Agenda and minutes

It was noted that the following apologies had been given:

·       James Baty

·       Leo Scott Smith

·       Nick Worboys

·       Nicole Hilton

·       Tim Chambers

·       Peter Neil

·       Jacqui Bunce

·       Mark Lorriman-Hughes

·       Peter Holmes

RESOLVED that the order of business be amended to allow the Presentation by Lincoln College on The Drill and HEAT Projects to be delivered before the Project Programme Update.

The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed.

·       Current Terms of Reference

·       Future Prosperity – Terms of Reference

The Board discussed the Terms of Reference in great detail and requested the following membership changes be made and the Terms of Reference be updated to reflect the following:

·       Julian Free to attend in place of Mary Stuart (University of Lincoln)

·       James Foster to attend in place of Gary Headland (Lincoln College)

·       Mick Lazarus to attend in place of Peter Holmes (BEIS)

·       Mark Lorriman-Hughes to attend in place of Stephen Kilvington (RAF Waddington)

The Lincoln Town Deal Board agreed the current Terms of Reference were fit for purpose for the next stages of delivery. Democratic Services was tasked to update the Terms of Reference as stated above and to re circulated to Board Members.

Francesca Bell, Assistant Director for Growth and Development presented the Future Prosperity Terms of Reference, highlighting the following:

·       The purpose of the Interim Board to act to support the governance of the UK Shared Prosperity fund

·       The Governance Structure

·       The Key Duties of the Town Board

·       Details of the Membership

·       Attendance (which would act the same as the Lincoln Town Deal Board)

·       Notice of meetings

·       The Quorum

·       Decision making process

·       The report process

She welcomed Members questions and comments.

Board Members agreed for the Investment Sub-Committee to be tasked on behalf of the Lincoln Town Deal Board to scrutinise any emerging UKSPF projects as they emerged following the awaited announcement/funding release from the Government and any subsequent guidance released.

It was important to note that they would be sitting as one board consisting of the same membership, but under 2 separate Terms of Reference.

Members felt it would be useful to include the UKSPF focus/purposein the respective Terms of Reference.

The opportunity to welcome new members onto the Board was discussed and it was suggested that extra digital support may be beneficial to the Lincoln Town Deal Board. It was agreed by all Members to feedback any proposals for new representatives within the next week.

Members also discussed Ursula Lidbetter’s position on the board due to her retiring at the end of this year. She left the room during these discussions and following a unanimous vote, it was agreed that she remained on the Board but under a different status which would be confirmed at a later date.

RESOLVED that the Terms of Reference be agreed, updated and re-circulated to Board Members.

·       Role of the Sub Committee

·       Town Deal Governance Audit Report by Assurance Lincolnshire

·       Monitoring and Evaluation proposal

Angela Andrews, Chair of Investment Sub-Committee provided the Board with a brief update following the most recent Investment Sub-Committee meeting and explained that following a lot of diligence work over the past year, which was now complete, projects had progressed from the early stages to the latter stages and monitoring and evaluation would soon be underway.

Town Deal Governance Audit Report by Assurance Lincolnshire

The Town Board noted the high level of assurance reported by Assurance Lincolnshire following their audit in January 2022 into the Governance and financial management arrangements of the Lincoln Town Deal Programme.

Monitoring and Evaluation Proposal

The Board noted and approved the proposal outlined into the Monitoring and Evaluation proposal document and agreed officers proceed on this basis.

Mark Taylor, Director for Business Development and Partnerships from the Lincoln College delivered a presentation, he covered the following:

·       The Drill

-        Opened on 21^st December 2021 and had its official launch on February 2022

-        So far there had been 142 performances

-        Engagement with over 17,000 customers through newsletters

·       The HEAT project (Hospitality, Events, Art and Tourism) offering a short, sharp, low level intervention that helped the visitor economy sector to get back on its feet

·       Modernisation of Sessions House and the Old Bakery

·       Creation of a Hospitality Centre of Excellence and finishing school at the Old Bakery

·       Refurbishment of Sessions House – to be a training facility that replicated employer kitchens and facilities

·       Refurbishment of Sessions House was hoped to be completed by December for official opening in February 2023

·       Completion of transformation of the Old Bakery was expected to be completed by the end of November

Board members commended the fantastic work that Lincoln College had done in reviving the Drill into its current operation and the facilities on offer.

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy and Funding Manager provided the Board with a brief update on the current status of the ongoing projects within the Lincoln Town Deal Board. She highlighted the following:

·       5 projects still hadn’t quite met the GFA Stage By September 2022 a total of £2.7m is claimed to have been spent and another £4m was expected to be spent before the end of the financial year. Although the existing financial profile was currently being reviewed, the final expected expenditure figure may change.

·       With regard to programme there had been some slippage and some milestones had been delayed but most projects with the exception of LMS, LC, Greyfriars, Sincil Bank  and  LSIP should be completing the delivery phase in 23/24

·       Greyfriars had been awarded gap funding via the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which significantly de-risks this project.

·       HEAT College had now completed the purchase for the Old Bakery and Grant Funding Agreement was in place

·       There were no current  projects viewed as a red risk, however four projects were highlighted as amber due to either Planning Permissions or Listed Building Consent being awaited (LCFC and the Barbican) or the need for programme review and revision due to resolved programme delays (Lincoln Connected and Sincil Bank). Board members identified the importance of maintaining the programme and in order to maintain a realistic steer, they urged that Project Leads make the Town Board aware of any programme and expenditure issues as soon as they arise and the need for project leaders to be honest with their approach. It was important that the Board were able to respond swiftly in managing the response to any such events going forward.

Francesca Bell, Assistant Director for Growth and Development advised the Lincoln Town Deal Board that once the funding arrived, it would be allocated accordingly. Expressions of interest for project funding had been advertised in September and 48 applications had been received. The funding applied for was unsurprisingly far greater than the current allocation but it has been useful to capture a broad scope of projects, and enable wider consideration of alternative funding options if necessary.

Board members asked for an update to be given on the progress of Wigford Way and Greyfriars. Angela Andrews, Chair of Investment Sub Committee advised that:

·       Wigford Way current had green status and it was intended to stay that way. A proposal is in place for the Lincolnshire County Council to present Sincil Bank and Wigford Way at the next scheduled meeting in January

·       Funding had been confirmed which has resulted in the project moving to green status.

·       Friday 13^th January 2023

The next scheduled Lincoln Town Deal Board – Friday 13^th January 2022.