Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Sarah Sharpe.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of any item on the agenda.

The Leader declared that she represented Boston Borough Council on the Boston Town Deal Board.

(A report of John Medler, Assistant Director – Governance and Monitoring Officer)

Portfolio Holder: Councillor Anne Dorrian

The Leader presented the report which sought consideration of the Long-Term Plan for Towns Funding and the governance arrangements required for a repurposed Boston Town Board.

Boston Borough Council was the accountable body for the new Long-Term Plan for Towns funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Boston was one of 55 towns across the UK to receive funding and support totalling up to £20 million to regenerate the town centre.

The Long-Term Plan was centred on local stakeholders acting in the interests of local people. A fundamental prerequisite of the funding allocation was the requirement of a Town Board.

Town Boards were required to submit their Long-Term Plans (comprising 10-year vision and 3-year investment plan) before 1 August 2024. The Plan would set out how funding would be allocated and spent, with the local authority as the body accountable for funding.

The Council had communicated to the Government that it wished to repurpose the existing Town Deal Board as the Town Board for the Long-Term Plan. In support of this the Council had developed revised Terms of Reference for the Town Board to reflect the Government’s requirements as set out in various guidance documents. These were attached in Appendix 1 within the report.

Members noted that the next meeting of the Town Deal Board was on Wednesday 5^th June 2024 and therefore it was necessary to review and approve the repurposed Terms of Reference beforehand. The terms of reference took into account the principles of public life, the code of conduct, declarations of interest, membership and governance arrangements.

The Leader outlined the following differences between the original and the new terms of reference:

·       Section 2 (Roles and Responsibilities) included the revised roles and responsibilities of the town board with updated links to relevant guidance documents and funding streams.

·       Section 3 (Membership) referenced the requirements relating to the Chair, Deputy Chair and membership of the Board. The main difference was that the term of office for members had been increased from two to three years which reflected the suggested government guidance to review membership at the end of the three year investment plan cycle.

·       Sections 6 (Notice of Meetings) and 10 (Reporting) included the transparency guidance as set out by the Government. Agendas would be published 5 working days in advance of the meeting and draft minutes would be published within 10 working days of the meeting.

·       Section 8 (Declaration of Interest) incorporated the transparency requirements as set out by the Government. It reiterated that members should adhere to the seven principles of public life and sign up to the code of conduct.

The Leader highlighted some minor amendments, as follows:

·       Paragraph 3.4 (d) should read ‘to approve the draft minutes of the meeting allowing them to be distributed no more than 10 working days after the meeting’.

·       Paragraph 7.1 should read ‘A quorum shall be 5 Board Members present in person or in accordance with clause 5.5.’.

·       Paragraph 9.1 should read ‘Each member of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.