Agenda and minutes

The Chair will welcome attendees to the meeting and make opening remarks.

The Chair welcomed board members to the meeting before outlining the agenda items for discussion.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from the following board members: -

·       B Arnold – Interim SMBC Director of Finance/ S151 Officer

·       Cllr J Webb – Rowley Regis Elected Member

·       Cllr P Hughes – Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth

·       D Downs – West Midlands Police

·       S Shingadia – Transport for West Midlands

·       L Bird - SCVO

·       M Wildman – Sandwell Leisure Trust

·       S Rutter – Barnardos

·       S Shingadia – Transport for West Midlands

·      T McGovern – Director of Regeneration and Growth

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 25 May 2023 as a correct record.

Minutes

Board members agreed minutes of the Local Board meeting held on 25 May 2023 were a correct record. 

Action Log

Updates recorded on the attached Action Log.

To receive any declarations of interest from board members relating to any item on the agenda.

The Chair asked board members to raise any declarations of interests. None were forthcoming. The chair asked board members to raise any declarations during discussions should they need to.

To receive verbal update on Terms of Reference.

Following the discussion at the last Town Deal Board, the Terms of Reference was updated and recirculated to board members as part of the agenda pack for the meeting. The chair confirmed the changes made to the Scheme of Delegation is now implemented. In addition, the West Bromwich Town Deal Board Membership list was updated to reflect new members of the board.

To receive an update on project progress and monitoring information for the period of Apr – June 2023.

Project updates from:

·       Blackheath Bus Interchange

·       Canal Network Connectivity

·       Satellite Education Hub

The Chair introduced this item by confirming the approach to discussion, which was to split this item into two sections - Change Requests and Project Progress.

Change Requests

Canal Network Connectivity - The Programme Management Team received a request from Canal and River Trust to seek approval for a deferment of budget into 2024/2025 to enable additional access improvement works to be undertaken.

The project lead, James Dennison, informed board members that co-funding was secured, funded by Sustrans which enabled additional works to be undertaken including biodiversity enhancements and path widening. As a result, there is a small underspend in the project. The exact amount is still to be determined, pending submission of final accounts from the contractor.

The proposal put forward to board members is to allocate this underspend towards the replacement of the deck of Wrights Bridge, located on the Dudley no2 canal in Rowley Regis. This funding will contribute towards the costs of design works and capital construction costs. The balance of budget would be underwritten by Canal & River Trust. The bridge is an important crossing for residents who can easily access Old Hill Train Station by crossing it but has been closed for several years due to safety concerns.

The works are entirely consistent with the existing project business case which focused on improving the towpath and access points to increase connectivity. However, this will require an amendment to the spend profile as works will take place in 2024/20255 whereas spend is currently forecast in 2023/2024.

The chair thanked James for presenting the adjustment request and asked board members if they would like to raise any comments or questions. The discussion included: -

Clarification was sought to confirm if Wrights Bridge is the foot bridge between the new housing estate and Station Road. Board members were informed that this is correct. The board member then commented on how including this work is good news as residents have been asking for access across the public right of way.

A comment was raised regarding the existing works being completed on Station Road for another bridge and asked if there were any dependencies between the two. Board members were informed that this work is not dependent on any other works being completed on Station Road.

A question was raised regarding the lifetime of the bridge being in public use following works, in terms of what the average lifespan is from a health and safety perspective. The project lead could not advise specifically, however offered to seek professional opinion and report this back to the board.

A question was raised for the project lead to confirm what works were included in the additional biodiversity enhancements. Board members were informed the original project proposal included cutting back vegetation on the Old Mainline canal by 1 meter, however by securing co-funding this has enabled the team to cut back by approx. 2.5 meters in areas. In addition, coir rolls have been installed to support wildlife and future vegetation, pollination etc.

A board  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To present upcoming press release and site visits.

DLUHC Site Visit

A site visit was held with Sandwell’s DLUHC Advisor and their Central Team managing the Towns Fund Programme in June. This was their second visit to Sandwell following a visit held in 2022. Our DLUHC advisor who visited in 2022 attended and could see the progress made within the year.

Future site visits will be scheduled and board members will be informed/ invited.

Interest has been received from Rowley Regis Ward Members to see projects. At present, Britannia Park and Canal Network projects are on site therefore a visit will be planned for 18 September 2023. Board members will receive an invite in due course.

Press Release Forward Plan
The Press release forward plan schedule was shared with board members in the meeting’s agenda pack and discussed with board members. No comments were forthcoming.

To receive any other business raised by members for discussion.

No other business to raise.

The Chair will make closing remarks and close the meeting.

The Chair thanked board members for their attendance and contributions to the meeting.

Meeting closed at 2:15pm.