Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Amzie Atwal, Tony Walker and Angela Stansfield.

Board was made aware that Jack Honour would be attending the meeting as a substitute for Amzie Atwal.

Allison Westray Chapman informed Members that they may be required to leave the meeting before its close due to prior commitments.

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.

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

There were no declarations of interest at this meeting. 

To approve as a correct record and the Chair to sign the Minutes of the Clay Cross Town Board held on 14 January 2022.

It was noted that Peter Dewhurst had been in attendance at the last meeting of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board and that the Minutes should be amended to reflect this.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board held on 14 January 2022 were noted by the Chair, subject to the above clarification.

RESOLVED – That Councillor Cupit be appointed Vice-Chair of the Clay Cross Town Deal Board for the remainder of the municipal year. 

Project Lead/Amion

Town Deal Board received an update on the Strategic Programme. They heard that this was in the process of being revised and revisited.

As some projects, such as Bridge Street, remained challenging, there had been discussions within the Working groups around the potential to broaden the geographical considerations across the rest of the town in order to maintain outputs.

Board were informed that a project adjustment form would need to be sent to Government in order to confirm that additional time would be needed for the extension of business cases.

Project Lead/Amion to update on the following:-

·       Key Issues and Risks

·       Connections

·       Low Carbon Housing

·       Low Carbon Workspace

·       Town Centre

·       Creative Hub

·       Skills Hub

·       Train Station Feasibility

Town Deal Board received a status update on each of the projects being undertaken as part of the Town Deal. Board were recommended to support a formal extension of time to the application so that the programme approach could be changed to support a delivery of outcomes rather than individual projects.

Members were informed that a broader town centre programme could be one option to ensure that the outputs of the TIP would be met. Board were recommended to approve investigations into a broader town centre regeneration scheme that would reallocate the Bridge Street funding and maintain target outputs.

The Low Carbon Working Group had recommended that the low carbon project should be decoupled from the low carbon energy network strategy. The Group also recommended that a Challenge Fund should be established, this would allow applicants to seek funding support to improve the energy status of their projects. The Town Deal Board was asked to support the principle of this and the details would be worked up in conjunction of the Strategic Programmes Team.

The Low Carbon Working Group also proposed that further investment should be made into Sharley Park Community Hub. Board were asked to support £1 million funding into the Community Hub, with the remainder being allocated to the challenge fund.

It was clarified that the low carbon stream would be split into three areas; £150,000 would go towards the energy network strategy; £1 million would go towards Sharley Park; and the remaining balance would go towards the low carbon challenge fund.

Members heard that the current focus on the Creative Hub project had been centred around the activities that would take place within the Hub and what creative industries could be attracted to participate in the Hub. Condition surveys on potential buildings to house the Hub were ongoing and this would feed into Land Assembly. Early release funding of £40,000 had been approved by Board for the Commissioning of a Business/Operation plan for the Hub.

RESOLVED – That

1.    CCTDB noted the contents of the report.

2.    Board endorsed the measures for minimising programme delays and completing the required business cases for the projects identified in the Clay Cross Town Investment Plan.

Director of Transformation

Town Deal Board were provided with the Sharley Park Town Fund Business Case and Business Case Assurance documents for consideration. They were informed that ahead of the meeting, the revised budget had been reviewed with the Section 151 Officer and the scheme was on track to be delivered within allocated budgets.

The business case outlined a number of potential options for consideration, some of these had been discounted and some relied on securing further investment in the project. As the low carbon monies had been approved earlier in the meeting, it was proposed that option seven should be pursued as the preferred option.

Members heard that Mace had reviewed all the associated documents and confirmed accuracy and compliance with the Towns Fund guidance and recommended that the project was “Ready to proceed”.

RESOLVED – That Clay Cross Town Board agree to

1.    Pursue option 7 as the preferred option as outlined in the business case however, should further funding become available, seek to deliver the higher BCR through option 8.

2.    To prepare and submit Sharley Park Town Fund Business Case, Business Case Assurance and other associated documentation to the Town Hub for consideration. 

Senior Regeneration Officer & Urban Designer

Members were provided with an update on recent communications activity and recommended to appointment a communications apprentice.

Town Deal Board were informed that a two page article had been included in Wings Magazine to raise local awareness of the town deal initiative. An eight page special feature on the initiative was also planned for a future edition of the magazine.

Members heard that at the Working Group meeting in February, it was agreed that Becky hunter of Riber Products, based in Clay Cross, would be appointed as a Clay Cross Business Ambassador.

A new website was under construction to ensure that CCTDB project achieved its goals. A full suite of social media accounts for the deal had also been created.

In order to achieve the communication ambitions of the project, and for the communications channels to be used to their maximum potential, it was proposed that a level four apprentice should be appointed to manage these communication channels.

RESOLVED – That

1.    Board noted the recent communications activity.

2.    Board approved the appointment of a communications apprentice and an associated annual budget of £23,000

Town Deal Board were made aware of the existence of useful information that would be updated weekly and accessible via a shared Dropbox.

Members also discussed safety concerns over an alleyway close to the Tesco’s at Sharley Park and heard that discussions with Tesco over this land were underway.

The Chair to move:-

That the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the following item of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006). 

RESOLVED – That the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the follow items of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006). 

Senior Regeneration Office and Urban Designer

Town Deal Board received an update on land assembly opportunities.

RESOLVED – That the Board approved the use of accelerated and early release funding budgets to purchase two sites in Clay Cross Town Centre following a period of negotiation with the final agreement being agreed by the Board via email. 

Section 151 Officer

Approval was sought from the Board to utilise resources from the Town Deal grant for programme management, assurance, monitoring and evaluation.

RESOLVED – That the Board approved the use of Town Deal grant to fund the cost of the Project Management function as detailed at 1.6 in the report.