Agenda and minutes

Speaker: Chair

Justin Homer, John Healey MP, Rachael Allington.

Speaker: Chair

Approved and proposed as a true record by Cllr May Noble & Cllr Alan Gardiner. No matters arising from the minutes.

Speaker: All

A declaration of interest was raised for the Railway Embankment for John Twigg (Twiggs Ground Maintenance), Michael Bunting, Cllr May Noble, Cllr Pauline Phillips and Claire Dawson.

A declaration of interest was also raised by Cllr May Noble for Dearne Playhouse, and for Andy Lock and ES10 for Project C.

Speaker: Paul Clifford

The Town Investment Plan was submitted on Friday 11^th December in line with the Cohort 2A timescales. Thanks to everyone involved, particularly to Elizabeth for finalising the document. As the Town Investment Plan came in above the initial £25M, it will be scrutinised with an extra level of check and challenge.

Speaker: Sophie Moore

The owners of the strategic acquisition site have accepted Barnsley Council’s offer to purchase. The Legal Team are to progress the transaction to complete in early 2021.

Action:

·         Sophie to let the Safer Neighbourhoods Team know about the strategic acquisition in respect of any ongoing enforcement action.

Embankment: Looking at resurfacing of footpaths.

Green active travel route: Working through paperwork to commence work on site.

Community Orchard: Earthwatch to deliver tiny forest at front of Brickyard Ponds. Works due to commence in January.

Relocation of the market: To be covered in separate agenda item

There is a requirement to spend the funding allocation by the end of March 2021. MHCLG have requested that they’d like towns to summarise any issues (by email) they may be expecting with regard to their spend/projects position by year end. We are on track with the majority of schemes but may need to notify them regarding an element of one project.

Speaker: Claire Dawson

No update. Spoke to Junior Commerce to link with Colin at Hollygrove. Businesses are struggling at the moment due to COVID-19, so not prioritising at this stage.

Speaker: Maria Cotton / Chris Savage (BMBC)

Currently the market site hidden from view of shoppers, has one stallholder only on a Tuesday, has little community use, is not acting as a footfall driver, has poor quality stalls and is running at a loss.

The aspiration is to have durable gazebos, access to power, have a specific Market Day and the option to hold events. Desire to offer affordable, fresh and quality goods by encouraging more stallholders to return and drive footfall on to the high street.

The proposal is to move the market to Doncaster Road which will manage social distancing under the restrictions of COVID-19 and to encourage weekly general goods markets and second-hand markets. New gazebos to be purchased for market trader use and for other events. Markets Team will deliver and pick up gazebos on the selected market day. A consultation is to take place with residents, businesses, councillors and market traders.

The Board thoroughly discussed the proposals and location for the markets. The Markets Team is to work on consultation for the markets and feed back to Board.

Actions

·         To look at producing and incorporating branding for Goldthorpe to be used within the wider TIP and on the market stall gazebos following feedback from the Board. One suggestion is to engage with schools and young people to produce Goldthorpe branding based on vision already agreed by Board.

·         BMBC Markets Team to develop implementation plan and report back to February board meeting.

Speaker: Rachael Allington / All

Waiting for Government to come back with formal response on Town Investment Plan. Guidance was received yesterday on the format and content for business cases, this is to be reviewed prior to start working on project business cases with sponsors.

Two sponsors required for projects. All other sponsor places filled.

Speaker: Paul Clifford

Nothing to update on.

Speaker: Jennefer Holmes

The Board members were advised to anticipate the publication of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and North early in the new year. This will set out the Government’s plans for the delivery of rail schemes in the North of England. This will be of interest to Members given the importance of the Barnsley Dearne Valley station development which is part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme.  Advice has been provided to Government by the independent National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) this week, which published the Rail Needs Assessment. This indicated that the budget likely to be available for rail schemes in the coming years will not be sufficient to deliver all the schemes that leaders in the North and Midlands have set out.  Even with a fifty percent increase in funding available there would still have to be trade-offs, the NIC focuses on investment scenarios that prioritise regional links or long-distance links. 

Speaker: Elizabeth Steel

MHCLG have given us formal notice that the Board have ‘passed’ on various aspects of governance that have been assessed to date. Will continue to check on progress, including member profiles. There are one or two still outstanding and Elizabeth will follow these up in the January

Action:

·         Elizabeth to follow up on outstanding profiles and offer every assistance in getting them completed.

Speaker: Elizabeth Steel

Will be subjected to greater scrutiny but will be an option to review and resubmit.

Accelerated funding does have a risk of some monies not being spent by deadline As mentioned in an earlier item we will notify MHCLG of the risk and work to mitigate the possibility in the meantime.

The Decision Gateway 1 for the Town Investment Plan is in the next couple of months, early February/March. This is to proceed with business cases, but we intend to progress business cases in advance of this date.

The Graphic version of the Town Investment Plan was not submitted with the TIP documents last Friday. It was suggested that once MHCLG and the Board have agreed Heads of Terms and the projects received approval that the document should be finalised and used for publicity.

The Board was in agreement to pause the graphic version of the Town Investment Plan.

Speaker: Elizabeth Steel

This was covered under the Issues, Risks and Decisions item.

The Decision Gateway 1 for the Town Investment Plan is in the next couple of months, early February/March. This is to proceed with business cases, but we intend to progress business cases in advance of this date.

Speaker: All

None.

Speaker: Suzanne Brough / Lucie McCarthy (BMBC)

The Board was shown a presentation to update on the ES10 scheme and Economic Growth Corridor A6195/A635 scheme.

The Board discussed the consultation process and methods to reach as many people as possible.

A consultation and communications document was proposed to use for various consultations.

CD raised the need for a coordinated approach to engagement/consultation as this was a common theme from the meeting. It was noted that the masterplan consultation will need to progress separately as this is a statutory process.

Actions:

·         Board project sponsors for initiatives a, b and c to be part of the masterplan stakeholder group.

·         CD to give consideration to a coordinated approach to consultation across the programme.