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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Muriel Matters House, Breeds Place, Hastings TN34 3UY
Contact: Democratic Services on Email: democraticservices@hastings.gov.uk or 01424 451484
Items No. Item Welcome, apologies and minutes of the last meeting
10:00
Declarations of interest
Confidential minutes of the last meeting
Minutes:
Apologies were received from: Darrell Gale, Liz Gilmore, Richard Moore and Stuart Mitchell.
The minutes of 26th November were accepted as an accurate record.
Overview and updates
Towns Hub advice on next steps
10:05
Rebecca Collings
Minutes:
Rebecca Collings (RC), Towns Hub Coordinator provided an update:
· A direction of travel session was held with council officers and co-chairs of Hastings Town Deal to review progress to date on the Town Investment Plan (TIP)
· The key message from the session was that Hastings’ submission is in very good shape in relation to the criteria set out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
· Further work will be done on the TIP ready for submission on 28th January
· Rebecca reminded the board that if the value of the TIP is over £25m, this will be subject to extra scrutiny and the regional and national benefit and impact would have to be demonstrated
· The Towns Hub is confident that Hastings has a robust project prioritisation and assessment system, has followed the required steps and has a strong consultative process in place
Activity and engagement since last meeting and timeline update
10:30
Minutes:
Victoria Conheady (VC) provided an update:
· Following the last meeting, further information was circulated as per action of the meeting
· 1-2-1 meetings were held to answer any further queries with board members who attended the last meeting and a series of ‘mini’ board meetings were held with those who were not able to attend
· Discussions have taken place with funders and co-funders, and leveraged funding options are being explored for some projects
· The regional impact and local ripple impact is being assessed and evidenced
· Development work on design and content is ongoing
· The draft TIP will be submitted to the Towns Hub on 4th January 2021 in time for the ‘Check and Challenge’ session on 8th January. Any final amendments will be made prior to circulation to the board for agreement at its meeting on 21st January
· The final TIP will be submitted on 28th January for assessment by government.
· If approved, the heads of terms outlining the funding allocation, outputs, outcomes and match funding requirements will be released, and will be signed by the council and co-chairs (approximately between March-May 2021)
· A request to provide a plan/phase of project activity will be required
· Shovel ready projects will be identified and brought forward during 2021 and all other projects will commence full business case work up
VC explained that ways to support project leads in taking their projects forward are being looked into as it is recognised that revenue funding may be needed for development of their business cases. RC explained it is expected that these can be developed by projects at different phases, although MHCLG may ask for summary business cases for projects which are not shovel ready. MHCLG guidance on this is currently being finalised.
Key decisions for the board
10:40
Key decision 1: Board approval to progress package of projects to next stage
Minutes:
The board received information prior to the meeting detailing the package of projects to progress to the next stage.
With regards to the projects that were not included in the Town Deal Investment Plan package to progress, it was explained that ways to take these forward and deliver with partners outside of the Town Deal as ‘pipeline projects’ that contribute the overall vision for the town will be considered, subject to advice being sought and further guidance from MHCLG being received. Action: Victoria Conheady
The board agreed to progress the recommended package of projects to the next stage.
Key decision 2: Board to decide value of submission (£25m or above)
Minutes:
It was noted that submissions above £25m will be subject to additional scrutiny, although the level and detail of this scrutiny is not currently clear. Several of the projects have regional impact and officers will ensure that the submission will include strong narrative and evidence to support this.
The board agreed that the value of submission should be £28.5m
TIP 1 update
10:55
Pranesh Datta and Beth King
Minutes:
Pranesh Datta provided an update:
Work on the content and design is currently well underway. Feedback that has been received from the Towns Hub on key points, includes:
· The Theory of Change needs to be overarching and written for each project
· The leveraged and complimentary projects, need to be better articulated
· The TIP is restricted to 10,000 words. This is very challenging, and images, graphics and infographics will be used as much as possible to protect the word count.
Hannah Brookshaw shared a sample design style of the TIP and a mock up of the desktop blog. Project leads have been asked for photos for inclusion in the TIP.
TIP 2 update
11:15
Pranesh Datta
Minutes:
Pranesh provided an update:
· The TIP 2 proformas were circulated and have been completed and returned by project leads
· More detailed work is required on the outputs and outcomes, and project leads may be contacted for more information
· Final drafts need to be agreed by 30th December and will be submitted to the Towns Hub on 4th January in time for the check and challenge session
· Any further changes that may be required will be made and circulated to the board for sign off at its meeting on 21st January
· Final changes will be made prior to submission on 28th January
A Venn diagram will be created to better demonstrate the links and impact between the key themes and projects. Action: Pranesh Datta
Stakeholder Engagement Plan
11:25
Hannah Brookshaw
Minutes:
Hannah Brookshaw (HB) gave an update on the Stakeholder Engagement Plan:
She explained the work that has been carried out so far, what is currently happening and what will be carried out in the near future (divided into past, present and future), what stakeholders will be engaged (business, community and others) and the methods for this engagement (offline and online). A copy of the presentation will be circulated with the minutes of this meeting.
HB will be approaching board members to be part of a Stakeholder engagement working group to for the next stage of the programme.
Date of next meeting
11:55
10:00, Thursday, 21st January 2021
Minutes:
10:00, Thursday, 21st January 2021
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