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PM's praise for campaigning paper

A weekly paper has come in for recognition from the very top – with the Prime Minister heaping praise on its latest campaign.

Tony Blair drew attention to the Darlington and Stockton TimesMarket Town Revival campaign in the House of Commons.

Launched in March, the campaign highlights the plight of market towns, and their importance to the local economy. It has been acknowledged in Government plans to revive the rural economy.

One hundred disadvantaged country towns are to get £37m over three years and with funding from Europe and elsewhere it is hoped a market towns regeneration programme could total £100m.

Tony Blair said: “I’d like to congratulate the Darlington and Stockton Times on its campaign.

“It was a campaign which highlighted the importance of thriving, vibrant market towns to the health and strength of our country as a whole and rural life in particular.”

The national market towns’ initiative, which mirrors the paper’s objectives, was announced as a key measure in the Government’s Rural White Paper.

Tory leader William Hague said: “While the Government is right to address issues facing market towns, it has only done so after campaigns by newspapers like the D&S Times.”

The paper launched the campaign to help small towns compete against out-of-town shopping centres and highlight successful regeneration initiatives.

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