Chepstow hosted a 'Town Partnership' conference last Thursday. The aim of the meeting was to enable and encourage development of local high streets. Around 25 people attended the conference which presented the case for introducing a 'Town Team' or Partnership and allowed several consultants to talk on the subject. Mayor Rutter opened the conference by describing Chepstow as a "dormitary town, with housing development on the outskirts aimed at accommodating those who work elsewhere, which results in challenges for the town centre with a lowering of retail outlets." The necessity of taking action to revive town centres is clear, with retail outlets closing and a proliferation of charity shops. The national problem has recently been highlighted by Mary Portas' TV show, Queen of the High Street, in which she ploughs into unsuspecting towns and whips their high street into shape. The show highlights the very real problems towns face when attempting to regenerate to high street. Mike King, of Action for Market Towns, the organisation which is currently helping Chepstow, said: "The most important thing is leadership and direction. Without these the town's goals will not be achieved." Chepstow is currently undergoing a Benchmarking survey (carried out by AMT). This survey covers things such as public opinion of the high street, footfall at different times, parking, appearance and customer service. Dee Griffiths from Herbert Lewis department store said: "We are at the very start and it's extremely exciting to be involved." Town Partnerships or 'Teams' are a group of people organised from business owners to residents and local council members who are committed to make positive changes to the town centre. Councillor Ned Hayward said: "We already have an organisation called Chepstow Marketing, ideally this will grow into a Town Partnership group." Once the Benchmarking is completed at the end of May the town will then have sufficient information to make an educated plan. There is a grant of £100,000 for Town Partnerships who make a successful bid for the funds by showing an outstanding strategy of regeneration for their high street. This is a one off payment and Andrew Dakin, Deputy Chief Executive of Regeneration Wales warns against imagining that a year or two can make a real difference to a town. "Change management needs to be structured over 20-25 years to be effective in the long term." However, there is Welsh funding available for Business Improvement Districts, which have more strict business development criteria but offer funding of £85,000 year on year. Andrew Dakin explained that: "It is good to get the foundations right with a Town Team and then move on to a Business Improvement District once your Team is in place and running well." To get involved with the Chepstow Town Team, first fill in the Benchmark Survey (which can be found in cafes and pubs) by Friday 24th May. "By Mid June we will have the final report and be ready to host a 'Call to Action' event for the town," said town clerk, Sandra Bushell. "For the date of this inaugural event watch this space."