Agenda item

Wiltshire Councillors appointed as representatives to Outside Bodies will report on any recent news, to include:

       i.          Transforming Trowbridge

Updates will also be provided on any working groups of the Area Board, to include:

      ii.          Trowbridge Area Board Campus Working Group.

i.       Trowbridge Area Board Campus Working Group

No update.

ii.      Transforming Trowbridge

Jeff Ligo, Director of Transforming Trowbridge, was in attendance to provide an update. 

It was explained that the group were a private sector led partnership which had been set up to facilitate and enable investment opportunities within the local area, and to assist with strategic decisions on behalf of the Trowbridge town. The Board were advised that the group had received support from the Town Council and local employers and had been set up following the demise of the Transforming Trowbridge working group in April 2015.

It was explained that the group had agreed key priorities which included strengthening retail quality, creating jobs, identifying development opportunities and supporting the Town Council in its bid to enlarge the town boundaries and the Business Improvement District (BID) proposals. A sub group to drive forward the priorities was solely made up of business representatives other than the clerk of the Town Council. It had also received £2000 in start up funding from Wiltshire Council.

The Board discussed the update from Mr Ligo, and in response to queries it was confirmed that a representative of the BID consultants had been invited to be part of the group as it was felt a successful bid would enhance the quality of the time. It was also confirmed no smaller businesses were currently a part of the group, but a representative of the Chamber of Commerce was.

Some members expressed concern at the effectiveness of the new group and that it was operating without a constitution, and a further query was raised with regard to the group’s medium and long term goals. In response Mr Ligo stated a review would take place in 18 months to assess the effectiveness of the group and its volunteers using their contacts to facilitate connections and investment. It was also confirmed there was no representation for the parishes of the community area among the group, which was focused upon the town only.

A formal question as submitted by Cllr Ernie Clark was received as follows:

“Transforming Trowbridge has received £2,000 from Wiltshire Council (presumably via this area board).  It has agreed a list of priorities one of which is ‘To support Trowbridge Council in their bid to achieve an extension of the town boundary in accordance with the proposal currently lodged with Wiltshire Council.’

This favours one first tier authority to the detriment of other first tier authorities within the Trowbridge Area and is surely inappropriate. 

With this knowledge, should the funding provided by Wiltshire Council be withdrawn and a repayment requested?”

And a response was received as follows:

“The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Skills, Strategic Transport and Strategic Property and the Associate Director of Economic Development and Planning met with representatives of the Transforming Trowbridge and agreed to help the re-established Transforming Trowbridge with some start-up funding. It was agreed that £2000 would be provided from the service’s budget to allow the group to undertake local economic development activity including development of website to help promote development opportunities and attract inward investment to the town. This was to be a one-off payment and would need to be matched by the private sector and the group would need to have the active support of the Town Council.”

Why were no councillors from the Trowbridge Area Board invited to the meeting with members of the Cabinet and Transforming Trowbridge?

Cllr Clark considered that the response had not sufficiently answered his query, and asked a supplementary question as follows, which would be forwarded to the relevant Cabinet Member:

Why were no councillors from the Trowbridge Area Board invited to the meeting?