Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Peter Neil, David Lewis and Leo Scott Smith.

The Chair added that due to time commitments, Leo Scott Smith would be standing down from the Board.

The Democratic Services Officer confirmed the quorum of 6 members.

It was confirmed that there were no outstanding actions or resolutions.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of the Lincoln Town Deal Board held on 21 October 2022 be confirmed as a true record.

Members commented positively on the location of the last meeting which took place at The Drill.

It was confirmed that there were no outstanding actions or resolutions.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of the Investment Sub-Committee held on 13 December 2022 be confirmed as a true record.

·       Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Report submission to DLUHC for period April to September 2022

·       Project Adjustment Updates

Liam Scully, Chair of the Lincoln Town Deal Board, opened the meeting and welcomed attendees.

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager:

a)    provided the Board with a brief update following the most recent Investment Sub-Committee meeting held on 13 December 2022. During consideration of the update, the following points were noted: -

• There was a requirement, as part of the Town Deal Grant, to submit six monthly reports to DLUHC
• The Investment Sub-Committee had heavily scrutinised areas of the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance form, submitted to DLUHC in December 2022. The reporting period was April-September 2022.
• Baseline profile at the time of the report submission was an anticipated £8.8m at March 2023. It was now estimated to be £7.2m further to slippage on the finance profile but securely within the specified 40% margin.
• Risk assessments had been carried out across all projects as required and all projects had received a risk score out of 24. The maximum score mitigated was 15.
• The Investment Sub-Committee had considered any changes to projects further to the business case submission and as required by the Grant Funding Agreement.

b)    requested that Members of the Board note and approve the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance form as submitted to DLUHC on 16 December 2022 further to recommendation of the Investment Sub-Committee

c)    welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

Comment: Members gave thanks to Officers and were content with the submission.

Comment: The Monitoring & Evaluation Performance form had been submitted to DLUHC prior to the meeting.

Response: The submission date was set by DLUHC and data was circulated via email. However, future submissions would be brought before the Board for consideration prior to submission and regardless of prior circulation.

Comment: It was important to plan accordingly for any change of guidance and/or regulation.

Comment: Thorough scrutiny was carried out prior to submission and it was agreed that future meeting dates be amended.

RESOLVED that: -

1)    the contents of the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance form, as submitted to DLUHC on 16 December 2022, be noted and approved

2)    future submissions to DLUHC would be brought before the Board for consideration prior to submission

3)    future meeting dates to be amended to enable the Board an opportunity to consider and discuss future reports prior to submission

• Financial completion to be adjusted from August 2022 to August 2025

• Financial completion to be adjusted from May 2023 to March 2024

• Proposed name change of Lincoln Project to be changed to “Lincoln Be Smarter”

• Delivery partner proposed changes from Lincoln Big to Threshold

RESOLVED that the Project Adjustments update be noted and agreed.

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager:

a)    provided the Board with a brief update on the current status of the ongoing projects within the Lincoln Town Deal Board. During consideration of the update, the following points were noted: -

• Projects had progressed well and the thirteen projects within the programme were at differing stages.
• The Monitoring and Evaluation framework had been explored and meetings had taken place with projects to discuss their commitment to provide data to enable presentation to the Board over the coming twelve months.
• Barbican had appointed a Director and the post had commenced in January 2023.
• Barbican and Greyfriars construction work was due to commence in Spring 2023.
• Construction works at the Lincoln Central Market was due to complete in August 2023.
• Store of Stories was nearing completion and would open in Spring 2023.
• LSIP had required a review of the associated costs as the next steps would be finalisation of design works and planning permission.
• Lincoln Be Smarter Grant Schemes had a planned launch of Spring 2023.
• Lincoln Connected had a new delivery partner, Threshold Studios and together, had been developing a digital roadmap for the project. The outcome was expected by the end of March 2023.
• Receipt of the feasibility study for Wigford Way was outstanding but expected by the end of January 2023.
• The resident parking scheme within Sincil Bank, although outside of the project, was a precursor for road development works and approved before Christmas 2022. Cost reviews were underway with the County Council and results from resident consultations on draft plans was expected by March 2023.
• HEAT had completed and opened prior to Christmas 2022 and students were now training alongside senior chefs. Sessions House was due to be completed before the end of March 2023 and as such, further expenditure was anticipated.
• Planning permission for LCFC was expected imminently with work on site due to commence in February/March 2023.

b)    requested that Members of the Board note and approve the proposed adjustments further to recommendation of the Investment Sub-Committee

c)    welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

Comment: When was construction works for Barbican and Greyfriars expected to commence?

Response: Construction work was due to commence for both projects in Spring 2023.

RESOLVED that the Project Programme update be noted and agreed

Simon Hawking from Acts Trust:

a)    provided the Board with a presentation and update on the progress of Store of Stories. During consideration of the presentation, the following points were noted: -

• Acts Trust was a local charity founded in 2006 by Alive Church.
• The name was derived from a vision that everything inside the store, had a story.
• Research of models had been conducted around the country with regard to food surplus, overproduced by farms to divert to those most in need, rather than going to waste.
• During the pilot year, there were over 1500 memberships and daily visits of between 63-80.
• Beaumont Manner was chosen as a heritage building that had not been used for six years with close links for travel via bus/train. It was within walking distance of inner City neighbourhoods.
• Worked in partnership with FairShare to provide fresh food.
• Funding had enabled significant renovation of the building which had included redecoration and the installation of a disabled toilet with accessibility improved.
• Community cafes had been created of which would be used to offer courses such as job skills, financial capability and mental health recovery.
• The Old Club room had been transformed to the location of the community groceries and renovation had included cold storage space.
• Renovation works had also included the conservatory area.
• There had been an upgraded fire/intruder alarm system fitted and lighting and heating throughout.
• There had been a kitchen area installed which would be used to creates soups and smoothies from waste food and renovation works had been carried out by Gelder Group, Lincolnshire Construction Company.
• Outcomes of the project included bringing a heritage site back into public use and increased footfall in the area.
• The project created 55 volunteer positions and the creation of 2 jobs and an office space had been created for the Team.

b)    welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

Comment: The project was phenomenal. The transformation of the building and the project itself had been incredible.

Question: What was the scalability of the project? Visitor numbers could increase significantly. What was the capacity for any potential increase?

Response: There was the capacity to double the current number of 60. The Store had looked at networks across the country that could accommodate 150 visits per day.

Comment: The project was fantastic and sincere thanks were shared for all those involved.

Question: There was an evolving concept for the philosophy behind the branding. If the project title remained the same, would the Store of Stories be shortened to ‘the Store’?

Response: Store of Stories was a project title used for approximately five years. The full name was ‘Lincoln Community Grocery’ and it would be that branding above the door to the building.

Question: Was there provision for emergency access to services outside of Monday – Friday?

Response: The project worked in partnership. Lincoln Foodbank provided access to emergency provision and the project had a delivery team for house bound service users to receive a home delivery.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

Kirsty Cheetham, Senior Communications Officer and Caroline Killeavy, Chief Executive of YMCA:

a)    provided the Board with a brief Communications Update within which the following points were noted: -

• Partners had worked well within the team and discussions had taken place regarding the possibility of an annual AGM.
• Social media was an effective method of communication across the City and the common trend was higher engagement with posts that utilised videos and construction work images.
• Twitter follower numbers reached 346 in December 2022.
• Relative hashtags and organisations were used in shared media posts and retweets.
• Post engagement and follower numbers had been helped by content and updates which derived from partnership working.
• There had been successful creation of four social media accounts for the Be Lincoln brand.
• Press releases included coverage of the Lincoln Community Grocery.
• Future work would include the creation of Drone footage for Greyfriars and consideration of open days for users that did not access information through the internet.

b)    welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

Comment: The spike in activity and follower numbers since September 2022 was fantastic.

Comment: It would be useful to receive a monthly update to enable Members to share with non-executives.

Comment: Boston had a successful AGM. It should be recognised that the Lincoln Town Deal had worked on delivery whilst a number of other cities had worked on summary documents.

Comment: It would be advantageous to include additional reference and signage to advise viewers that the Lincoln Town Deal was a Government funded programme.

Response: It may be useful to create a ‘crib sheet’. Communications in the modern era was adaptable and agile. Consideration of dynamic coverage was important. Some of the most valuable PR moments were not planned.

Comment: Instant attention was best placed through Twitter as the turn around for comment requests could be between 2-3 weeks. Identification of key opportunities and milestones would enable sufficient planning.

Response: The guideline for ministerial quotes was two weeks. Discussions had taken place internally to identify how quotes could be sourced for projects however change could happen frequently and therefore, it was not possible to guarantee quotes.

Question: Were there any peer groups or to support at a national level around Communications? Any best practise?

Response: Discussion was ongoing. A considerable number of Towns Fund projects were in the summary document phase although due to complete close to February 2023. Lincoln was further ahead so consideration to peer groups could be taken forward in the future.

Comment: The University of Lincoln was prominent on Instagram. Which platform was expected to become the most popular?

Response: Instagram had significant potential as many of the projects were visual. Work would reman ongoing to grow presence on additional social medica platforms.

Question: Had the use of Tiktok been considered?

Response: Consideration would be given to the use of Tiktok in the future.

Comment: The Lincoln Town Deal Programme was ahead when compared to other Cities. Professional and corporate engagement to date had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Francesca Bell, Assistant Director of Growth and Development:

a)    provided the Board with a verbal presentation on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund within which the following points were noted: -

·       The total UKSPF allocation for Lincoln was £2.8m.

·       The Investment plan was submitted to DLUHC in August 2022. Further to resolution of minor issues identified, Government had accepted the submission.

·       Projects were consulted with to discover if there were any changes and/or amendments further to the expression of interest submitted. A deadline of 6 January 2023 was provided.

·       Work with an independent Consultant would identify project risks, deliverability and outputs, the results of which would be presented to the next meeting of the Investment Sub-Committee

·       There was an intention to create a list of projects to put before Board Members to give consideration to priorities. It was likely that the number of project would exceed the funding allocation.

NOTE: Alison Hewson, Democratic Services Officer joined proceedings at this stage.

·       Ratification of a deliverability shortlist would be sought from the Investment Sub-Committee on 7 February 2023 to proceed to Executive in March 2023.

·       It would be beneficial to agree an additional meeting of the Board to enable consideration of a full viability list.

b)    welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

Question: Was the UK Shared Prosperity Fund an addition to the responsibilities of the Lincoln Town Deal Board? Did it form part of the Terms of Reference? How should it be governed?

Comment Views of all Elected Members, and the Town Deal Board would be taken into account in its capacity as the representative body of stakeholders in this respect. It would be a good idea to set down these responsibilities in writing in the interests of transparency.

Comment: Concerns were raised between the decision of the Board and elected members. What would be the result if elected members and the Board disagreed?

Response: The responsibility for final decision would be with the Council’s Executive. Members would be fully briefed with feedback from the Board as the representative body of stakeholders.

Comment by Leader of the Council: The Executive comprised senior elected members. He offered his total assurance that a conscientious style of decision would be made. Priorities identified within Vision 2025 would reflect the wider priorities of the stakeholders. All views would be taken into account in order that our City would benefit most within available resources.

Response: It was comforting to acknowledge the work of the Town Deal Board as independent external stakeholders responsible for measuring all the project options against available criteria.

Comment: The Lincoln Town Deal Board was the best example of a partnership Board in Lincoln with experience of considering Government criteria. It was important to ensure that the UKSPF and Towns Fund aligned to enable synergy between them. The development of a community board would ensure engagement of communities and sufficient representation. The Town Board had an important role in ensuring local community engagement. Due to the competitiveness of UKSPF funding,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Kate Ellis, Strategic Director of Major Developments reported that the Government was committed to take a decision on Levelling Up funding by the end of January 2023. She thanked Karl McCartney, Member of Parliament for Lincoln for all his valuable assistance in the City’s submission.

Liam Scully, Chair of the Lincoln Town Deal Board advised that the Board had Membership gaps. Active nominations from representatives of the Retail/High Street and Digital industry sectors would be welcomed further to the meeting. Nominations could be sent to Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager and Angela Andrews, Chief Executive, Town Clerk and Chair of the Investment Sub-Committee.

·       April 2023 - LCC Football Club

·       July 23  - Market - City of Lincoln

·       Oct 23 - LBS and LC - University and Visit Lincoln

Potential dates of future meetings included:

• Friday 3 March 2023
• Friday 2 June 2023
• Friday 1 September 2023

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager confirmed that meeting dates would be circulated to Board Members.

NOTE: Councillor Ric Metcalfe left proceedings at this stage.

RESOLVED that the Lincoln City Football Club (LCFC) agenda item would be moved from April to the date of the next meeting which would take place at Sincil Bank, home to LCFC

Growth Strategy Funding Manager identified risk scores of amber across some areas including material/labour costs, planning and archaeology. These risks were continually monitored which had resulted in some being ‘de-risked ’since September 2022. Outstanding milestones had been resolved and we were now back on track for project delivery.

Growth Strategy Funding Manager, updated Lincoln Town Deal on the current risks associated with projects identified.