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Agenda item
Hastings Town Deal
- Meeting of Special, Cabinet, Friday, 25th June, 2021 2.30 pm (Item 352.)
- View the background to item 352.
(Jane Hartnell, Managing Director)
Decision:
1. To approve the Heads of Terms for Hastings as attached – see Appendix 1
2. To agree to the development of the HBC projects as identified in the Heads of Terms and detailed in the Town Investment Plan
3. To delegate to the Managing Director, or her nominee, the authority, after consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration, to agree:
· to sign off, following agreement by the Town Deal Board, the project confirmation documents, prior to submission to government by end August 2021 (appendix 2)
· to submit the business cases for the projects identified in the Heads of Terms, each having been subject to the assessment processes set by the government and the local approval process as outlined in Appendix 3 (Town Deal Board Governance Structure)
· to seek Cabinet and Full Council approval for the business cases for the projects which HBC are leading on prior to submission. (Except those which have already received approval from cabinet/council e.g. Churchfields Business Centre)
4. To delegate to the Assistant Director of Regeneration Culture, in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration the authority to use the remaining stage 1 and 2 Town Deal capacity funding (in total £153,000) and to use budgets from the regeneration and culture service area across 2020/2021, 2021/22 and 22/23 (totalling £151,753) to:
· establish a Town Deal Programme management team (using internal and external resources) to deliver stage 2 of the programme (June 2021 – June 2022)
· employ external consultancies to develop the business cases (as required) and independently assess them
Minutes:
The Managing Director submitted a report which is a result of a significant amount of work by officers and colleagues from a whole range of organisations across the town, which means that the town has been offered a Town Investment Plan offer by government of £24.3m. The paper outlines the lengthy governance and administrative processes we are now entering.
A pre-recorded presentation by the Assistant Director for Regeneration and Culture and the Regeneration Manager was played. This presentation outlined the background to the Town Deal programme, the work that has been carried out to date, the key challenges faced by the town which the programme will address, the ambitions of the programme, a summary of projects included in the Town Investment Plan and the process used to select and assess these, a summary of the Accelerator Fund projects which were approved last year and the steps that will be taken in the next 12 months in order to fulfil the next phase of the programme.
Cabinet discussed the benefits the programme would bring to the town and the importance of ensuring that the impact is felt town-wide and not just in the Town Centre. This award is a vote of confidence for the town, in making it a thriving place to live and work, for the successful partnership working behind the programme and in the council as accountable body, it’s officers, structures, probity and its ability to deliver the scheme.
The Chair proposed approval of the recommendations, seconded by Councillor Rogers.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
1. To approve the Heads of Terms for Hastings as attached – see Appendix 1
2. To agree to the development of the HBC projects as identified in the Heads of Terms and detailed in the Town Investment Plan
3. To delegate to the Managing Director, or her nominee, the authority, after consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration, to agree:
· to sign off, following agreement by the Town Deal Board, the project confirmation documents, prior to submission to government by end August 2021 (appendix 2)
· to submit the business cases for the projects identified in the Heads of Terms,each having been subject to the assessment processes set by the government and the local approval process as outlined in Appendix 3 (Town Deal Board Governance Structure)
· to seek Cabinet and Full Council approval for the business cases for the projects which HBC are leading on prior to submission. (Except those which have already received approval from cabinet/council e.g. Churchfields Business Centre)
4. To delegate to the Assistant Director of Regeneration Culture, in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration the authority to use the remaining stage 1 and 2 Town Deal capacity funding (in total £153,000) and to use budgets from the regeneration and culture service area across 2020/2021, 2021/22 and 22/23 (totalling £151,753) to:
· establish a Town Deal Programme management team (using internal and external resources) to deliver stage 2 of the programme (June 2021 – June 2022)
· employ external consultancies to develop the business cases (as required) and independently assess them
Reasons:
- The investment plan provides for a 5-year ‘re-set’ strategy for the town addressing a wide range of economic and social issues. It is an opportunity to commence the recovery process from the pandemic and is expected to lead to other investment opportunities including those emerging from national and local funding streams, as well as new inward investment.
- The Town Investment Plan has now been assessed by government and up to £24.3m of funding has been allocated along with a number of conditions, set out within a ‘Heads of Terms’ agreement. There is now a requirement for the Town Deal Board and the Council, as accountable body, to agree the Heads of Terms within three weeks of issue, by the 29 June 2021.
- As the accountable body, Hastings Borough Council will retain overall responsibility for the delivery of the programme. Project management and delivery support will continue to be provided by the Council in conjunction with partner agencies.
5. To comply with the funding guidance for the Towns Fund process, all projects are required to develop business cases for approval by HBC as managing authority and by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) before funding is released for construction.
Supporting documents:
- Cabinet 25.06.21 Town Deal Heads of Terms final report, item 352. PDF 586 KB
- Appendix 1 - Heads of Terms Hastings, item 352. PDF 129 KB
- Appendix 2 - Annex A Project confirmation document, item 352. PDF 150 KB
- Appendix 3 – Hastings Town Deal Board and Governance Structure, item 352. PDF 663 KB
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