Decision details

To authorise the spend the £1,196,000 of funds for the Healing the High Street project from Boston Town Fund.
To enter into grant funding agreements and other relevant
agreements required to secure and obligate performance of
grant to release the £1,196,000 of funds for the Healing the
High Street project from Boston Town Fund.

1. Healing the High Street is one of seven approved projects
contained within the approved Town Deal Investment Plan
for Boston that were awarded the following Central Government grant funding in March 2021, to run across
financial years 2021/22 to 2025/26. The Healing the High
Street project is intended to transform Boston’s historic town centre through a town centre regeneration programme. The
project will offer grants to building owners to invest in their
buildings, as well as directly funding adjacent public realm
and green space improvements.
2. To authorise grant expenditure of up to £1,196,000 of
external Towns Deal grant funding that is allocated to
Boston Borough Council as lead contracting authority and
accountable body for the approved Healing the High Street
project and business case.
3. The grant funding is to support the acquisition of Shodfriars Hall acquisition by Scorers Hawkins Pension Trust and subsequent programme of works to reinstate and repair the heritage asset.
4. To enable the completion and execution of the formal grant
funding agreements to meet compliance with the terms of
the Boston Town Fund requirements.
5. The grant funding agreements are provided by the Council’s appointed legal advisors and include contractual provisions on eligible works, grant payment mechanisms and the associated expenditure requirements.
6. To ensure the grants have adequate security provisions and clawback of funding arrangements if the eligible works and agree outputs are not delivered by the grant recipient.
7. The project is approved by HM Government and previously approved by Council to accept the grant funding and be amended into the Capital Programme for delivery.
8. Subsequent Town Board reports and project adjustments have been considered and agreed by the Boston Towns Board to amend the allocation of individual grants to be
awarded under the Towns Deal award.

To do nothing – however Members have already supported the principle of spending the Town Deal award.
To divert the funding to another Town Deal project – this is
considered only as a path in default if not appropriate
opportunities arise subject to additional clearance by the
Ministry of Housing, Local Communities and Growth (MHCLG).
All Project Adjustment Requests, delegated or non-delegated, must be submitted to MHCLG. The Department will then issue written confirmation regarding whether the PAR is delegated or not before any changes can proceed. All interventions must continue to meet Towns Fund value for money requirements.