Terms of Reference
Introduction
The Redditch Town Deal Board (RTDB) is a strategic body created as a vehicle following Redditch being identified as a Town that may benefit from the Towns Fund Initiative. The RTDB brings together the private, public and voluntary sectors to provide strategic leadership to develop and deliver a Town Investment Plan and schedule of interventions to secure government funding, and which sets out a clear understanding of the area, focusing on its assets, opportunities and challenges. It will be the vehicle through which the vision and strategy for Redditch is defined. The Redditch Town Deal boundary is shown below.
Purpose
2.1 The Board shall;
Develop and oversee the delivery of an evidence-based Town Investment Plan.
Co-ordinate public, private and third sector activity to develop and deliver the interventions using the framework of the Towns Fund Prospectus and any further guidance that may be issued.
To have regard to the three strands of the prospectus and develop the interventions and maximise the impact of those interventions.
- Urban regeneration, planning and land use
- Skills and enterprise
- Connectivity
2.2. Status
The Town Deal Board will act in an advisory capacity to the lead council (Redditch Borough Council).
2.3. Roles and responsibilities
Town Deal Board
The Town Deal Board will sign off each stage of a Town Investment Plan and Town Deal. The Board is responsible for:
- Upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
- Developing and agreeing an evidence-based Town Investment Plan
- Establishing a clear programme of interventions
- Embedding arrangements in local plans (where appropriate) and undertaking Environmental Impact Assessments and fulfilling duties on public authorities under the Equalities Act, in particular, and the public sector equality duty.
- Coordinating resources and engaging stakeholders
- Ensuring communities’ voices are involved in shaping design and decision making at each phase of development
- Ensuring diversity in its engagement with local communities and businesses
- Helping develop detailed business cases
- Overseeing each step of agreeing a Town Deal, and overseeing compliance with the Heads of Terms Agreement with government
Town Deal Board Chair
- Upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
- Leading the Board in achieving its objectives, maintaining an overview of activity, and championing and supporting partnership working
- Ensuring that decisions are made by the Board in accordance with good governance principles
- Signing the Head of Terms Agreement with government
Lead Council (acting as or with the accountable body)
- Upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
- Developing a delivery team, delivery arrangements and agreements
- Ensuring that decisions are made by the board in accordance with good governance principles
- Ensuring transparency requirements are met – through publication of information on a dedicated Town Deal website
- Developing agreed projects in detail and undertaking any necessary feasibility studies
- Undertaking any required Environmental Impact Assessments or Public Sector Equalities Duties
- Helping develop detailed business cases
- Liaising with potential private investors in identified local projects and schemes
- Signing the Head of Terms Agreement with government
- Monitoring and evaluating the delivery of individual Towns Fund projects
- Submitting regular monitoring reports to Towns Hub
- Receiving and accounting for the Town’s funding allocation
In carrying out its responsibilities board members will have due regard to the following principles:
- Acting solely in the public interest; making decisions purely on merit, in accordance with agreed processes and acting with regularity and propriety when managing public money;
- Keeping records which demonstrate that the Board meets all legal obligations and compliance requirements placed on it ensuring these are published on the Redditch Town Deal website
- Actively cooperating with stakeholders. This involves engaging deliberately and constructively with the private sector and public sector including national and local partners such as: Government Departments, third sector representatives, community interest groups, education institutions in order to develop a Town Investment Plan.
2.3.1 This document will be reviewed, refreshed and sign off annually by the Board or more frequently to respond to government guidance or changing direction in the Towns Fund Programme.
2.3.2 The Board will oversee the publication, on the Redditch Town Deal website, of key documentation and communication source making sure that it is:
- Prominent, accessible and easy to navigate
- Updated regularly to ensure that information remains current
2.3.3 The Board will be responsible for making recommendations to the Lead Authority with respect to the Town Investment Plan, projects, programmes and allocation of funding.
3 Board membership
3.1. Membership
The chair of the Board will be decided at the inaugural meeting of the board and be reviewed annually.
The Board membership maybe revised, as required, to best support the evolving nature of the Towns Fund programme, provided the core membership remains in line with government guidance. The decision to appoint or alter the membership of the
Board rests with the Chief Executive of the Lead Council, in consultation with the leader of the Lead Council.
As appropriate, the Board may set up sub-groups or task and finish groups to focus or manage particular aspects of the Town Investment Plan and Towns Fund Programme. All such groups will report to the Board.
3.2. Meetings
- The Board shall meet at least once a month
- A forward programme of scheduled meetings will be established which will be supplemented, as necessary, with meetings convened with the agreement of the Chair of the Board.
- The Board may take decisions off line as appropriate, as agreed by the chair of the Board.
- In consultation with the chair, members of the Board may nominate substitutes if they are not able to attend a meeting
- The quorum for any meeting of the Board shall 25% of its membership, including the Chair and a representative from Redditch Borough Council.
3.3.Secretariat
- North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration Service on behalf of the lead Council will provide a secretariat function which will involve organising meetings, preparing and circulating agendas and producing minutes
- All agendas, minutes, and supporting documentation will be circulated, electronically, to Board members 5 days before a meeting.
- Agendas and reports will be published on a dedicated Redditch Towns Deal website unless it is agreed by the chair that these items are of a confidential nature and need to be dealt with press and public excluded
- Minutes of all meetings will be public documents
3.4 Voting
- Where a decision is required the Board shall try to reach a consensus view.
- Where this is not possible there will be a vote.
- Each Member shall have one vote.
- Voting shall be by a show of hands of Board members and shall be by simple majority.
- In the case of equality of voting, the Chair shall have a second or casting vote.
3.5 Confidentiality
All papers marked as confidential and all discussions at meetings in relation to confidential items shall not be disclosed outside the Board.
3.6 Declarations of Interest
The Members recognise that it is essential that the business of the Board is conducted in an open and transparent manner. Conflicts of interest may arise where an individual’s personal, family, business or organisations interests and/or loyalties conflict with those of the group or meeting that Board members are attending. All Members will declare interests as set out in the Lead Authority’s Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy. Declaration involves stating the interest and also the nature of the interest. Once the interest is declared, then a Member may speak on the item but must not vote on it.
A Register of Interests shall be established and completed by all members of the Board. This shall be made available to the Chair at all meetings.
3.7 Conduct of Board Members
All members of the Board are expected to adhere to the Nolan Principles.
The Board will align itself with the governance standards and policies of Redditch Borough Council as Lead Council, including those policies on whistle blowing and complaints.
3.8 Changes to the terms of reference
The Terms of Reference of the Board may be amended by the Board at any meeting subject to a majority vote. 14 days notice must be given of any proposed changes to the Terms.
4 Adoption of the constitution
This constitution will be adopted at a meeting of the Board by a majority vote of members present.