upgrading our street lighting to LEDs to support carbon reduction and cost savings in the longer term.
- To remove a Health and Safety RISK by upgrading concrete columns with sleeves as a priority.
- This work is an important part of their plan to reduce energy consumption, carbon usage, and ongoing street lighting maintenance costs.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Sherburn in Elmet Town Council:
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 Sherburn in Elmet Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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WILDFLOWER PLANTING
Sherburn in Elmet Town Council have embarked on a long term project of planting wildflower meadows to improve biodiversity, encourage wildlife, reduce the need for grass cutting and to enhance the image of the town to both residents and visitors.
We trialled an area in Spring of 2023 which flourished and bloomed all summer, admired and commented on by many. 2024 has seen the project develop with new areas within the town earmarked for additional meadows which are being prepared now.
Sherburn in Elmet is fortunate to have a passionate community of volunteers and youth groups who will be involved in the planting this year which is something the council have been very keen to encourage. The council have also asked our younger residents for artwork that will be displayed around the town at the meadow sites and on publications used to promote the project.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Corsham Town Council:
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 Corsham Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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COMMUNITY ORCHARD
Project aim:
To plant a community orchard in one corner of Meriton Recreation Ground to increase and support biodiversity, offset carbon emissions, provide free locally grown fruit for the community and to improve the general appearance and utility of the park.
Project actions:
The first step of this town council led project, was to go door to door contacting local residents to make them aware of what we were planning to do and why. We also posted about the activity online. The response from residents was overwhelmingly positive.
To deliver the scheme we were fortunate to have previously been contacted by MOD Corsham, who were looking to help deliver a nature activity for the local community as a team building/volunteering exercise.
We arranged a meeting with the MOD team leader to determine a planting date and then ordered the fruit trees from a local supplier. On the arranged date in November, with the support and guidance of the Corsham Town Council Grounds Team, the MOD staff successfully planted a variety of twenty fruit trees
(apples, pears, cherries and plums).
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Faversham Town Council
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 Faversham Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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THERMAL IMAGING PROJECT
Project aim:
This project was in response to the energy and cost of living crises, providing a service to householders to assist with energy saving.
Project actions:
Thermal imaging can help to identify possible cold and damp spots within the home, and where heat may be escaping, particularly around doors, windows, and roof spaces. In the first year we were supported by Friends of the Earth volunteers.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Beaudesert & Henley in Arden Parish Council:
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 Beaudesert & Henley in Arden Parish Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA
What was the project?
The parish council paid for the hiring of a professional thermal imaging camera for just over a week to offer our residents a free heat loss survey to identify weak insulation spots in their home and empower them to take action to address problems. This would make their homes more energy efficient, reduce harmful emissions and save them money for the long term. We undertook this project to support our residents with the cost of living crisis and a rise in people's energy bills.
What steps did you take?
The Parish Council supported a local community group to help run the project. Henley Climate Action volunteers put in a huge amount of time in the preparation, event itself and after the event to collate reports. Myself, as a councillor, on the parish council met with Henley Climate Action to chair meetings, assign tasks and make a plan for the event itself.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Marlow Town Council:
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 Marlow Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Net Zero
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NO MOW MAY
This year, Marlow Town Council are taking part in No Mow May and encouraging local organisations and residents to do the same. This initiative is part of a wider commitment by the town council to protect and improve the environment. Below is the article that the town council recently published in their spring magazine.
No Mow May - For One Month Doing Nothing Does Good
For the month of May all non-essential areas Marlow Town Council is responsible for cutting are left to grow wild to give naturally occurring plants and wildflowers a chance to grow, feed and shelter our vital pollinators (regular cutting will resume the beginning of June).
Tear out your No Mow May sign and pop it in your window or put it on a stake in your garden. That way others can see and understand why your grass is long and what you are doing – because knowledge is contagious.
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Saffron Walden Town Council kindly shared their experiences at a recent RMTG meeting, below are the slides from their presentation:
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 Saffron Walden Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Economy
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Breathing New Life Back into a Derelict Building
Saffron Walden Town Council have purchased and refurbished a former Nat West bank, adjacent to the Town Hall, which had sat empty since 2016. The refurbished building now includes retail space, three flats, and offices for town council staff. The total investment of £1.2 million was funded by borrowing from the council’s internal earmarked reserves. The project has reduced the council’s reliance on their precept, demonstrated their commitment to town centre regeneration and responded to local pressure to rescue the building.
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Faversham Town Council Council kindly shared their experiences at a recent RMTG meeting, below are the slides from their presentation:
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Faversham Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Health and Wellbeing
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‘We Want a McDonalds or KFC’
How Faversham Town Council changed its approach to youth work.
Faversham Town Council have taken a proactive approach to supporting young people, adapting their approach to meet changing need over recent years. In 2019 the Council ringfenced £30,000 for youth support, setting up a Youth Council and running a successful programme of events. These events were moved online during lockdown, but following the pandemic youth engagement decreased dramatically. The Councillors therefore reached out to young people, engaging with them in public spaces to find out what they needed. They arranged two Summer events, (sponsored entirely by local businesses), which attracted over 2,500 people and have been working with existing youth services to increase their reach and add value to existing provision.
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Tavistock Town Council kindly shared their experiences at a recent RMTG meeting, below are the slides from their presentation:
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 Tavistock Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Economy
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Making a Difference
Observations on a Practical Example (and the benefits of the general power of competence).
Tavistock Town Council were the first Town Council to have solely delivered a Heritage Lottery Fund Townscape Heritage Initiative. This six year project focused on the restoration and repair of commercial buildings in the town with an overall spend of £2.75 million. Outcomes included restoring and bringing back commercial buildings into use, restoring 2 areas of public realm, developing complementary skills and learning, creating 12 new jobs and safeguarding a further 150 jobs.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Cricklade Town Council:
 Cricklade Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Younger People
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Youth Work
Project aim
We had some anti -social behaviour and were aware of some young people ‘hanging around’ who did not want to join local sports clubs, uniformed organizations etc.
Project actions
At first the project was to have a weekly session for young people (13 – 18 years of age), in a suitable premises that we have access to on our leisure centre site, was matched funded by a grant from our local Wiltshire Council area board. The sessions were and continue to be staffed by The Rise Trust which provides youth work support in a number of north Wiltshire towns. The Rise Trust provides regular updates to FTC meetings with numbers of young people attending and the nature of activities, any concerns, liaison with our PCSO and other agencies. Because of the criteria for area board matched funding Cricklade Town Council now funds the weekly session completely. We also fund an annual skateboarding/ scooter free event for young people in the school summer holiday.
Earlier this year we also supported a youth festival for a day when many local organizations came along for young people to try new activities.
The skatepark was improved as a result of CIL funding and we also installed a new play park for 3- 12 year olds.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Drayton Meadows:
 Soham Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Community
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Drayton Meadows
Project aim
The Council purchased this land in order to make a community wildflower meadow to encourage and improve biodiversity, and for a well-being area for residents to use.
Project actions
The Council has led and instigated this project, with Councillors taking an active role in setting up the wildflower meadow, providing grass cutting (for a pathway around the area), planting trees and flowers and setting up a wildlife camera. We have worked with the Community Payback team who have helped with planting a perimeter hedge within new fencing that we erected, and with a local contractor to clear rubbish from the land and replace the entrance gates to make the Meadows more accessible. With the help of Lady de Ramsey, Deputy Lieutenant for Cambridgeshire, we planted seven trees to mark the
Platinum Jubilee of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. We hope to install nest boxes in the autumn and an owl box which has been made by a local charity. We have also scarified and sown two specific areas with wildflower seeds and will purchase and plant wildflower plug plants in suitable areas to encourage more butterflies, pollinating insects and birds.
In order to encourage residents to visit the Meadows, we are organising an introductory guided walk around the circular track within the Meadows to explain to families what they can expect to see there. We hope to encourage visitors to observe and photograph the wildlife and send in records to the Council.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Chalfont St Giles Parish Council:
 Chalfont St Giles Parish Council
Key theme:
Rural Community
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Taking on Devolved Services
Since 2016 Chalfont St Giles Parish Council has taken on responsibility for certain services within the parish boundary under a devolution scheme agreement with Buckinghamshire Council. These services are grass cutting within the 30mph limits, siding out, graffiti removal, sign cleaning and minor repairs, epicormic growth on trees in verges and weed spraying.
Initially we used a contractor to complete the grass cutting. We already had two groundsmen for our recreation ground and green space maintenance. In 2023 we purchased a new ride on mower which gave us time savings on our workload that then allowed them to carry out the additional devolved services. Increased precept was used to add funds to the unitary authority payment. This allowed for the additional equipment. Chalfont St Giles Parish is 5.13 miles2. In 2022-23 we received £6,718 and added £7,500 to our budget from the precept.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Newton Abbot Town Council:
 Newton Abbot Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Community
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Environmental Enhancements – Devolved Services
Project aim
Newton Abbot Town Council have taken steps to fill gaps in provision around environmental enhancement in their town arising from budget cuts in their principal authorities (both District and County). The town council have taken over street cleansing and litter removal, grass cutting and weed control.
Project actions
The Council increased it’s manual staffing from two to four operatives; leased a tipper truck; purchased a second ‘transit’ type van; leased a versatile vehicle that will street sweep and street cleanse; and purchased an environmental cleansing machine that will clean street furniture and kill weeds in an environmentally friendly way.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Uppingham Town Council:
 Uppingham Town Council
Key theme:
Rural Younger People
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Uppingham Youth Space
Uppingham Youth Space is weekly a drop in for 11-16 year-olds in the town, organised by a local charity and hosted at the Town Hall. The sessions run for two hours after school every Wednesday and the sessions are free to attend. The project aims to deliver support for young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing and to help them reach their potential. A combination of food, games and crafts are used to stimulate discussion and encourage friendship. There are visiting leaders who do art, dance, yoga, first aid, eco awareness and more with the young people. They’ve even welcomed the police to lead sessions. The local secondary school also welcomes a lunchtime session once a week.
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Below is a summary of a case study kindly returned by Launceston Town Council:
 Launceston Town Council
Key theme:
Devolution
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Library Hub
Project aim
There was a likelihood that the town library service would stop or be greatly reduced due to ongoing budget challenges at Cornwall Council. Whilst the provision of a library is a statutory service, it was noted that an offer on the scale that the town was used to, may not be available in future years and could be greatly reduced in terms of size and services offered. It was considered that a town the size of Launceston should not be without such a vital service, which provided a number of additional services as well as the lending of books
Project actions
We undertook a survey of residents to enquire if they felt a library service should be continued. There was overwhelming support for the case to retain the service.
Working with the local unitary authority, we agreed in the first instance to employ all existing library staff and they TUPE transferred to the Town Council. They continue to operate in the current library site, owned by the unitary authority, who also provide all book services and building maintenance.
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