Agenda and minutes

Recorded Actions from Meeting:

RESOLVED that:

·        the Wigford Way report be circulated prior to the next meeting of the Board

·        the City of Lincoln Council's S151 Officer provided a brief update on funds received to date and the associated Governance finance rules

·        the Board sub group panel consider new membership recruitment for sign off at the next meeting of the Board

·        The Chair and Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager, review the Governance and Terms of Reference, for Lincoln Town Deal Board, Levelling Up and UK Shared Prosperity Fund

·        The Senior Communications Officer be tasked with scoping the feasibility of a wider Lincolnshire Town Deals collaborative publicity offer

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

Apologies for absence were received from:

• Angela Andrews
• Tim Chambers
• Lord Cormack
• Councillor Richard Davies
• James Foster
• Group Captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes
• Caroline Killeavy
• Councillor Ric Metcalfe
• Peter Neil

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 8 March 2023 be confirmed as a true record.

Ursula Lidbetter wished it be noted that she sat on the Lincoln Heritage Board.

Edward Strange offered his thanks to Victoria Poulson, Democratic Services Officer for her continued contact and document circulation ahead of meetings.

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy Funding Manager presented a full progress report of which had been circulated to Members of the Board ahead of the meeting. The following points were noted:

·        Lincoln Be Smarter had progressed well. The University launched the website in January 2023 and the application process had commenced

·        Works at Lincoln City Football Club (LCFC) commenced in May 2023 following a publicity event and had progressed well. Completion was expected in 2024

·        The Central Market was on target for opening in Autumn. The Programme Team, Communications Team and Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) were progressing the management of an opening and launch event after completion

·        There were a total of six projects flagged, which required closer monitoring. During consideration of the projects, the followed points were noted:

o   Greyfriars, Barbican and LSIP were at pretender stage and as such, had a higher deliverability risk. The programme for tender stage completion was as follows:

o   Greyfriars    Autumn 2023

o   Barbican      End of June 2023

o   LSIP            Early 2024/25

o   Lincoln Connected had yet to receive the project adjustment proposals assurance, however this had progressed. A digital roadmap report, which set out the framework for delivery, was completed in May. This was to be the basis for agreeing and assuring the final project delivery and cost plans

o   The final report for Wigford Way was submitted by Lincoln County Council (LCC) in mid-April. Final costings were still awaited. The report, as submitted, was reduced in scope and did not meet the agreed outputs. LCC proposed their attendance at the next Board meeting to present the report findings and the rational for change

o   Sincil Bank - LCC advised in January 2023, a likely revised scope and cost for the scheme however proposals or costs had not been received. The need for progress on the project was considered urgent. It was noted that LCC would present the scheme and rational for change at the next meeting of the Board

o   Tentercroft Street feasibility report completion was overdue. The project had stalled primarily due to land acquisition and uncertainty within the development sector. Kate Ellis, Major Development Director and Project Lead, requested agreement from the Board that the project be deferred for completion in 2024/25.

The Chair thanked Gill Wilson for the update and welcome comments and questions from Members of the Board. Relevant questions and responses were received.

RESOLVED that:

a)     there be circulation of a Wigford Way report and attendance and presentation by LCC to be arranged for the next meeting of the Board on 8 September 2023.

b)     once the final costs and scheme proposals for Sincil Bank and Wigford Way projects had been received, Officers were to review against the Investment Plan objectives and report back to Board on 8 September 2023.

c)     a reprogrammed delivery of Tentercroft Street to 2024/25 be agreed.

Gill Wilson, Growth Strategy and Funding Manager confirmed that copies of the Performance Report and a covering report had been circulated to members of the Board. Members were reminded that the City of Lincoln Council (CoLC) were required to submit monitoring returns to the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) every six months to cover expenditure, progress, risks, outputs and outcomes.

The next report due was for the period October 2022 to March 2023 and submission was required by Friday 9 June 2023. The monitoring return required sign off by the Council’s Chief Finance Officer and the Chair of the Lincoln Town Deal Board. In addition, there was the requirement that the document be circulated to all members of the Lincoln Town Deal Board.

The main points highlighted for the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Report to DLUHC were:

Programme

o   HEAT, The Drill and Store of Stories had a combined value of £2.3M and had reached completion

o   The Central Market and Lincoln Be Smarter were projects that remained on  programme

o   There had been slippage across the remainder of the projects, however all were expected to be completed by 2026. There were no issues to raise regarding deliverability.

Expenditure

o   Spend was under forecast but within percentage tolerances acceptable to DLUCH.

Outputs and Outcomes

o   Evidenced Outputs to be reported included:

·        1 x new Cultural Facility

·        1 x new Community Hub

·        1 x Historic building renovated and restored for reuse as commercial space

·        15 x Full Time jobs

·        5 x Temporary jobs across project delivery

·        Capacity for an additional 100 people to be trained with 260 trainees under the new facilities

o   Other reported benefits included an estimated annual reduction in the number of children suffering from food poverty of 1000 per annum. This was claimed by the Store of Stories project

o   Projects that had completed the delivery phase had begun the monitoring and evaluation phase, and had developed monitoring frameworks for collecting and reporting output and outcome data

o   A midterm monitoring report, to summarise outcomes and benefits, was planned for presentation to members of the Board in December 2023.  

Risk

o   Cost risk was to be reported in respect of all pre-tender projects. Such risks had been managed and mitigated by projects through detailed pre-tender cost analysis, evaluation assurance and cost engineering

o   The non completion of Tentercroft Street was to be reported and mitigated through reprogramming to 2024/25.

Comments and questions were invited from members of the Board. Discussions concluded with a request for further clarity on the Local Government finance rules relating to the Town Deal Fund and the importance of publicising and celebrating the successes of the programme. 

RESOLVED that:

a)     the Board agreed the recommendation from Investment Sub Committee that the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Report be submitted to DLUHC by 9 June 2023.

Kate Ellis, Major Development Director:

a)     provided the Board with a brief update following the most recent Investment Sub-Committee meeting held on 23 May 2023. During consideration of the update, the following points were noted: -

o   The Investment Sub-Committee convened on 23 May 2023 to consider the Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Report to DLUHC for period October 2022 to March 2023.

o   The Sub Committee considered a report on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Levelling Up Programme update

o   Noted that the meeting of the Investment Sub Committee on 23 May 2023 was not quorate and therefore proceeded in an advisory capacity to offer recommendations to the Lincoln Town Deal Board.

b) welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

Liam Scully, Chair, welcomed Steve Galjaard, representing Lincoln Co-Operative, to his first meeting of the Lincoln Town Deal Board

The Chair provided the Board with a verbal update following consideration of the Boards Membership. The Terms of Reference currently required that Membership be reviewed on an annual basis. All twenty Board Members had been requested to confirm their willingness to continue as a Member of the Board. The result was that thirteen members confirmed their continuation and Lincolnshire Police remained vacant. Resignations had been proposed from:

• Valerie Johnson
• David Lewis
• Group Captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes
• Peter Neil

Greater Lincolnshire LEP (GLLEP) would retain a non-voting seat on the Board.

The Chair offered thanks to Peter Neil for his hard work and contributions to the Lincoln Town Deal Board and wished Peter well for his retirement.

There were  five  places on the Board to fill across various remits. It was proposed that Board members offered recommendations for recruitment, to the Chair, and that a Sub Panel be  convened to review and offer recommendations for consideration of Board members in September 2023. It was agreed that the Sub Panel would consist of Jacqui Bunce, Julian Free, Liam Scully and Edward Strange.

Gaps within membership of the Board raised difficulties for the next meeting of the Investment Sub Committee on the 15 August 2023. Due to apologies received, it was unlikely that the meeting would be quorate. In response to concerns raised, it was agreed that attendance for the next meeting of the Investment Sub Committee would include Julian Free and Edward Strange.

Following a discussion regarding clarity on the Governance arrangements across the Lincoln Town Deal and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), it was agreed that that the Governance arrangements and two sets of Terms of Reference be reviewed.  

RESOLVED that:

1)     the Member status update from colleagues, as presented to Board, be agreed.

2)     the Member resignations, as reported, be accepted.

3)     Liam Scully, Chair of the Lincoln Town Deal Board, lead a recruitment process to fill five vacant positions on the Board. Assistance would be provided from Jacqui Bunce, Julian Free and Edward Strange.

4)     The Democratic Services Officer be tasked with the creation of a Forward Plan for future meetings of the Board.

5)     the Governance arrangements regarding Town Fund and Levelling Up/UKSPF be reviewed. In addition, a review of the respective Terms of Reference to report back to the next meeting of the Lincoln Town Deal Board in September 2023.

6)     Julian Free and Edward Strange be formally appointed by the Board, as Co-Optees of the Investment Sub-Committee, with full voting rights.

The Board received a presentation from Damian Froggatt, Director of Operations (Lincoln City Football Club) and Martin Hickerton, Chief Executive Officer (Lincoln City Foundation). During consideration of the presentation, the following points were noted: -

• The project was for the development of a new Community Hub as a place for the growth of Lincoln Football Foundation and to further realise their vision to “inspire, empower, and help individuals and communities to improve their physical, social, and mental wellbeing”
• The project was expected to be particularly impactful given its proximity to Park Ward, an area with a high deprivation score and a priority for neighbourhood support
• A key objective was to improve community health, education and employability
• The total project cost was £2.6M and Town Fund had supported to the value of £850K. Match funding had been secured from an Investment Bond, Youth Investment Club, Football Foundation EFL Stadia, Lincolnshire Co-Op & Cadbury
• The project was expected to achieve the creation of 22 Full Time construction jobs, 42 Full Time supply chain jobs which represented an investment into the local economy of approximately £3.75M Gross Value Added.  
• The build programme was estimated to be 12-18 months, with completion and opening in 2024.

The Chair thanked Damian Froggatt and Martin Hickerton for the informative presentation and welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board. The project was fully supported by the Board and particularly the extent to which young people were engaged. The opportunities for the project to collaborate with other Town Deal projects was highlighted.

Kirsty Cheetham, Senior Communications Officer:

Provided the Board with a Communications Update presentation. During consideration of the update, the following points were noted: -

• Central Market - Turtle Bay had signed the lease and an announcement had been recently published which reached over 62,000 people on Facebook.
• A total of three videos had been produced in connection with the Central Market:
  • 1 video on design choices and new features
  • 1 video on the history of the building and sustainability
  • 1 video on project overview and promoting local produce
• LCFC Community Hub – Communications had ben issued around the commencement of work and included a press release and social media content
• The Drill - A video had been created to demonstrate the softer outputs of the project. The video captured a compilation of visitors to The Drill and their thoughts about the redeveloped venue
• HEAT - Case study videos of students involved in HEAT had been created, studying and working at Sessions, The Drill, and the Old Bakery. The video demonstrated the impact of the project on students
• A feature which highlighted both Greyfriars and Central Market projects within the July edition of Lincolnshire Life magazine
• A Communications plan for the Barbican Production and Maker Hub was in progress 
• A video was planned for Lincoln Community Grocery Store which would include the views of members and volunteers about the community benefits of the store

A question and answer session raised the opportunity for a wider collective Lincolnshire Town Deals publicity strand to be considered with the objective of strengthening the wider Lincolnshire brand/marketing to a wider audience.  

RESOLVED that:

1)     the Senior Communications Officer be tasked with scoping the feasibility of a collaborative Lincolnshire Town Deals publicity offer.

2)     the content of the update be noted with thanks.

RESOLVED that the order of business be amended to allow the agenda item entitled ‘Levelling Up’ to be considered as the next agenda item. The agenda item entitled ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund’ was to be considered as the final agenda item.

Kate Ellis, Major Development Director, provided Members of the Board with a verbal update on Levelling Up covering the following main points:

• Progression had been positive and a contractor had been appointed for Tritton Road Bridge
• Detailed design works had been undertaken to ensure a deliverable programme
• Discussions had taken place with Network Rail, Lincoln County Council and other stakeholders.

Kate Ellis welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board.

In response to a query regarding the design of the bridge, it was clarified that as the bridge was to be built over a railway, there was a prerequisite to comply with highway and railway requirements. As such, the ability to make the bridge aesthetically pleasing was challenging but work would be carried out to reduce its impact.

RESOLVED that the content of the update be noted with thanks.

RESOLVED that there were no other items of business to be considered.

Liam Scully, Chair of the Lincoln Town Deal Board, requested an extension of the usual meeting time allocation due to items to be considered at the next Board meeting.

RESOLVED that the next meeting of the Lincoln Town Deal Board was to be held on 8 September 2023 at 10:00 for a duration of 2.5 hours.

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

The Growth Strategy Funding Manager outlined, in further detail, the risk scores to be reported to DLUCH and provided assurance that all were not critical. These risks would be continually monitored.

RESOLVED that the submission of the Monitoring & Evaluation Report to DLUHC for period April to September 2022 be agreed.

(Note: Nicole Hilton left proceedings at 11:56)

Francesca Bell, Assistant Director of Growth and Development:

a)     provided the Board with a UKSPF Programme update. During consideration of the update, the following points were noted: -

• Round 1 of the programme was approved for development and delivery at the City of Lincoln Council’s meeting of the Executive in March 2023. The projects combined value totalled £1,453,725
• A Community Grant Scheme was due to be launched in the autumn.
• Progress was being made on the recruitment of a Business Support Advisor for Lincoln. This was in addition to the Growth Hub that would also be commissioned to support.

b)     welcomed comments and questions from Members of the Board.

RESOLVED that:

a)     there be a review of the Governance and Terms of Reference, to be presented to Board in September 2023.