Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed Catherine Harwood, Participation and Engagement Officer, Children and Young People's Services to the Board meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from J Allen, A Harhoff, D Stone and J Gilroy.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair referred to Item 8 paragraph 3 of the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2024, noting an error which should read ‘people did not realise historically that Spennymoor had a train service’.

With the above amendment, the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

Matters Arising

·      The Town Board name would be discussed under Any Other Business;

·      A Definitive Map of Spennymoor had been circulated to Board Members;

·      With regards to the circulation of information, a definitive response from the Monitoring Officer had been requested and the issue regarding Spennymoor Town Clerk receiving reports would be picked up;

·      Zen City Survey – waiting for a revised date when the results of the survey were expected to be published. The Consultation comparative work had been carried out, however they were awaiting further details to work through following the election of a new Government;

·      The date of submission had not changed and the Team were still working towards the 1 August 2024 deadline, however a notification was expected for the deadline to be deferred to 1 September 2024;

·      Stakeholder Mapping – ongoing piece of work to share information and align activities with wider stakeholders which would demonstrate support and ownership;

·      The Visioning Workshop was very useful and everyone involved was happy with the visioning statement.

The Economic Development Manager advised that to assist with the submission, a town vision had been discussed at the visioning workshop session and proposed the following town vision:-

“Spennymoor will unlock its full potential as a premier destination to live, work, and visit. It will become a vibrant and inclusive town, boasting a thriving economy, a strong sense of community, and an exceptional quality of life for all residents”.

The Chair thanked Board Members for their valuable contribution at the session.

Resolved:

That the update be noted.

a)    Vision / Logic Chain

b)    Submission Requirements

c)    Feedback from Working Groups

d)    Project Longlist / Prioritisation Process

e)    Investment Plan Profile

The Board considered a report of the Corporate Director of Regeneration Economy and Growth which provided an update on the initial project submission following the consultation period for the Long-Term Plan for Towns Programme and confirmed the vision statement to accompany the three year investment plan to be submitted to Government by 1 August 2024. The report also provided the project prioritisation tool for project interventions within Spennymoor Town Board (for copy see file of minutes).

The Economic Development Manager advised that they had revisited the guidance and produced the draft narrative for the various section headings  working on the draft visioning document.

With regards to the Youth Council representation, C Harwood’s role supported the Youth Council and was invited to attend the Board meeting to obtain a feel for the level of discussion to then progress local engagement activities to appoint a Youth Council representative to the Board and the three cross cutting Working Groups previously discussed.

It was noted that recruitment for the three Business representatives had paused due to the pre-election period. Further discussions regarding Business representation recruitment would take place after the submission date.

The Economic Development Manager, Community Economic Development Manager and Project Manager provided a detailed presentation which focused on the proposed logic chain, submission requirements, consultation update, Working Group feedback and project prioritisations, which link to the community priorities and areas of intervention.

It was proposed that the vision statement be incorporated into a logic chain model demonstrating the link between key data outlining long term aims, opportunities, potential investment and challenges in Spennymoor and how the vision and associated mission statements for each thematic programme area would help deliver change and necessary outcomes.

With regards to submission requirements, the Co Design Consultants had collated the consultation feedback and provided a consultation report that provided further clarity for the 1 August 2024 submission. An analysis of all available town data is included, data provided by the DLUHC and results of the community engagement work. A SWOT analysis had been undertaken to help the Town Board inform the long-term town plan for Spennymoor.

The Project Manager provided feedback from the Working Groups advising that funding was directed at three investment themes, and in line with previous Board discussions. Working Groups had obtained available data, consultation feedback and local knowledge to design and develop interventions in support of the emerging vision.

Working Groups had highlighted the following issues within their specialist areas to assist in creating a resilient town for people and investment as well as identifying potential projects across the three themes:

Safety and Security

·      changing the perception of ASB so that the community feel safe.

High street, Heritage and Regeneration

·      Lack of business space restricting economic development and job opportunities for residents;

·      New housing putting pressure on existing infrastructure;

·      New housing, commuter town image and ASB could severely impact community pride.

·      Challenging economic climate could exacerbate problems such as ASB, high street vacancy and job opportunities;

·      Ongoing development of neighbouring towns could impact  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Town Board Name

The Board discussed possible names and suggested Spennymoor Together. The Head of Economic Development advised that he would check there would be no technical issues regarding replication of the Horden Together project. It was noted that Spennymoor Together would link with the County Durham Together Partnership branding and provide consistency.

The next Board meeting would be held in August with the date to be confirmed. An additional Teams meeting would also be arranged prior to the 1 August 2024 deadline, providing there was no change to the submission date. The draft submission document would be circulated prior to the meeting.

It was noted that the Economic Development Manager would provide a briefing to the newly elected MP and future meeting dates would be arranged shortly.

The Chair thanked everyone for attending and added that the culture and positivity of the Board was wonderful and demonstrated that everyone understood the issues in Spennymoor and were passionate about working together for the benefit of the community.