Tiers 1, 2 and 3

Kington - has been designated as a Tier 1 town and has been awarded £416,000, over three years, from Advantage West Midlands. The total Kington Regeneration Programme supports the development of embryonic partnerships to develop and progress an Implementation Plan for the Tier 1 town and its hinterland following the Health Check carried out in 2002.

The Kington Regeneration Co-ordinator can be contacted on 01544 239110 or by email: kingtonmti@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Bromyard - The Market Towns Initiative for the Bromyard Area is in its fourth and final year. The programme has been allocated £300,000 of Market Towns Initiative money from Advantage West Midlands to be spent on a combination of community and economic regeneration projects. It is anticipated the funding will pull in another £700,000 of match funding. The programme is due to end after March 2006.

Applicants for funding should contact the Market Towns Officer for Bromyard on 01432 260064 or by e-mail on  bromyardmti@herefordshire.gov.

Ledbury was designated as a Tier 2 town. The highly successful three-year Ledbury Market Towns Initiative Programme administered by the Ledbury and Area Regeneration Partnership is now complete and the Partnership has ceased to operate. Over 50 projects within the Ledbury area benefited from this £1m programme, with each receiving funding of between £250 and £45,000.

However, the commitment to nurture and sustain the local community continues; the key challenge being the need to improve prospects for the younger generation to obtain higher skilled, higher income employment allied to the availability of affordable housing.

This is what the newly created Ledbury and Area Development Trust Limited (LADT) will focus on. LADT was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 5th January 2005, and became a full member of the Development Trusts Association in February 2005.

LADT is an independent, entrepreneurial, community-based organisation providing services, and acting as an enabler, catalyst, and co-ordinator for the direct or indirect benefit of people living and working in the Ledbury area.  It will undertake income-generating activities and re-invest any surplus income back into the Company to be used for the benefit of the community.

For further information visit the LADT website by following the link below.

In 2003 both Leominster and Ross on Wye were officially awarded Group 3 status in the Market Towns Initiative Programme. This provided regeneration partnerships in each town an opportunity to apply to Advantage West Midlands for £500,000 Market Towns Initiative regeneration funding from the three year programme running to March 2008.

Throughout 2004 each town was tasked to produce a ten year community agreed Strategic Action Plan. Both town's Strategic Action Plan's were presented to, and endorsed by a regional task group led by Advantage West Midlands. Following the production and approval of detailed implementation plans, it is anticipated that projects meeting the strict economic and predominantly capital criteria to achieve Market Towns Initiative funding, will come on stream in 2005.

For further information on the Market Towns Initiative Programme the Market Towns Officers can be contacted as follows:

Market Towns Officer (Leominster and Bromyard ) - 01432 260706 or 01432 260064 or by e-mail: lmti@herefordshire.gov.uk or bromyardmti@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Market Towns Officer (Ross on Wye) 01432 261784 or 01432 260898 or by e-mail: rossmti@herefordshire.gov.uk.