Newtown Town Partnership Development

Client: Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council

Partners: None

Place: Newtown, Powys

The community need

In early Summer 2023, Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council sought my support to help develop their town partnership. The council had already talked to local businesses, community groups and organisations to gauge local interest for being involved in a partnership, which provided a good foundation for my work.

What I did

Initially, I went to talk to the interested parties. I then organised a series of workshops, inviting other local people, businesses and organisations to attend. At the workshops, I used examples from across the UK to show the benefits of town-centre partnerships. I also invited people to begin to shape the purpose, form and function of a potential partnership.

I briefed the five Newtown county councillors on the purpose and objectives of the town partnership so they could understand their role in channelling issues and opportunities from a local to a strategic level.

I then ran a second series of workshops, inviting people to help shape the activities a town partnership could provide direction for. We also looked at:

• The partnership's governance and management, including how it would be chaired

• How each sector would be represented on the partnership

• How the partnership would communicate and report on its work, including how the wider community could raise issues for debate at partnership meetings.

In the latter stages, I helped draft the partnership's terms of reference and, with the support of two town councillors, promoted the inaugural meeting of the town partnership in November 2023 and invited people to attend.

The outcome

Almost 40 people came along to the inaugural meeting. There was a good discussion on ways of working, the draft terms of reference and nominations for the chair and town champions. The town partnership has met several times since. It has created a work plan and agreed how county councillors will be represented.

In March 2024, at the One Voice Wales National Awards, Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council was awarded joint winner for Best Community Engagement Initiative for its work creating the town partnership, with the judges commenting on "the process and strategic nature of the initiative".