Market Towns : the true heart and mind of the country?

[gr1nch]

Catching up on current affairs today, I found this remarkable article for it's description of the French election bellwether town of Donzy.

Dozny is indeed a small market town which has, like most French towns, weekly fresh food markets, there twice a week.
Marchés - Mairie de DONZY

But what a glorious collection of shops and services for a town of 1660!
Dispatch: Marine Le Pen rides high in France's bellwether town that always backs the winning president

Donzy, population 1660, is France's electoral equivalent of Basildon, seen as Britain's ultimate political bellwether, having voted for the winning party at each General Election since it became a constituency in 1974.

Surrounded by farms producing goat's cheese and foie gras, the medieval town is in many ways textbook "France profonde", boasting a church, two doctors, a butcher, two bakers, three cafes, three schools and a retirement home. There are two factories making drinking straws and umbrellas on the outskirts and a football pitch.

Hopefully all UK market Towns will grow back into the vibrant, prosperous hubs of local ownership they used to be, whilst healthily controlling the national chains as needed, not the other way around. I'm convinced building genuine, lasting prosperity happens when the profits of businesses stay in the town and don't get extracted to London or wherever. I've lived in a declining market town of high employment but low pay and low ownership. It was sad to see.

One reason why we are moving to the outstanding market town of Louth in Lincolnshire.

And perhaps these thriving towns often really reflect the bulk of the nation, however distributed it's people are in the rest of the country.

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[nick mercedes]

Hopefully all UK market Towns will grow back into the vibrant, prosperous hubs of local ownership they used to be, whilst healthily controlling the national chains as needed, not the other way around. I'm convinced building genuine, lasting prosperity happens when the profits of businesses stay in the town and don't get extracted to London or wherever. I've lived in a declining market town of high employment but low pay and low ownership. It was sad to see.

Remote working and the massive cost of a small house in the South East are sending people back to smaller towns out in the sticks.

Our little town is full of refugees from London, Hampshire and Surrey, 69% incomers...

 

[baxlin]

Tring has had a market Charter since 1315, and still has two markets, one each week, and the farmer's market fortnightly.

It's also only 40 minutes from Euston, so it's very much a dormitory town, and also too expensive housing-wise for many Tring young people to live here.

Compared to the French town, add a nought to the population figure, Tring has at least 7 coffee outlets (only one being a 'chain', thankfully!) 6 estate agents, 4 charity shops, seemingly dozens of eat in or takeaway food places, with yet another restaurant opening next week.

But there's a fantastic community spirit, league-winning rugby and soccer clubs, lots of independent retail shops, countryside within a 10 minute walk from the town centre, thriving church communities, brilliant schools, etc etc.

And I wouldn't like to live anywhere else, in fact I changed career 30 years ago to stay here, and was a director in a successful financial services business in the High Street until I sold out last year.

 

[ftb]

I won't even mention my town then. Stay where you are...