Present

In Attendance

Steven Holbrook - Chair

Allan Bridges

Bob Seeley

Alex Minns

Carol Jaye

Lisa Dyer

David Redrup

Pete Fellows

Donna Jones

Nicola Twiddy (Note taker)

Geoff Underwood

James Hinton

Louise Dandy

Rachael Randall

Richard May

Trevor Nicholas

Apologies

Guests

Luke Kerr

Item

ACTION

1.

Apologies for Absence

Apologies were noted from

2.

Declarations of Interest

3.

4.

Board Governance

It was suggested that this item was deferred until the next meeting so the Board have more time for introductions, to get to know each other and so a more detailed discussion can be had on the governance matters of who is undertaking the secretariat work, what staffing provision is needed, who will be employing the staff etc.

It was noted that a lot has already been done in the background to get the Board set up, the Board Members now need time to understand what has been done and why.

The meeting today was set up to ensure statutory items are completed and a longer more detailed meeting will be scheduled shortly.

Comments noted by the Board:

They would like to see a position on the ice rink in the 10-year vision.

It is great that Ryde Town Council can facilitate secondments to the 2 roles. The Boards thanks were passed on for this.

The Board would like an overview of how they have got to where they are today.

The Board:

• Noted the long-term investment plan and interim staffing proposal. These items will be brought back for further consideration in more details at a later date.

Timelines

A lot of the drive and pace is regarding the timelines that HM Government have provided. The next deadline is 1 August which is driving having the interim positions filled.

There is a form which must be returned to DLUCH today, which sets out the governance (that the Board is set up, that the Terms of Reference are in place, alongside Board Registers of Interest and Codes of Conduct).

The next item will be to look at how the next tranche of funding will be spent on the community engagement between 1 April and 1 August 2024. In today's submission to DLUHC there will be an outline approach to this, such as utilising existing events, having a property for a high street presence. £200k is being provided for this activity (to also include the staff salaries), if it is not all utilised, it can be used for other uses.

Louise Dandy joined the meeting (11:57)

The medium- and longer-term plans and engagement are to be worked on between 1 April and 1 August 2024.

5.

Community Engagement Activity, Investment Plan Development and Staffing

Community Engagement Activity

It was requested to also include the Police and the Violence Reduction Unit as bodies to be engaged with.

It was confirmed that the Ryde Town Board will be part of the project application sifting process. They will be supported in the process by Ryde Town Hall and IoW Council officers.

Ryde Library sees a large footfall of individuals and was suggested as a community engagement venue and opportunity.

The Recommendations:

Commission local organisations to undertake community engagement. Audit consultation / community engagement undertaken in recent years. Have a presence at scheduled community events from April – August. Maximise use of social medial survey tools.

The Ryde Town Board:

• Noted the update and recommendations. This item will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting.

  
  

  Allan Bridges stepped out of the meeting as he has an interest in being part of the interim staffing team.

  
  

  The long-term plan for staffing will be looked at over the next 4 months depending on what is needed.

  
  

  The Ryde Town Board:

• Agreed the 2 interim staff appointments.

The Board agreed to pause on signing off the job vacancies as they would like to receive some assurance on governance, risks and cost. This will be picked up at the next meeting.

Investment Plan Development

The discussion so far has covered the items needed for the DLUHC return that will be submitted today. This item will be brought back to the next meeting.

Next steps will be to -

• Canvas and find a date for the first full meeting.

• Develop the Community Engagement Plan.

• Start to look at the 3 year and 10-year investment plans.

• Allow time for the Interim staff to come together to collate their thoughts for review at the next meeting.

Any further discussion on this item was deferred to the next meeting. Allan Bridges returned to the meeting.

LD / PF

The Community Engagement Plan will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting covering the when, who and where and to ensure no one and no groups are missed in the engagement process.

6.

Any other business

Lisa Dyer and Pete Fellows will canvass the Board for a 3 hour in person meeting (Teams will also be available) for w/c 15 April.

No further business, so the meeting was closed.

LD / PF