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".