To review the work of the Torbay Place Leadership Board. 

(Note:  Jim Parker, Chairman of the Place Leadership Board has been invited to the meeting for this item.)

The Board reviewed the submitted report and heard evidence from the Chairman of the Torbay Place Leadership Board, Jim Parker, and Director of Pride in Place, Alan Denby, on the work of the Place Leadership Board.

The Board asked a number of questions in relation to working with the new Members of Parliament for Torbay; the speed of delivery of the Town Deal and Future High Streets Funding; the impact of a proposed Place Leadership Manager for the Board; Torbay Champions and potential to charge a fee; progress of the Town Boards; what was being done to raise the profile of the Torbay Story and Place Leadership Board and when would the community be able to have confidence in the Torbay Story; and what were the barriers moving forward.

Members were advised of the previous success in working with Torbay’s Local Members of Parliament (MPs) as well as Government Ministers which had helped to secure the Town Deal and Future High Streets Funding for Torquay and Paignton and were assured that work would continue with the new MPs and Government Ministers who had been appointed following the recent General Election.  Clear messages around concerns over the lack of funding and the urgent need to regenerate Torbay would be given as part of this ongoing work to try to secure further funding.  The work of the Place Leadership Board also fed into the Devon Combined Authority and the bringing together of local businesses for the benefit of the Torbay and Devon area with a key focus on regeneration.

It was acknowledged that the delivery of the Town Deal and Future High Streets projects had not been delivered as quickly as desired but that this had been greatly impacted by Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis.  Progress was now being made on The Strand due to the partnership with Wilmott Dixon and Milligan and they were also involved in supporting the delivery of other key Capital projects which would come through the governance process in due course.

The Board was advised that options were being considered in respect of a Place Leadership Manager and the associated costs to determine the best way forward looking at good practice from other Leadership Boards.  The Place Leadership Board was a partnership which included the Council but was led by businesses, strategic partners and the wider community which helped to secure external investment in Torbay.  If funding could not be identified resources would need to be diverted from Teams within the Council.  The post would help to develop the three Town Boards as well as recruiting more Torbay Champions to help spread the word and message of the Torbay Story.  It was felt that it would be difficult at this time to bring forward a paid scheme for Torbay Champions to help fund the Place Manager as other authorities had done.

Members supported the engagement with younger people with the suggestion of developing a Future Leaders’ programme with support from South Devon College but also highlighted the merit of engaging with younger children on the Torbay Story as part of raising the profile and getting the message across with them also becoming Torbay Champions.

The Board was advised that the community would have confidence in the Torbay Story when they see delivery, projects such as The Strand was one example of this.  The Government had just announced new proposed housing targets and there were brown field sites ready to go if funding was secured through the Place Leadership Board.  If more people to sign up as Torbay Champions this would help raise the profile and make more people aware of the success of the Board.

Members were advised that work was underway on a number of schemes which were currently going through internal processes before they could be shared wider with a view to making a detailed pitch to institutional investors before Autumn 2024.  There would need to be some compromises in order to bring forward these schemes.

Resolved (unanimously):

That all Councillors be encouraged to sign up to become Torbay Champions and encourage members of their communities to sign up – details can be found at https://torbaystory.co.uk/champions/.