Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board Terms of Reference

A Partnership  Board to oversee and coordinate the regeneration of Chippenham Town Centre comprising key stakeholders within the town. It is the Board's remit to encompass the whole of Chippenham community area  and consider, holistically, the economic, environmental and social well-being opportunities arising from strategically planned growth. Specifically:

• to establish a vision and blueprint for the town and identify the key tasks necessary to deliver it.
• based on this vision to develop a masterplan for Chippenham town centre
• to ensure alignment with the Neighbourhood Plan and other extant strategies in order to maximise benefits to the Chippenham community from future growth of the town (which is to be determined via the Local Plan process)
• to identify key areas for investment required to support and grow the vitality and viability of the town  centre
• to identify funding opportunities, oversee applications and direct resources (including CIL receipts from future growth) towards delivery of the masterplan
• to oversee the production of a package of costed, worked-up and ready to go projects prioritised in order to support the overall strategy, which will provide a robust platform from which to make funding bids as and when such opportunities arise

Governance

The Chippenham TCPB will provide strategic direction, scrutiny and oversight for the Programme of activities it will define and agree. It is not a fund holding body, so partner organisations will be responsible for the individual projects commissioned by them, seeking authority and reporting through their established reporting structures including seeking the necessary authority for the involvement of the TCPB. The Board will elect its own Chair and agree its own Terms of Reference.

Proposed composition

The membership of the group is to be strategic, so where possible, limited to one representative per organisation / area.  Pillars are to  be established at the direction of the Board (and described in the ToRs) involving  broader groups where appropriate.

Secretariat and project support

To be provided by Wiltshire Council

Budget

Individual projects for which The Board has oversight should be led by the organisation providing or leading  on the funding. This will ensure that organisational oversight for any project / spend is maintained. Other  projects that may emerge could have other sponsors as will be agreed at the discretion of the Board.

To develop plan and deliver the vision and principal themes to support economic development, regeneration and growth of Chippenham it is proposed that a town centre partnership board is established.

According to the Institute of Place Management (IPM), place management is 'a coordinated, area-based, multi-stakeholder approach to improve locations, harnessing the skills, experiences and resources of those in the private, public and voluntary sectors".

This partnership will be responsible for identifying and enabling delivery of key strategic projects within the town to provide a step change in the economic vitality of the town and long-term sustainability.

The Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board is an unincorporated voluntary partnership that pulls  together the public and private sectors. Partnership members will operate in a non-executive capacity, taking into account individual organisation's decision-making processes. Partner organisations will be asked to align their resources and activity with the activities proposed by the principal leads, but this remains a decision for individual organisation.

The Chippenham TCPB's overall strategic purpose is to deliver a step change  in the economic vitality and growth of the town. The Board is advisory with a commitment of Board members to work together to shape and influence Chippenham going forward. We recognise that the Board would not be able to mandate independent bodies or members but would expect the board to influence them through consensus development of priorities.

It is proposed that the Board consider the following objectives:

• Managing the town centre to appeal to residents and visitors and improve vibrancy (taking account of and having due regard to the established operational management arrangements already in place)
• Stimulate and support business growth and facilitate investment into the town
• Ensuring opportunities arising from growth of the town as a result of Local Plan Review are identified and maximised for the benefit of the whole community
• Develop the cultural & Leisure offer for the town and community
• Developing the town to enhance its appeal and ease of access for residents and visitors, as well as respond to environmental issues
• Ensuring opportunities that arising from new investment contribute to health, well-being and environmental enhancements
• Identifying and implementing ways for the Town to respond to the climate emergency and seek to future proof any new initiatives to support potential future capability
• communicating the offer to reach new audiences and encourage our catchment area back to the high street

As agreed at the TCPB Board Meeting on 1 July 2022 - the following activity pillars, tracking the above objectives, are within the remit of the Chippenham TCPB (taking account of established operational arrangements)

• Managing the town
• Supporting business growth
• Vibrancy, Culture and Communicating the Offer
• Developing and Integrating the Town (including the masterplan)

Under this model, the Board will appoint a lead officer for each pillar from member organisations. The leads will be responsible for developing action-plans for consideration and endorsement by the place board, with the current activities of the Operations Board providing the basis. Deliverables should be in the short (3-6- month period) Medium (12-18-month period) and long term (18 months plus)for each pillar. In addition, the leads will seek to secure the necessary funding for the action plans to support implementation.

The below establishes the broad remit of each pillar, including areas of activity and IPM priorities. Responding to the climate emergency does not have its own pillar.

The Board has agreed that responding to Climate Change is an issue common to all pillars and will need to be considered by each pillar lead in developing and delivering the work of the pillar.

The Board will be chaired by the Member of Parliament for Chippenham.  In the absence of the chair, the Leader of Wiltshire Council will serve as vice chair.

TCPB membership is as follows;

• MP for Chippenham
• Wiltshire Council - Leader
• Chippenham Town Council - Leader
• Chippenham Chamber of  Commerce - nominated representative
• Wiltshire College & University Centre - Principal
• Chippenham Borough Lands Charity - Chair
• Chippenham Community Town Team - nominated representative
• Chippenham Civic Society - nominated representative
• The Environment Agency - nominated representative
• Key landowners (by agreement and invitation) - currently:
• Acorn Property Group (Emery Gate) - nominated representative
  Evolve Estates (Borough Parade) - nominated representative
  Owen Inskip (various holdings including Wilkinson unit)

The representatives would be the Board and would be joined by the activity/pillar leads (where they are not already a standing Board Member)

Appointments will be for a 2-year rolling period subject to agreement by the Board members and Chair.

In undertaking to participate in the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board, individuals and organisations will be expected to take part and contribute to the work of the Board    in the spirit of partnership and, in particular, each of these partners will:-

• work together with other partners in developing and implementing action plans for the proposed pillars
• report back regularly and formally to their organisations on the work of the Partnership Board
• identify their organisation's level of contribution to the Partnership  Board programme
• assist each other in the achievement of their organisation's priorities insofar as they are consistent with the Partnership Board including the sharing of information for development and monitoring purposes of the agreed action plans;
• include, wherever possible, the objectives of the Partnership Board in their own Plans  and Strategies.

The Partnership will meet quarterly. Extraordinary meetings may be called when urgent or significant matters arise. The Partnership Board may host open forums with invitations to residents and/or businesses.

Business will be conducted on the basis of achieving consensus wherever possible, or by a simple majority vote where not. The Chair will have a casting vote.

Other persons may be allowed to attend Partnership meetings at the invitation of the Chair as observers  but would not have a vote on any matters raised.

Wiltshire Council will provide the secretariat for the board.

Communications activity relating to the activity of the Partnership Board will be provided by   Wiltshire Council.

Wherever possible communications related to projects will be delivered by all partners in accordance with the agreed communications plan.

Partnership Board members will be expected to declare any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest  they may have in any item of business for the Board and may be required to take no  part in discussion of the former, in line with normal public sector custom and practice. Failure to declare appropriate interests will be grounds for disqualification

Partnership Board members will need to play an 'ambassador' role for Chippenham and should have a willingness to commit time to the role.

Member organisations will be expected to support the activities and priorities decided on by the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board.

During the course of its work the Partnership Board may be provided with information which it ought to consider as confidential. This information may be provided by Board members, the Officer Working Group or by third parties. It may include information whose disclosure could prejudice the commercial interests of any person, intellectual property rights, know-how of any person or personal and sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Regulation GDPR May 2018.

Every member of the Partnership Board will treat all confidential information as confidential and safeguard it accordingly; and will not disclose any confidential information to any other person without the prior written consent of the Chair, except to such persons and to such extent as may be necessary to achieve the Partnership's objectives.

Confidential information supplied to the Partnership Board should be given only to such professional advisors (including staff of Wiltshire Council supporting the Group) or consultants engaged to advise it in connection with these terms of reference as is strictly necessary for the performance their obligations.

The Board members will not use any confidential information it receives otherwise than to further the aims and objectives of the Board.

Board members engaged in activity related to their position on the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board must conduct themselves appropriately and respectfully in relation to other Board members, council staff and members of the public. Inappropriate behaviour may result in exclusion from the Board at the discretion of the Chair.

The new regulations regarding GDPR require Wiltshire Council to have express permission of the data owner to store personal data and only use it for the purposes given. We therefore require each board member to consider and complete the subsequent contact sheet to allow us permission to contact you regarding board issues, and any other issues relevant to the Council and partners.

The following activity pillars are proposed as being within the remit of a Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board:

• Managing the town
• Supporting business growth/developing the economy
• Vibrancy, Culture and Communicating the Offer
• Developing and Integrating the town

The Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board will nominate representatives from the member organisations to  lead each pillar. The pillar leads will develop action plans with 3-6-month deliverables, 12-18-month deliverables and longer-term measures for approval by the board.

The pillar leads will be responsible for the following:

a) Contribute to the overall strategy of economic recovery, growth and regeneration in Chippenham through ownership of the overall programme of activity within the assigned pillar, developing, agreeing and delivering projects that fall underneath the pillar to achieve their output and outcome expectations.

b) Form and chair a working group across the partnership to develop the action plans relating to the pillars, developing fully costed and developed projects include identifying any key delivery risks, mitigating actions, budgetary and resource requirements. Work with partners to fund projects for the board to approve.

c) Attend Chippenham Place Board meetings as required, or provide appropriate representation in extraordinary circumstances.

d) Adhere to the communications and reporting strategy.

The Terms of Reference will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.