How to...
Establish A Town Team
A guide to help you set up and develop a
successful Town Team or Town Centre partnership.
Supported by:
Foreword
The Government recognises the importance of the role which
you have taken on. This is an exciting challenge which will involve
many players in exploring the future of familiar places which
face major social, economic and technological changes in the
way in which they function. They are places of commerce, trade,
services, entertainment, and education. This much we know, but
what else? What of the future? Your involvement will stimulate
debate, galvanise action and encourage others to take your lead
in mapping out that future.
Martin Blackwell, Chief Executive
Association of Town & City Management
Introduction
Congratulations! You are giving your time to one of the most important roles in society; that of
helping to shape the life of a community, stimulate business development, create memorable
experiences for local people and foster an environment where aspiration and achievement flourish.
Sounds like a huge task but help is at hand. Much of this guide may be common sense, but start as
you mean to go along by getting the basics right.
It is designed to help you get over the first few months after getting you Town Team together. Future
Guides we will publish will help you with more detailed and specific topics as you go forward.
The Association of Town Centre Management has published this guide to help you build the
foundations of a strong initiative. We will provide you with sound advice to take your town forward
whether you are flying solo at the beginning or working as a member of a town team or partnership.
Future support will provide you with options to strengthen your initiative and help you explore the
next stages in the development of your team and town.
This guide is a selection box of ideas. Dip in and out with colleagues, apply and interpret our guidance
with your local knowledge. You know best.
The Appendices are a particularly useful tool to work through and will help you to understand the
basics of how your town ticks. You can share this learning with other people to bring them on board
and develop a strategy on which to focus your collective actions. You will emerge with the confidence
to keep your initiative on track and increase your credibility to move forward with support from a
wide range of potential partners who will be stimulated by your enthusiasm and knowledge.
You have a dedicated, experienced Town Team special advisor to help you; one in each region of
England.
See www.townteams.org for more help.
Contents
1. Team Working
Page 5
2. Resources
Page 7
3. Making Contact and Relationship Building
Page 8
4. Setting up shop, or office, or not
Page 11
5. Get the Facts
Page 12
6. Aims and Objectives
Page 13
7. Establishing a communications strategy Page 14
Appendices
Appendix 1 – Key contacts to be made
Page 15
Appendix 2 – Common themes from a SWOT analysis
Page 17
Appendix 3 – Start-up market research report
Page 18
1. Team Working
Activity
One thing is for sure – no-one can do this on their own. You need to understand the dynamics
of team working, leadership, decision making and moving on. Gather key players around you
and make use of their strengths and skills to achieve your goals, and theirs. Harness your local
community and business. The ability to influence and interact with people is essential in this role
and so it is imperative that you make best use of their time and yours when you engage with them.
The Golden Rules of Successful Meetings
Build your team/partnership and apply the golden rules of successful meetings as follows:
• Keep to time – 1 to 1.5 hours maximum. You all have homes to go to and Other Things To
Do. Prepare in advance for meetings. Time is precious. Keep focussed by knowing exactly what
outcomes you are hoping to achieve. Circulate the agenda in good time and send a reminder
nearer the date of the meeting.
• Give yourself time to set up the meeting place and gather your thoughts. If you are relaxed and
positive they will pick up on your lead and be prepared to listen and participate. People bond
around food and drink, so encourage everyone to help themselves to coffee and biscuits. Allow
a bit of time for informal conversation then get everyone seated and open the meeting.
• Begin with some positive opening statements by welcoming everyone and setting the scene “our
main objective today is to hear from...”, “we’re here to share experience on”...Taking time to think
about your opening statements will help you to grab the attention of your audience. Welcome
any new guests “It’s great to have someone here from the County Council/Police/Cleansing
Department/Licensing team (or whatever). We really value your input so thanks for coming”
• Appoint a note-taker who can capture the gist of discussions and translate it into action points.
Draw circular conversations to a conclusion, agree next steps, assign tasks and move on.
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• Set up working groups to take forward key tasks and report progress back to the main group.
They will find a way of communicating with each other which suits them best.
• Agree frequency of group meetings, possibly monthly to begin with, then bi-monthly as working
groups get on top of their tasks and move things forward outside the main meeting. Do you
really need to meet or can you contact each other by e-mail or telephone?
• Appoint an assertive but user-friendly Chair who is able to maintain the momentum and ensure
that decisions are made. Agree the decision making process, how the group will operate and
who has final say. Adopt a simple constitution or set of guidelines.
• Bring spare agendas and notes of meetings when you do get together – someone always forgets!
Simple but effective management which will ensure participation by all attendees.
• Give positive feedback and conduct meetings in a spirit of collaboration. Ensure that team
members are valued and equipped to carry out tasks assigned to them through training or
mentoring or both. Make meetings fun and productive – keep people interested.
• Involve the team in strategy setting and review. Visit other towns or organise site visits as
appropriate to build relationships within the group and cement team working and collective
thinking.
• Wind up the meeting on a positive note. You want to retain their support so prepare a final
positive thought to leave them with that will highlight a success and encourage them to turn up
next time.
• Ensure that important conversations take place in the meeting and not by factions who split off
at the end and take twenty minutes to reach the door. Try to keep everyone in the loop.
Finally, don’t forget to follow up
The best decisions are worthless if they are not implemented. Phone or email the participants after
an appropriate time to see how they are progressing. Many of us can let things drift and then feel
guilty so a gentle reminder is usually welcome. For example:
• I’m calling to ask how you are getting on with the report you agreed to write during the planning
meeting.
• Did you manage to get hold of someone at head office?
• Is everything going according to plan?
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2. Resources
Activity
Be realistic and inventive! Identify and assess potential sources of support, in cash, kind, and
practical help and information. Think about the resources you need and look at what may be
available locally. Many people will rally to your call for support. You will be in a position to promote
and endorse business. You will be building contacts, meeting people, becoming a mobile advert
and public relations ambassador for your town. Appendix 1 lists¬ a range of people who you
should get to know. Arrange one to one conversations with those you think may be able to help.
Establish a rapport, and think in advance of the role they might play. Share this task amongst team
members who may speak the same language as your target contacts, in all senses!
Push it a bit further by identifying and recruiting Champions who share your enthusiasm and can
influence others. Remember - if you don’t ASK you don’t get!
• First and foremost, talk to other humans! Get a list of community and voluntary groups in your
area. The library will be able to help with that. Find community activists and talk to them about
your aspirations, how you could potentially work together and share resources. We will be
returning to this subject in Chapter 3 when we look at targeting the key decision makers. Begin
locally. Other groups may already have useful contacts who are known to be helpful. Use them!
• What skills do you have locally and within your group? Carry out a skills audit of your supporters.
The ATCM Skills Audit is available for free use from www.atcm.org/tools. Many businesses and
local people will rally to your cause and provide you with much needed back-up and support. If
you have a local college or university, speak to them! Students will welcome the opportunity to
get involved in real life projects – good for their CV and yours.
• Carry out a SWOT analysis. What are your towns Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats? Enlist your new friends and volunteers to help you. Appendix 2 lists common themes.
Be realistic. We can’t all have a John Lewis or Waitrose, so aim to get to the heart of what you can
achieve to improve the daily experience of living in your town and make a tangible difference.
• Undertake a HealthCheck1. Understanding how your town or city centre is performing is crucial.
It is the vital first step to inform both a new town centre strategy and any review. It also helps set
the agenda for any partnership. Don’t overcomplicate this exercise. Look at examples from other
towns and apply what seems to be appropriate for your town.
• Once you have a feel for your local situation, be sure to visit ‘100 Ways to help the High Street’
http://www.100ways.org.uk/.
• Also, check out the 10 step Guide to BIDs from http://www.ukbids.org/. You will pick up some
good ideas which you will be in a position to apply to your town.
These are tried and tested solutions to common problems which the ATCM has first hand experience
of and can help you achieve some early wins for your initiative.
• The ATCM broadcast free webinars, seminars, and provide many opportunities for networking.
• Find out where your local Regional Network meets (www.townteams.org) and join in the debate.
1 The ATCM HealthCheck is available at http://www.atcm.org/tools/ but carries a cost.
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3. Making Contact and Relationship Building
Activity
Apart from your core group or team, you will need to be able to influence the people who take
decisions which impact on your town in the world of commerce, local government and other
agencies. Remember that you are here because you want to be. That is a powerful motivator and
something that other people will want to buy into. Use your list from Appendix 1. Once you have
carried out your SWOT analysis you will able to talk with some knowledge about the issues that
concern you with the professional people who are responsible for service delivery.
• Focus on the decision makers and takers throughout the various sectors, who are in a position of
authority and whom you can influence to ‘make things happen’.
• Staff turnover is high within the retail sector, local authorities and the Police in particular, so
keep your list of contacts up-to date. Record contact details on your pc, mobile or IT kit of choice,
but keep a hard copy in case of technology failure – it happens.
• Use contacts’ local and professional knowledge to find out what is going on in their organisations
and existing projects. Listen, clarify, and record these. Seek to get buy-in to a range of actions
which meet their needs and yours at the highest level.
• Gain the support from the Local Authority at Chief Executive, Cabinet Member and senior officer
level. Share sensitive commercial information with discretion. Try to avoid surprises. Keep key
politicians informed of your actions and arrange briefings if necessary.
• Create a platform for collaborative working and resource sharing between public and private
sector interests. Put yourself at the centre of discussions and interpret the needs and aspirations
of all parties involved in your town centre initiative.
• Get out of the office. Meet people in their own habitat or neutral territory. Coffee shops and
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cafes are often at the hub of centres where you will be surrounded by activity which will help
stimulate creativity and get you out into the town.
• Remember that you are in a position to influence how town centre environments might evolve.
Businesses are interested in recruiting and retaining good quality staff. They need you and you
need them to develop prosperous communities.
• Follow up discussions and respond swiftly to requests for information. Build credibility.
• When in doubt, ask. Restructuring is happening in all sectors, new ideas, new people, new
thinking. Seek to accommodate change and build in flexibility.
• There are many ways of organising your collective thinking as a group. The table below may
help you to clarify your thoughts and target your energies and resources where they will be most
effective. Decide where you would place each under the main headings. This will be different
in every town, so take time and enjoy the exercise. You could have a lot of fun with this, so don’t
get hung up on labels, but also use this as a guide to listing your key contacts, names, ‘phone
numbers and e-mail addresses. There are bound to be people in your group who will naturally
gravitate towards one sector. Let them. They will feel comfortable and chances are that their
target audience will as well.
• Core partners - those who are active and influential in the work of the partnership
• Key stakeholders - those who have significant interests in the work of the partnership
• Opinion formers - those who help shape perceptions and attitudes about the work of the
partnership
• Wider community - those who are impacted and affected by the work of the partnership
Core
Partners
Wider
Community
Key
Stakeholders
Opinion
Formers
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Core Partners
Key Stakeholders
Opinion Formers
Wider Community
Large Retailers
Property Owners
Developers
Police
Local Authority – Chief Executive, key Cabinet
Members and then see below.
Transport providers
Market Operator
Shopping Centre Managers
Independent Retailers
Local authority : strategic and policy planners,
development control planners, highways
engineers, licensing officers, environmental
health, street cleansing team, one stop shop
officers who may well represent most the
above and save you some time.
Chamber of trade
Newspapers
Radio Station
Councillors
Taxi drivers Assoc.
Market traders
Car Park Operators
Hoteliers
Health Service
University/College
Tourism
Schools
Civic Groups
Residents Associations
Schools
Major Employers
Voluntary Groups
Religious organisations
There will be people who don’t fit into any of these categories: local newsagents who sell daily
papers to a clientele they serve every day. They will know footfall, peak periods, what newspapers
your local population read. Think about who else you should be talking to.
Consider barriers to engagement:
Why wouldn’t someone want to work with you?
• For a business “time is money”.
• The location of any event is important.
• If they think their independence is threatened in any way.
• A poor experience in the past, of the “talking shop” syndrome perhaps.
• Independent businesses work long hours, often 6 or 7 days a week.
• Meetings convenient to them i.e. evenings or early mornings.
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4. Setting up shop, or office, or not
Activity
Depending on the stage of development of your TCM Initiative you may already have office space.
Premises can eat up a large part of your budget, unless you are fortunate enough to have space
allocated by a generous partner. If not, all is not lost. The most important thing is to raise
your profile within the town, make your presence felt and make yourself accessible. There are a
number of options you might want to consider.
• Donated space – great if you can get it.
• Hot desking. This method of working has been adopted by many businesses and local authorities
where space is shared by a number of users who don’t need a fixed desk. Time management
skills, forward planning and a decent lap-top make it possible for you to touch down anywhere
with an internet connection and bring you into contact with other people who work in your town.
• Home working. This requires discipline but can be a good solution, especially if you have to work
in the evenings. Negotiate a deal for a package including efficient broadband connection, mobile
‘phone and land line. Other pieces of kit include a lap-top, printer, fax and photocopier - then
you are in business!
• Note the locations where you can get internet access, and make yourself known to staff and
establish a relationship with them so you can drop in and out with ease when you are on the
move.
• Cultivate an IT literate friend or colleague to help troubleshoot when you experience problems
with technology. Printers and photo-copiers are notorious and PC’s have been known to play up,
so be prepared to call in support when you need it.
• Try to get secretarial support for the initiative. Yours is a professional role and you will need
clerical support for typing, setting up and monitoring the budget, managing information systems,
arranging meetings, keeping track of diaries and general moral support. A key role!
• High visibility – yours! Make sure that you get out and about and are recognised within the town.
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5. Get the Facts
Activity
Many towns will have responded quickly to the
nationwide campaign on the future of town
centres. Whether successful or not in terms of
funding you have ideas and you have come this
far. Take time now to reflect and gather factual
information. We know that you are passionate
and enthusiastic. Now back it up with hard data.
Chances are that no-one else has ever done this
or if they did it is probably out of date. Get the
information first and stimulate the debate about
the future!
• Seek out all existing market research and
consultancy data. You have already made contact with planners, economic development officers
and the Chief Executive’s Office. Now use them to access public information about your town
– previous market research, demographic census data, growth projections for the town and
information relating to the retail hierarchy.
• Nominate someone within your team to be copied in on all planning applications, make yourselves
known to your local planners. You may have knowledge that they don’t. Local media companies
and commercial agents may also keep market research data relating to the town’s catchment
which they might be willing to share. They will generally welcome your interest, knowledge, and
appetite for information.
• Sign up for anything that is a free source of knowledge. Organisations such as Springboard,
Experian and others provide free fact sheets and information. Establish a relationship with
them, learn from their experience and when you are in a position you will be able to buy into
their bespoke services. Meanwhile build your own Knowledge Bank.
• Talking of which, use the ATCM’s Knowledge Bank and that of DCLG. Shamelessly task one of your
Town Team Partners to do nothing other than surf the internet and graze on the vast amount of
information already available to you. A small team assigned to this task will enjoy it and bring you
great rewards. It is also a good way of using the skills of less mobile volunteers.
• Think about undertaking customer market research. Appendix 3 may give you some ideas. What
keeps you coming back to your centre and what might prevent other people? Use the local
college if you have one, or indeed the local newspaper. Try mystery shopping – low cost and very
revealing. Be kind in your delivery of the results. You want to be winning hearts and minds here,
offering helpful advice and comments.
• Where are your vacant properties? Talk to planners, commercial agents and landlords. What are
the potential investments for the future? Ask questions, offer helpful solutions based on your
local knowledge.
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6. Aims and Objectives
Activity
Lots to do here. This will send you on a continual cycle of monitoring and review. For your
personal aims and objectives, those of the town centre strategy, partnership, and individual
projects. Understanding the consequences of actions becomes second nature and can lead to
changes in direction. To use a football analogy, getting the ball in the back of the net is the goal.
What formation you and your team/partnership choose to play is down to your collective game
plan or strategy.
“Aims are what you want to achieve, Objectives are what you will do to achieve them.”
• Early wins. You need to keep this show on the road, build credibility, maintain the momentum
and demonstrate that you mean business. Identify highly visible, tangible projects probably
linked to the environment.
• Look for opportunities to join forces with other civic/amenity groups and badge them as town
centre initiatives and generate credit for all.
• Brand your activity. Once you have branded yourselves your aims and objectives will flow. Use
local resources to find someone to create a strap line and logo for you – see next chapter on
Communications. Most independent and corporate businesses have access to that kind of
expertise and would enjoy becoming a part of your team.
• Keep focussed. Don’t get distracted. Allow for new thinking, but keep to your original script.
• Don’t take on too much. Focus on the achievable, park the ambitious, and build confidence. Aim
high, but take it a manageable step at a time.
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7. Establishing a Communications Strategy
Activity
By now your team will be brimming with confidence. Go tell the world what you have been up to,
what you have achieved, where you plan to take your town, their town. Tell them who you are.
Volunteer to comment on local issues, but avoid being political. Be forthright, positive, and honest
in your dealings with the media. Nominate an articulate and politically sensitive member of your
team. Your message will be a breath of fresh air. Celebrate milestones, local achievements, civic and
business pride in your community.
• Can you get free help from a professional? Perhaps your Skills Audit (Chapter 2) has highlighted
someone with the right experience?
• Brand your teams’ activities. Set a challenge for your local schools/college/newspaper, whoever
to design innovative campaigns which you can use to market your town and your team through
promotional events and campaigns.
• Local newspaper/Council newspaper. Write a column. Why not? You know what is happening in
your area. Get published.
• Local Radio. Get a voice/voices. New shop opening in...roadworks in....new development in...Get
recognition for your role as the voice for your town and your many supporters.
• Consider Social Networking. If you have the resources, build a website, get on twitter, start telling
everyone about your initiative.
• Local Groups are always looking for guest speakers. This is a great way of building new relationships,
gaining new supporters and building the skills within your group to be confident public speakers
• Get your Local Authority Communications team on board. They should be listening to you and
will have other contacts. Use them. They will guide you on photo opportunities, Council protocols
and etiquette, making contact with journalists and writing a news story to promote your initiative
• Listen to businesses that employ marketing professionals. They will empathise with you,
understand their client base and know how to communicate with them.
• It is a good idea to get public and private sector marketing professionals to work together. Local
authorities have a wealth of experience in promoting public services. Businesses do likewise to
promote their goods and services. Between them they have knowledge of your catchment, what
works, and may be willing to share expertise and resources in joint marketing campaigns
A final piece of advice. This is not a chore, so don’t take on too much in the beginning. There are
plenty of ideas here for you to choose from. Go at a pace which is comfortable for your team and
enjoy the experience!
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Appendix 1
Key contacts to be made
Activity
The following list is not exhaustive but it is intended to get you to thinking about compiling your
own list and will become an important Who’s Who Guide to your town. Begin with your local
community and then target the professional organisations. Most local authorities will publish this
information. Don’t forget the contact details for your Town Team and keep everyone’s details up
to date.
Local Authority
• Leader, Deputy Leader
• Cabinet Members and Chairs of relevant committees (Environment, Planning, Street Cleansing,
Highways, Regeneration etc.)
• Ward Councillors for your town
• Chief Executive
• Senior officers heading up key departments
• Other relevant officers including members of the communications team, Legal Services,
Licensing and Community Safety team, Enforcement team
Police
• Chief Superintendent
• Town centre sergeant and town centre policing team
• Licensing Officer
Retail
• Shopping Centre Managers and their marketing teams
• Retail multiple store managers, e.g. Boots, Marks and Spencer, Debenhams etc.
• Representatives of independent traders groups and independent store managers
• Market Traders Association and market manager
Commercial
• Major landlords of shopping centres, office developments etc.
• Major employers in your town
• Area/regional bank/financial services managers
• Directors and operators of public transport companies
• Directors of local media companies, press and radio
• Directors and operators of utilities companies
• Chief Executive of Chamber of Commerce
• Chief Executive of Local Enterprise Company
• Local SMEs
• Local Town centre managers
15
Leisure/Cultural
• Pub and Club operators and managers
• Hotel managers
• Leisure centre managers
• Theatre, Museum and Library managers
Community/Voluntary
• Community Groups
• Residents Groups
• Youth Groups
• Students Union
• Representatives of Faith Groups
• Disability Groups
• Civic Society
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Appendix 2
Common Themes from a SWOT analysis
Activity
Take a long hard look at your town with your colleagues. This will be a revealing and highly
rewarding exercise. Start by thinking about who uses your town centre then make your list.
Remember that Leisure and the Evening Economy have become increasingly important attractors.
They play a key role in visitor generation, day and night, and generate jobs and income. The image
of places is strongly influenced by the themes below, so think about quality and diversity. They
are also important drivers of how people behave, interact and socialise.
A single SWOT session, say of around 2 hours is likely to be insufficient, so plan additional meetings
to refine SWOT results and categorise the issues. A later session should enable you to create an
agenda for town centre improvements.
Below is a checklist of common issues arising within SWOT (brainstorming) sessions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Routes in (and out) of town.
Signing from outside the town up to the town centre.
Navigation within the town, signage
Pedestrian linkages including opportunities to sit down
Cost of car parking
Ease of car parking
Public transport availability
Bus stops (shelters) and facilities
Railways (shelters) and facilities
Environment quality – materials, design, appearance
Lighting
Maintenance
Retail mix , multiples, independents and convenience stores
Leisure offer, restaurants, coffee shops and cafes, pubs, clubs, and bars
Services – dry cleaners, hairdressers, newsagents, post office
Other facilities including cultural uses
Places to relax and green spaces
Public toilets and baby changing facilities
Extended opening hours/Sundays
Evening economy
Cleanliness
Security
Facilities and access for the disabled, etc.
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Appendix 3
Start-up market research project
Activity
The aim of market research is to identify who uses the town, when and why? Link this to your
Health Check themes you have listed. It is equally important to consider why people don’t use
the town. This will require questioning users (street interviews) and non users (home, telephone
or postal interviews. You could perhaps enlist the help of local colleges and newspapers.
You may also want to set up focus groups representing the range of visitors to your town. This is
a good way of publicising your team as well. Remember to include the views of young people who
can often provide valuable feedback on evening uses.
How important are certain issues to people (e.g. particular ranges of shops and services, access,
car parking, pedestrianisation, toilets, disabled access, street entertainments, eating places, night
time events, cleanliness, security, markets,...) and how does your town rate on this list?
The questions that you may want answers to could include:
• Where do you live?
• What is your age, gender, occupation?
• How often do you use the town centre?
• What facilities / shops do you visit in the town centre?
• How do you travel to the centre?
• Where else do you shop and how often?
• Why do you shop elsewhere?
• Why do you shop in this town centre?
• What are the advantages / disadvantages of this town?
• Where do you shop for food?
• Where do you shop for clothes?
• Where do you shop for D.I.Y.?
• Do you visit the town in the evening and, if so where do you go and how frequently?
• How do travel to and from the centre in the evening
• How safe do feel in the town during the day and in the evening?
• Are there places you would avoid and why?
• What other things do you visit the town centre for ?
• What do you think of the quality of customer in the places you visit and shop in?
• What are the three things you most like improved?
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Acknowledgements
This guide is published by the Association of Town Centre
Management as part of its continuing commitment to sharing
good practice and is supported by the Department for
Communities and Local Government.
The guide has been written by the ATCM team, led by Gillian
Balfe who has twenty years of experience as a Town Centre
Manager in the UK. It will give you advice and information
to help you establish your team and help you to make this
worthwhile activity both enjoyable and productive for your
colleagues and your town.
Association of Town Centre Management
1 Queen Anne’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H 9BT
How to...Establish A Town Team
A guide to help you set up and develop a successful
Town Team or Town Centre partnership. 2012.
Supported by: