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All Together for Spennymoor - Friday 6 December 2024 1.00 pm

December 6, 2024 View on council website
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Summary

The All Together for Spennymoor Board met to receive an update on the progress of the Spennymoor Town Deal1 and to review the projects that have been proposed under it. The Board also received the minutes of its previous meeting.

Programme Update

The Board was scheduled to receive a report that provided an update on the Town Deal.

The Board was due to note that there was still no submission date for the Town Investment Plan. The report stated that the Government had confirmed that the Town Deal would continue but that a revised set of strategic objectives, aligned with the Government’s priorities, would be published shortly. The report also stated that the Government had provided a further capacity funding allocation of £200,000 for the Board to use in 2025/26.

The report informed the Board that work had continued during the pre-election period to identify projects that could be taken forward under the Town Deal and to produce the information needed for the Investment Plan, including:

  • An analysis of all available town data, including that provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
  • The results of the community engagement work.
  • A SWOT analysis to help the Board to inform the long-term town plan.

The report identified a number of quick wins2 that could be delivered against the communities’ priorities, stating that these projects do not require a business case and so could progress quickly during the first year of investment.

The report explained to the Board that investment would be prioritised across the three themes that were identified during the public consultation:

  • High Street, Heritage and Regeneration
  • Safety and Security
  • Transport and Connectivity

The report explained that a project prioritisation tool, that scores projects against a number of criteria, had been implemented to help to identify which projects should be brought forward.

The report informed the Board that the face-to-face consultation feedback sessions that had taken place across the town during July and August would now recommence in the New Year, to update the community on the proposed investments and project phasing. The report also stated that additional data and information was still being collected in support of the Investment Plan, including further car park surveys, an annual assessment of vacancy rates in the town centre, and a retail and leisure gaps and capacity study.

The report recommended that the Board note the continued progress with the development of the Town Deal and agree to hold a virtual meeting following the receipt of the amended prospectus from central government.

First Year Investment

The Board was scheduled to be told that the projects that had been proposed for the first year of the programme had been costed at just under £12 million. The Board was informed that the projects still had the flexibility to evolve as a result of engagement with the community. The Board was due to note that it was anticipated that the first year of the programme would commence in 2025, based on the assumption that the Government would confirm a submission date for the Investment Plan at the end of October and that there would then be a four-week deadline for submission. The Board was scheduled to be told that no submission template had been received from the Government and that, as a result, a template had been created from previous funding submissions to assist with the collation of information. The report explained that this could then be transferred to any revised documentation issued by the Government. The Board was due to note that it was anticipated that the determination of the Investment Plan would take approximately six weeks, with any Heads of Terms funding agreement being issued in February 2025 and the programme commencing on 1 April 2025.

MHCLG Programme Guidance Update

The Board was scheduled to receive an update from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the guidance for the Town Deal.

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2024

The Board was scheduled to approve the minutes of its previous meeting, which was held on Thursday 3 October 2024 at Livin', Farrell House, A2 Arlington Way, Spennymoor. The draft minutes included the following items:

  • An update on the projects that were proposed within the first year’s investment.
  • An update on the consultation exercises that were held throughout April and May 2024.
  • A report that provided a progress update of the draft initial project submission following the consultation period for the Long-Term Plan for Towns Programme.
  • Confirmation that the first meeting of the Children and Young People Working Group had taken place.
  • An update on the work that had been achieved to date, including the relocation of the library into Spennymoor Leisure Centre, the demolition of units at Cheapside, the new £13m Springmoor Grange School development, the demolition of a supermarket and construction of a car park for Aldi, the new police custody suite, the increased offer within the leisure centre for rehabilitation purposes, and the improvements carried out at Festival Walk.

Spennymoor Youth Working Group

The Board was scheduled to receive an update on the work of the Spennymoor Youth Working Group, and specifically that its first meeting had been held via Microsoft Teams.

Any Other Business

The Board was scheduled to receive any other business.


  1. The Town Deal is a £3.6 billion fund that was set up by the UK Government in 2019 to support the regeneration of towns in England. 

  2. Quick wins are projects that are relatively easy to deliver and that will have a positive impact on the town. 

Attendees

Alan Boddy
Profile image for Councillor Elizabeth Scott
Councillor Elizabeth Scott  Liberal Democrat
Joy Allen
Amy Harhoff
Councillor Dean Ranyard
Ian Geldard
Barbara Graham
David Stone
Revd Canon Matt Tarling

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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