This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Borders market towns praised
14/06/2004
Regeneration partnerships are already making a real
difference to businesses and communities in the Borders and
are playing a leading role in growing the local economy,
according to Finance Minister Andy Kerr.
Mr Kerr was speaking as he visited various regeneration
projects in Hawick, Selkirk, Walkerburn and Peebles as part
of a tour of Borders market towns. He also visited Newton
St Boswells where he met with the Scottish Borders New Way
Forum.
Mr Kerr said: "Market towns across Scotland are
important regional centres in their own right and I am
delighted to have visited some important Borders towns
today and to see for myself the economic challenges these
towns and their surrounding areas are facing.
"I have seen how local businesses and communities are
signed up to regeneration projects and how they are
therefore able to deal directly with specific local issues,
such as farming, tourism and infrastructure projects. This
all helps the decision-making process and ultimately allows
these projects to deliver positive results."
Mr Kerr visited Drumlanrig's Tower in Hawick and the
Hawick Partnership Office which is collaboration between
Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Enterprise Borders and
Hawick organisations and individuals. He also visited
Ettrick Mill at Ettrick Riverside regeneration project in
Selkirk, and looked at the work of Walkerburn Innerleithen
Partnership in Walkerburn.
Mr Kerr also met with the Scottish Borders New Ways
Forum in Newton St Boswells which is the joint community
planning partnership and local economic forum. It is an
alliance of public, business, community organisations
taking an integrated approach to overall development of the
Borders area and the services delivered in its towns and
villages.
The Minister added:
"The Executive is committed to growing the Scottish
economy and strengthening economic growth in the Borders,
and creating thriving and lasting communities is very much
part of this.
"I have enjoyed meeting the New Ways Forum and seeing
them in action. It is encouraging to see how the Forum
combines the work of the Economic Forum with wider
Community Planning - I think this is a vital issue for
market towns and I expect Community Planning to be at the
forefront of efforts to renew and revitalise our towns and
villages.
"I have been pleased to see the strong consensus round
the table about how the strategies will be implemented, and
I look forward to following their
success".