Small Towns of Tomorrow Programme: roll-out arrangements

September 2020

Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT)

To download : 20200930_pvd_guideprogramme.pdf (2.5 MiB)

1. A national framework that complements and consolidates local initiatives

Small Towns of Tomorrow is an integrating programme, rolled out at regional and departmental level, which works in harmony with existing local strategies. Based on the three pillars of the national support offer, PVD can be linked to the offer supported by local authorities (Regions, Departments) to consolidate local action in favour of small towns and simplify access to the support offer, by not multiplying the number of points of contact. Local and regional authorities can make a commitment alongside the State or link their own actions with the PVD programme in a privileged way within the framework of the new State-Region Plan Contracts and the Convergence and Transformation Contracts. Indeed, the territorial strand of the CPERs and CCTs makes it easier to organise the convergence of resources between the State, the Regions and the other signatories for the regeneration of small towns over the period 2021-2027.

The conditions for linking national and local offers will, in all cases, be the subject of discussions between State departments and local executives (Regions, Départements), and formalised in the CPER/CCT and/or in existing territorial development contracts (PETR, etc.). Other local players (CAUE, town planning agency, regional nature park, etc.) can be involved in these discussions to complete the range of services offered to the towns selected in the programme.

2. Simple agreements and governance for the beneficiary towns and inter-municipalities

Small Towns for Tomorrow is based on a decentralised and devolved approach; it is at local level that support for projects is drawn up and approved, in compliance with the management rules of the partners. Small Towns of Tomorrow is a comprehensive, multi-year programme. It accelerates and reinforces the actions planned and carried out as part of territorial contractualisation, and in particular the Territorial Revitalisation Operations (ORT). As such, the Small Towns of Tomorrow agreement is not an additional contractual tool, but rather an enhancement or initiation of the contractual relationship between the State and the local authority.

For the beneficiary municipalities and their EPCIs, the support process gives rise to the signing of a membership agreement, followed by the signing of a framework agreement, which is equivalent to a regional revitalisation operation (ORT). Signed by the municipality(ies) benefiting from the programme, the main town of the EPCI, and the EPCI, the State, the Banque des territoires, local authorities that so wish (Regions, Departments) and the partners associated with the programme, this framework agreement sets out the respective commitments of the partners.

In areas where governance has already been put in place as part of local support schemes (e.g. Action Cœur de Ville or ecological transition contracts), priority will be given to coordinating or even unifying existing bodies so as not to increase the number of committees, with a view to supporting the regional project. In addition, the implementation of an integrated project will also facilitate access to aid that is not specific to PVD, whether provided by the State, its operators, local authorities or other partners.

At local level

Stakeholders involved in local governance:

• The local and inter-communal (EPCI) executives: they are responsible for the strategic management of the overall regeneration project, according to a configuration that they decide. The signing of the adhesion agreement and the framework agreement for the revitalisation operation are approved by the deliberative assemblies of the municipality and the inter-municipality.

• The Small Towns of Tomorrow project manager: this is responsible for the operational management of the project on behalf of the local executive. The administrative support for this project manager is preferably provided at inter-municipal level. He/she will report to the President of the EPCI and will be at category A level (or equivalent). The project manager can also draw on the skills of municipal and inter-municipal departments that may be appointed for this purpose, as well as local operators (EPL, urban planning agency, etc.).

• The departmental prefect, the ANCT’s territorial delegate: this is the main point of contact for the municipalities involved in the programme, throughout the duration of the framework agreement, centralising funding applications and presenting and monitoring the applications submitted to the regional funding committee.

After approval by the regional funding committee, the departmental prefect signs the framework agreement on behalf of the State and its agencies, for which he is the local delegate (ANAH, ANCT).

The prefect appoints a PVD referent to the programme management team, who will also be the main point of contact for the towns during the selection and implementation phase. As far as possible, this contact person will be the same as the one appointed for the Action Cœur de Ville programme.

The prefect will be supported by the various decentralised government departments (prefectoral departments, DDT(M)/DEAL and their advisors, UDAP, DDCS, etc. depending on the local issues).

Depending on local circumstances, the following may also be involved:

• A representative of the regional directorate of the Banque des Territoires, depending on the issues involved.

• A representative of the departmental council and a representative of the regional council, to support the project and mobilise, on their initiative, their support and funding mechanisms.

• The social housing organisations operating in the municipality. o Partners associated with the programme: agencies, consular chambers, public establishments, etc.

• Private players and associations that may be involved in the project.

• Participatory committees » representing the residents of the areas concerned could be mobilised to support the co-construction of the project, in particular by gathering proposals and opinions from the population and civil society players (associations, companies, etc.) in its design and deployment.

• Existing engineering resources (such as departmental engineering platforms).

Bodies

Local authorities are asked to set up two types of organisation at local level:

• A project committee: this is the steering committee at inter-municipal level. It validates the action strategy and documents, enables the players involved to coordinate and steers the progress of the project. Chaired by the elected representatives, it periodically brings together representatives of the beneficiary municipality and the inter-municipality (elected representatives, project manager, departments), the Préfet de département, together with the technical departments involved, and the representatives appointed by the funding bodies. Depending on the local situation, this committee will include any other relevant local players involved in the regeneration project, on a permanent basis or according to the agenda (in particular chambers of commerce, associations and representatives of shopkeepers, public establishments, local investors, property developers, residents’ representatives, etc.). Where municipalities and EPCIs have already set up a steering body as part of local regeneration support schemes, they can draw on this body (and expand its membership if necessary to include all the partners who have signed the agreement).

• A project team: under the supervision of the project manager, this team is responsible for the overall scheduling of the project (the smooth running and sequencing of the various operations), project management of certain actions and coordination of the project managers for other actions. It brings together the various technical players involved in the project (project manager, municipal and inter-municipal technical departments) and runs the thematic technical meetings/committees. This team relies on the technical experts mobilised within the decentralised departments of the State and the partners.

At regional level

• The Regional Prefect supervises and facilitates the implementation and mobilisation of programme funding in the region. He appoints a regional programme coordinator within the departments under his authority. The implementation of the Small Towns of Tomorrow programme is regularly discussed with the prefects of the départements at the Regional State Administration Committees (CAR).

• The Regional Council. - Departmental Councils

• ANAH. - The regional office of the Banque des Territoires.

• Public establishments and regional delegations of players, agencies and service operators who plan to mobilise resources. For example: CRCI, CRMA, CEREMA, ADEME, EPF, Water Agencies, La Poste Group, SNCF Group, etc.

Bodies

The Regional Funding Committee (Comité régional des financeurs) set up under article R1232-11 of the CGCT coordinates the financial commitments for projects submitted by the towns in the programme. However, each funder remains the decision-maker and is responsible for its own resources.

At national level

Small Towns of Tomorrow is a support programme of the ANCT, which coordinates the ministries, operators and partners involved.

• A National Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister for Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities, brings together the programme’s national partners and representatives of local partners.

• The Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (ANCT) is responsible for the operational implementation and evaluation of the programme, for steering the Club des Petites Villes de Demain, and for organising national events.

A programme directorate has been set up within ANCT. It is responsible for preparing and monitoring the decisions taken by the national coordination committee, liaising with the SGAR departments and running the scheme in close liaison with the partners, the directorates-general of the ministries concerned and the decentralised departments.

• A Technical Coordination Committee, chaired by the ANCT programme director, brings together the funding partners and the ministries concerned. It coordinates the players involved and monitors the programme at national level. It is also the coordinating body for national events.

The membership agreement to develop / consolidate the regeneration strategy

The beneficiary municipality and its EPCI can sign a membership agreement with the aim of :

• Record the joint commitment of the municipality, its EPCI and the main partners (State, State Agencies, BDT and local authorities) to the regeneration project.

• Take stock of the measures already in place in the municipality and the studies already underway. - Where appropriate, present the strategic guidelines for the regeneration project that have already been drawn up.

• Define the need for studies (global, complementary or thematic).

• Identify mature actions and projects to be launched.

• Identify local engineering requirements. - Indicate the organisational principle of the local project team and the resources dedicated by the municipality and its EPCI.

This membership agreement is adapted accordingly for areas that have already undertaken to set up a regional regeneration operation (ORT). It is up to the prefect, the ANCT’s territorial delegate, to ensure the quality of upstream partnership discussions, to be organised according to the local context and existing committees. Signing the membership agreement enables the first grants to be made and the development (or consolidation) of the territory’s project to begin, through: - Triggering co-financing for the post of project manager.

• Funding for project management assistance (if the need has been identified). - Mobilising the studies and expertise needed to consolidate the diagnosis, the strategic vision and the action plan.

• Access to an extensive professional network (training courses, guides, etc.).

At the same time, the municipality and its EPCI will be able to request engineering support and funding from the partners to launch the mature actions identified in the membership agreement. The rapid operational nature of these actions will be assessed on the basis of :

• the degree of preparation and quality of the preliminary and feasibility studies.

• the implementation of these actions independently of other actions that may not be sufficiently mature.

• a shared conviction that the mature actions are consistent with the action plan currently being drawn up or decided on (i.e. the action fits naturally into the process of revitalising the community).

The revitalisation strategy (diagnosis, ambition, phased and territorialised action plan) will be included in the framework agreement that is valid as an ORT agreement.

The multi-year framework agreement to implement the revitalisation project

The multi-year framework agreement, which takes the form of an ORT agreement, makes it possible to mobilise the resources of the various partners on the basis of a diagnosis, a revitalisation strategy and an action plan. It includes the following elements:

1. Preamble :

• Background - Partners - Studies undertaken / to be undertaken

2. The revitalisation strategy adopted

• The diagnosis and challenges facing the town as a central point in its catchment area.

• The overall strategic ambition and the thematic areas (housing, commerce, mobility, circular economy, renewable energies, adaptation to climate change, soft mobility, public space, etc.) and cross-cutting dimensions (ecological transition, citizen involvement, innovation).

• The sector(s) of intervention. - A summary of the actions to be taken, one of which must involve improving and renovating housing.

• The phased, area-based action plan The revitalisation strategy chosen must be based on an overall revitalisation project for the area.

3. The general commitment of the partners to help implement the strategy (financial credits and other resources).

4. Methods of governance, steering, monitoring/evaluation, involvement of local residents and civil society.

5. Appendices

• Action sheets (mature actions and longer-term actions) The revitalisation strategy, action plan, financial credits and other resources from the partners must be definitively validated by the Project Committee and the Regional Funding Committee before it is signed. Action sheets may be added by amendment throughout the programme, signed only by the project owners and funders concerned by the action.

Sources