MPs told SITI card and 'Make it Your Market' programme are examples of success and innovation. St Ives and Huntingdon were chosen as two of 4 national examples of innovation in small towns at a Parliamentary reception this week organised by charity Action for Market Towns. MPs from around the country joined Action for Market Towns’ staff and board members to debate the future for small towns – where over 1/5th of the the population live. Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, hosted the reception, and in his opening speech referred to AMT members who have used their town centre partnerships to secure proposperous futures, seize opportunities, tackle neglect and revitalise their town centres. Jonathan highlighted St Ives' SITI loyalty card scheme, and Huntingdon's 'Make it Your Market' programme, as particularly successful initiatives. Both have previously won Awards from Action for Market Towns. Chris Wade, AMT’s Chief Executive, said “there is a long tradition of self-reliance and enterprise in our small towns with often effective leadership shown by town councils, community partnerships and business associations. “After a busy year of contributing positively to policy development, we look forward to sharing good practice and supporting towns to make the most of the policy agenda. We are doing this by supporting towns teams; neighbourhood planning, measuring economic performance and helping towns see themselves as ‘department stores’ that offer something more that the bland shopping experience of out-of-town shopping malls. We are even investing in developing an imaginative town-wide loyalty card that can attract new customers and capture a percentage of spend to re-invest in improving and promoting town centres.” The reception also marked the formal launch of the Action for Market Towns Awards 2012 – Britain’s top awards for town community projects.