Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor G Morley, John Mather (Homes England), Liam Rooney (Derbyshire FA), Angela Stansfield (DWP) and Jane Tricker (Homes England).

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or other interests, not already on their register of interests, in any item on the agenda and withdraw from the meeting at the appropriate time.

No declarations of interest were made.

For the Board to approve the decision made on 15 May 2020 (morning) by the interview panel to select a consultant.

The Chair welcomed everybody to the meeting. He explained how at 10.30 a.m. before this meeting began, the interview tender selection panel interviewed three suppliers. The selection panel included:

1) Gary Golden (Chair)

2) Councillor M E Thacker MBE JP (Leader and Vice-Chair)

3) Councillor G Morley (Chairman of Clay Cross Parish Council)

4) Andrew King (Clay Cross Town Centre Group Treasurer)

5) Warren Manning (Derby University Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology)

The Chair stated that the panel’s decision at the end of the interview process was to appoint Nexus Planning as the consultants to assist in delivering the Clay Cross Investment Plan. The decision now required final approval from Clay Cross Town Board.

The Vice-Chair informed the Board that all three of the suppliers interviewed were of very good quality, but the reasons the panel selected Nexus Planning were:

1) Ability to deliver within the timeline

2) Experience

3) Quality

4) Low Carbon expertise

5) Digital expertise

6) Have delivered other Government led projects

7) Nexus pledged to put together an ‘Action Focus Plan’ in the next eight weeks

The Vice-Chair added that another of the reasons Nexus impressed was their commitment to forming a COVID-19 relationship with the Board. The Board agreed this was very important, because the Investment Plan would need to set up many things in preparation for the COVID-19 recovery, like the economic profile, employment, schools, apprentices, regeneration, retail, night-time economy, hotels and training.

Tom Goshawk informed the Board that in terms of Town Routes, D2N2 would be able to provide analysis of COVID-19 data.

Ratification of the panel’s decision was moved by the Vice-Chair and seconded by Councillor J Kenyon.

The Members of the Board voted unanimously to ratify the decision of the interview panel and appoint Nexus Planning as the consultants to assist in delivering the Clay Cross Investment Plan.

RESOLVED – That Clay Cross Town Board ratifies the decision of the interview panel and appoints Nexus Planning as the consultants to assist in delivering the Clay Cross Investment Plan.

(Director of Corporate Resources/Director of Growth and Economic Development/Governance Officer)

Members of the Board noted that COVID-19 was causing retail use and occupancy in Clay Cross to fall dramatically, meaning that businesses and pubs/hotels would find it very difficult after the pandemic. Members were in agreement that Town Deals such as Clay Cross Town Board were now even more important than ever, because Clay Cross Town Board would allow its Members to jointly identify the areas to help recover first.

Julie Richards stated that the Chesterfield College Group were lobbying the Government for more assistance during the COVID-19 recovery in terms of apprentices and adult training.

The Chair informed the Board that the date of the next meeting would be circulated in the near future once Nexus Planning had been informed of their successful bid, because Nexus Planning would require the next Board meeting to be an inception meeting.