Agenda and minutes

Board Members are reminded that at the start of the meeting they should declare any known interests in any matter to be considered. However, if it becomes apparent during the meeting that a member has an interest in the matters being discussed, it should be declared at that time.

Board members are requested at the start of the meeting to declare any known interests in any matter to be considered and are reminded that any such interest should also be declared at the start of an item or during any discussion of the matter concerned.

The Chair invited Members to declare any known interests in any matters to be considered at the meeting. The following declarations were made:

·         Richard Newland reported his personal and prejudicial declaration of interest in respect to the organisation Create who were supported by Nationwide to grain a grant.

·         Cllr Junab Ali reported that he was a Director of Business West. The group agreed that this was not a conflict of interest but thanked him for his declaration.

The group noted that all the actions from the previous meeting had been completed.

The group noted that they had received a number of letters of support and all noted how pleased they were for the show of support.

The group noted the purpose of the report was to update the Board on the latest information and guidance from government, introduce the assurance process and set out proposed next steps.

The group noted the recommendations to the Board:

      i.        To note the advice from government on assurance and business case submission

     ii.        To agree the use of capacity funding for business case development and appraisal as part of the assurance process

    iii.        To agree the proposed process for procurement of support to deliver and appraise business cases

The group were reminded that they were given £174K to develop Business Cases, the TIP and Strategic Plans. Most of the spend to date had been used for the TIP. The request was to use the rest of the spend on the Business Cases and a small amount for Community Engagement.

The group noted that the Heads of Terms are being worked up by the government which will be sent to Local Councils.

The group noted that there are three main levels of business case for this work:

·         Strategic Outline Case – the concept stage; ascertains “strategic fit”; makes the case for change; determines shortlist of potential affordable options; conveys management capacity and capability to deliver

·         Outline Business Case (OBC) – detailed appraisal of options; determines the best value for money solution; prepares for procurement; confirms funding and affordability; detailed management plan for delivery

·         Full Business Case (FBC) – a final, technical document; the outcome of the procurement process; final check on affordability and value for money; the contract details; comprehensive delivery plan and benefits realisation

The group noted that the three stages of the BC are iterative and the document will evolve as it goes along.

The group noted that an OBC costs anything from £20-50K. Then a FBC can take several months and is completed following the receipt of tenders. A FBC can cost between £7-12K.

It is proposed that Outline Business Cases should be prepared and assured to give a clear indication of value for money, deliverability and risk management

·         As stated above, FBCs need to contain the outcome of scheme procurement processes. However, the scheme profiling set out in the TIP demonstrates that some procurement processes will not be completed within the next 12 months.

It is proposed to start the tender process for the set of BCs and to engage an independent technical assessor to meet the government requirement to assess the business cases locally.

The group noted that the Board will not know which elements of the TIP government are happy to proceed with until the Heads of Terms are issued in Oct/Nov.

There is a desire that the company selected has a focus on community engagement. PV stated that this would be included in the brief.

The Board agreed the recommendation that the Project Development Sub-group have the authority of the Board to be proactive in suggesting a process and timelines to government in order that the schemes set out earlier in the programme can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

The group noted that government are assessing the TIPs and projects. Karen stated that government are hoping to agree the Heads of Terms in Oct/Nov. The successful Future High Street Fund bids will also be announced in Oct/Nov. A date should be confirmed next week.

The group noted that the purpose of the report was to update the Board on the progress made since the Town Investment Plan submission on 31st July and to set out and agree the next steps. 

The group noted the recommendations to the Board:

      I.        To agree the re-profiling of two schemes in the light of recent developments and the funding offer from government.

     II.        To agree publication of the Town Investment Plan when these changes are made.

The group noted that with the Towns Fund and the Getting Building Fund that they could develop almost all of the Carriage Works. The group noted that they could re-profile the money so that the Getting Building Fund is used first.

The Project Development Sub-group also identified the need to re-profile the DMJ scheme in order to ensure that the funding fits with the amount of match that SBC are able to provide at the start of the project. The funding amount is the same, as is the work planned, but this has been re-profiled slightly to fit with the latest work programme.

Through securing additional funding from government, it has been possible to strengthen the outcomes for Swindon and deliver the vast majority of the Carriage Works project rather than just one section of it. Managing the two funding streams together will ensure that the strategic objectives of the TIP are maintained and met.

·         Action: PB to confirm if the money for the DMJ is only up to the 11th floor and feed back to the group.

The Board agreed the following recommendations:

-          To agree the re-profiling of two schemes in the light of recent developments and the funding offer from government.

-          To agree publication of the Town Investment Plan when these changes are made

The group noted that latest version of the Town Deal Timeline.

The group noted that some of the timelines will shift to the right following the update on the government timelines.

The group noted that all future meetings had been booked in, once a month, until Christmas.

·         Action: KO to recirculate the timeline for the group once updated.

-          Friday 16th October - 10.00am

The group noted that the sequence of Project Development Sub-group meetings will be going into the diaries soon and they can discuss the sharing of resources and expertise at the first meeting.