Terms of Reference

Contents

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;

Provide strategic oversight of the Town Deal funded programme and the delivery of the Town Investment Plan.

2.2. Status

The Town Deal Board will continue to act in an advisory capacity to the lead council (Redditch Borough Council), providing strategic guidance and input to the lead authority.

2.3. Roles and responsibilities

Town Deal Board

The Town Deal Board will be consulted and involved in key decisions relating to the implementation of the Town Deal programme and Town Investment Plan.

It will also act as the local partnership group to advise on strategic fit and deliverability of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Redditch – taking care to avoid conflicts of interest.

The Board is responsible for:

Upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
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 compliance with the Heads of Terms Agreement with government
Reviewing and feeding into the performance reporting returns before they are submitted to government.
Reviewing and agreeing Project Adjustment Requests.

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 performance reporting return before it is submitted to government.

Lead Council (acting as or with the accountable body)

Redditch Borough Council will lead on all operational decision making, programme management and implementation, as the legally responsible body for delivery of the Town Deal programme.

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
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.

2.3.4 The Board will act as the Local Partnership Group for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and advise on strategic fit and deliverability of the investment plan.

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 chair should be from the private sector although this can be reviewed if there is sufficient private sector representation at the Board and no objections.

The Board membership may be 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 every 8 weeks
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 offline as appropriate, as agreed by the chair of the Board.
The board may delegate authority to allow the chair to take specified decisions on its behalf between meetings
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 be 25% of its membership, including the Chair and a representative from Redditch Borough Council.

3.3.Secretariat

Redditch Borough 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 organisation 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.