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Agenda item
Convening the Town Board
(For further information on the Town Deal please view https://www.hastings.gov.uk/regeneration/towndeal/ )
(Hastings Borough Council)
Minutes:
The Director of Operational Services gave a presentation regarding the Towns Fund to inform the members about the processes involved in the Towns Fund.
The Towns Fund is a Fund in which Hastings can bid for £25m from the government.
There is no commitment guarantee of £25m as it is a negotiated deal. The council also receives £173k for developing the Business Plan. Ability to receive funding will depend on agreeing with government on the programme.
The programme needs to be evidence based and consulted. The government will need to accept the evidence of the effectiveness, value and deliverability of the
Treasury/MHC.
There are 3 thematic areas that need to be focused on:
· Urban regeneration, planning and land use.
· Skills and enterprise infrastructure.
· Connectivity – we are part of a prosperous region and through better connectivity we need to make sure there are benefits to Hastings residents.
The Director of Operational Services explained that the process is a two-stage
process:
· Stage 1 is convening the town board and producing an evidence-based investment plan.
· Stage 2 is yet to be determined by the government. The Director of Operational Services then discussed the opportunities that this Towns Fund allows us to have. It allows the council to reset it’s thoughts about regeneration, and it gives opportunity to talk to other funders and organisations about an all-encompassing strategy for the town, rather than just individual projects.
The council is also currently reviewing its planning policy, and the Town Deal will link very closely with this.
The Director of Operational Services also discussed the challenges the council faces with regards to the Towns Fund given recent budget proposals.
Formation of the Town Board
Temporary co-chairs (Graham Peters and Carole Dixon) then announced that the main plans for this meeting are to officially establish the Town Board and to agree the Terms of Reference.
The co-chairs then explained the guidelines set out by the government for Town Board membership. Some of the board must include:
· Both tiers of local government.
· Our MP
· Local businesses and investors
· Local Enterprise Partnerships
· Communities
Beyond those essential components there are all sorts of other possibilities. As the government provides more clarity, the board can be tailored and shaped as necessary.
There is also an intention to have an Executive Delivery Group.
A member of the board asked a question regarding the lack of other NHS groups present within the board.
The co-chairs stated that as there are limited places on the board, they have chosen certain NHS institutions, but throughout the process they will have conversations with other health-related organisations. This is just for the core Town Board and we hope that the people on the board will act as representatives for many other organisations.
The co-chairs asked for a show of hands from members representing those
organisations and partnerships who had been invited to join the board if they agreed to participate. All members that were invited then agreed to join Town Board and the Board was formed.
A list of the Board members is provided below.
Board Terms of Reference
The co-chairs then moved on to the Terms of Reference and asked the panel
members if there were any other major issues.
None of the board members voiced any issues.
Graham Peters suggested one change to the TOR: The board will ‘feedback’ (rather than ‘report’) to the Hastings and Rother Task Force and Local Strategic Partnership as set agenda items.
The co-chairs asked if the panel members were happy to agree to the Terms of Reference.
The board unanimously agreed the Terms of Reference.
Action 1: Revised ToR to be circulated with the minutes.
A vote was then held to decide the Chairs of the board going forward.
The board voted unanimously that its Co-Chairs should be Carole Dixon, from
Hastings Community Network and Graham Peters, Vice Chair of South East Local Enterprise and Chair of Team East Sussex.
A discussion then took place regarding establishing the EDG. It was agreed as this needs to be kept to a small number it would include the two co-chairs and the two local authorities.
The co-chairs then opened the floor for questions.
The MP for Hastings and Rye stated that the Towns Fund is a great opportunity to work along with other diverse strategies across East Sussex.
The Director of Operational Services agreed, saying that this is essential and without doing this, there will not be the critical mass that needs to be worked towards.
Question: There are concerns about the lack of revenue funding. What do you know about the percentage of capital and revenue?
Response: The Assistant Director Regeneration and Culture explained that this is the first thing they will be asking when in discussions with central government, as they want to clarify some of the information given within the documentation.
Comment: Many existing funding that goes to various quarters in the town. This is not necessarily dealt with in a strategic way. This will give us an opportunity to talk about existing funding streams and how they operate with central government.
Question: Will there be scope to go bigger than £25 million?
Response: This is not clear but it is about devising a transformational programme which will have a positive long term impact.
Question: How long will this process last?
Response: The Assistant Director Regeneration and Culture explained that there is a time frame but may be subject to extension. The board membership needs to be published on the councils website by the end of this month, the plans need to be submitted by summer 2020 and the deal should be agreed in 2021.
Question: Is there a date by which the money has to be spent?
Response: The Officers explained that currently this knowledge isn’t available.
Question: Is there any sense about the partnership and match funding being a requirement as part of this bid?
Response: The Assistant Director Regeneration and Culture stated there is no indication that match is a requirement however, the guidance does discuss
leveraging in other private investment as well as public sector investment.
A comment was also made in terms of climate change and guidance, and how the board brings in expertise to support this approach.
Officers responded, stating that they had debated whether an expert was needed on the board. However, it was decided that it would be best to bring in an advisor. We cannot build anything that isn’t in agreement with the government plans to be carbon neutral by 2030.
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