Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J Barry, A Stansfield, B Hunter, G Varley, J Borkoles, M Broughton and L Jones MP.

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.

None.

To approve as a correct record and the Chair to sign the Minutes of the Clay Cross Town Board held on 27 September 2024 and the Minutes of the Extraordinary meeting of the Clay Cross Town Board held on 27 November 2024.

That the minutes of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board meeting held on 27 September were approved as a true record, subject to the acknowledgement that the Local Carbon Challenge Fund (LCCF) had performed well. This included the promotion of key statistics, including surplus of 6000 m² of commercial floor space seeing improved carbon performance and over £400,000 worth of grants being given to enterprises making the transition to a low carbon economy.

That the minutes of the Extraordinary meeting held on 27 November 2024 were approved as a true record.

Programme Update

Tris Burdett, Programmes Manager – Programme Management Team

The Board received a programme update on the Clay Cross Town Deal projects, as well as an evaluation of the associated risks moving forward. This included an update on Clay Cross Active, the Town Centre Regeneration project, and the Low Carbon Challenge Fund (LCCF).

The Board heard that a replacement contractor, Universal Civils and Building, had been appointed as the principal contractor for Clay Cross Active. Members heard that the site clearance and cut/fill works in Baileys Square had been completed and the drainage and ground works were commencing. The partial demolition of Block B had also been completed. The Board were reminded that, following the extraordinary meeting on 27 November 2024, the LCCF had been closed. It was shared that officers were finalising the details of the total spend and an update would be brought to the Board’s next meeting.

The top programme risk was identified as rising costs causing budgetary issues. Regular cost reviews and value engineering would be utilised to ensure projects stayed within budget. The delivery of the outputs associated with skills and learning outcomes was identified as a specific risk to the town centre regeneration project. In this context, it was recommended that the Board request an update from the learning providers be brought to the meeting in March 2025. Overall, it was felt that despite the setbacks the programme was progressing well.

The Board discussed the programme update. The Chair requested further insight into the contract position with Inside Ltd. Some Members expressed concerns over the length of time Inside Ltd. had spent as the preferred contractor. Some Members queried whether the ceiling of the letter of intent had been reached yet. It was clarified that the ceiling had not yet been reached but costs would soon rise as major parts of the project got underway. In this context, the Board were reassured that the contract was being finalised and it was intended that it should be signed before the end of the year, subject to agreement of the key components and any unexpected issues. Members were made aware that the final contract would not be fully shared as it contained commercially confidential numbers.

The Board discussed concerns surrounding the budget and levels of contingency available. Officers detailed the amount of contingency that was included in the budget and clarified the final destination of the excess money from the closure of the LCCF. It was shared that value engineering would be utilised in order to ensure the programme represented a cost-efficient approach whilst still delivering against its targets. In this context, the Chair sought clarification as to whether changing building materials would lead to planning regulations slowing the process. Members were reassured that the risk of this was considered low as they were working closely with the planning officer.

Some Members expressed concerns over the level of detail being brought to the Board and frequency of meetings and reports. Officers detailed the information that the Board can expect to receive. In this context, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CXTB/27/24-25

The representative from Clay Cross Parish Council requested clarification as to the plan for discussing the new car park that formed part of the Town Centre Regeneration project. The Board were reminded that the Parish Council had submitted a letter asking the Board to reconsider that part of the proposal. It was suggested that the issue be an agenda item at a future meeting.

Some Members queried the practicality of adding the item to a future agenda because of the precedent it set. It was felt that it was impractical to continue to discuss an issue that had been agreed at a previous Board meeting.

It was agreed that officers would consider the issue with Governance colleagues and report back with a decision.

The next meeting of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board will be held on 21 March 2025 at 10.00 am.

That the next meeting of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board be held on 21 March 2025 at 10:00am.