Purpose and Role
The purpose of the Burton upon Trent Town Deal Board is to support East Staffordshire Borough Council, as the accountable body for the local Towns Fund programme, in driving economic growth in the Burton area through the undertaking of specific, targeted interventions.
The Town Deal Board previously held responsibility for creating and submitting the Town Investment Plan, which secured £23.8m from the Towns Fund programme, with four projects now being taken forward:
- The High Street Regeneration Project, being delivered by East Staffordshire Borough Council, Towns Fund award of £16,256,335.
- The Canal Towpath Improvement Project, being delivered by the Canal and River Trust, Towns Fund award of £1,985,596.
- The Cycle Network Enhancement Project, being delivered by Staffordshire County Council, Towns Fund award of £1,898,052.
- The Specialist College Offer Project, being delivered by Burton and South Derbyshire College, Towns Fund award of £3,502,278.
Following the approval of these projects and agreement of the Towns Fund Heads of Terms, the role of the Town Deal Board is to monitor and scrutinise delivery of the projects against the agreed Heads of Terms.
General Responsibilities
The Town Deal Board, and its Members, are responsible for (post-project approval):
- Working in accordance with the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles);
- Maintaining an up to date Register of Interest and adhering to the Board Member Code of Conduct, including declaring any interests as part of each Board meeting;
- Overseeing adherence with the agreed Towns Fund Heads of Terms and any variation thereafter, including approved project adjustment requests;
- Reviewing project and programme performance on a quarterly basis, including any changes to outputs, outcomes, spend profile or any change requiring a project adjustment request;
- Offering scrutiny and challenge to the Towns Fund programme as well as advice to East Staffordshire Borough Council, as the programme accountable body.
As a signatory to the Towns Fund Heads of Terms, the Town Deal Board has a specific responsibility relating to programme performance and is required to sign off on the 6-monthly performance submissions to Government, covering the periods ending 31st March and 30th September each year.
Membership
The membership of the Town Deal Board should reflect the Burton upon Trent area and include representation in accordance with the Towns Fund Prospectus.
The current membership is:
- Chair: Vacant
- Vice-Chair: John McKiernan (Parish Council Representative)
- Cllr Mick Fitzpatrick (Leader of the Council, ESBC)
- Cllr Rob Hawkins (Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development, ESBC)
- Cllr Paul Walker (Cabinet Member for Tourism and Cultural Development, ESBC)
- Cllr Adam Clarke (Councillor, ESBC)
- Cllr Conor Wileman (Councillor, SCC)
- Cllr Arshad Asfar (Councillor, SCC)
- Kate Kniveton (Member of Parliament for Burton and Uttoxeter)
- Dennis Fletcher (Parish Council Representative)
- Mick Clifford (Burton Civic Society)
- Harry White (National Brewery Heritage Trust)
- Shaid Hussain (Business Representative)
- Chris Plant (Business Representative)
The Secretary to the Town Deal Board is Andy O’Brien, Chief Executive, East Staffordshire Borough Council.
Meetings of the Board
The Town Deal Board is expected to meet a minimum of four times a year to reflect the quarterly performance reporting and monitoring process, allowing for discussions on project performance, spend and risk at each quarter.
Meetings will take place at Burton Town Hall, unless otherwise stated, with Zoom facilities being available if required.
Meetings will be supported by Officers from East Staffordshire Borough Council as well as representatives of the project sponsors, as appropriate, namely Staffordshire County Council, the Canal and River Trust, and Burton and South Derbyshire College.
Documentation provided to the Board should be treated as confidential unless otherwise stated at the time.
Voting and Quorum
Where possible, when a decision is required by the Town Deal Board, the Chair will aim to form a consensus view. Where this is not possible, any Board Member may request a vote, which shall follow these principles:
- Each Board Member shall hold one vote;
- Voting shall be indicated by a show of hands;
- Decisions shall be made on the basis of majority of those voting;
- Votes made on Zoom shall be included;
- The Chair shall hold the casting vote in any deadlock.
There is a quorum of 8 Board Members, including a minimum of: the Town Deal Board Chair/Vice-Chair and one representative from each Council.
Agendas and Minutes
Agendas and public minutes for the meetings will be made available on East Staffordshire Borough Council’s website in line with the Government’s publication requirements.
Terms of Reference Updates
These terms of reference may be updated from time to time to reflect:
- New or updated Government guidance;
- A shift in focus and responsibilities for the Town Deal Board (e.g. from project development to delivery); or
- A change in Town Deal Board Membership.