Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman will welcome everyone to the meeting.

The Chairman, Mr Kieffer, welcomed those in attendance to the Board meeting.

He then congratulated Nigel Farage on being elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton at the United Kingdom Parliamentary General Election on 4 July 2024.  He looked forward to welcoming him to participation in the work of the Board.  He also recorded the commendation of the former MP, Giles Watling, for his advocacy for Clacton-on-Sea alongside the District and County Councils that had been instrumental in securing the Long Term Plan for Towns support from central Government to this point.

Mr Kieffer also drew attention to the departmental name change from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as being responsible for the Long Term Plan for Towns programme within central government.

The Board is asked to note any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from the following Members of the Board:

·       Billy Ball,

·       Ian Davidson,

·       Nigel Farage MP

·       Emily T Murray

·       Craig Newnes,

·       Laura Taylor-Green.

The Board is asked to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting of the Board held on Friday 24 May 2024.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 24 May 2024 were submitted to the Board for confirmation.

It was AGREED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 24 May 2025 be received and confirmed as an accurate record of that meeting.

The Terms of Reference previously adopted by the Board (Minute 16 B. of 25 May 2024 refers) were re-submitted with an amendment to reflect the membership of the Board of Nigel Farage MP (see Minute 19 above).  The Board was also advised that the reference to the West Cliff Theatre in the organisation details within the membership section were in need of correction.

The amended Terms of Reference for the Board, as submitted, be approved as detailed above.

The Board will receive an update on the Long Term Plan for Towns.

In respect of these three agenda items for the meeting, the Board received a presentation on the Long Term Plan for Towns setting out the background to the last Government’s initiative, the intention to provide a “ten year endowment-style fund” of £20M, the geography of the Clacton on Sea programme, the role of the new Town Board in overseeing the vision, goals and objections of the programme and the intentions for a three year investment plan towards that 10 year vision.   The presentation to the Board then outlined the draft vision and the strategic case for change.

In considering what might be included in the three-year investment plan, it was important to consider the views of local people.  From the range of consultation exercises referenced at the Board’s last meeting, there appeared to be three broad areas that were particularly relevant to the themes within the long-term plan for towns’ initiative.  They were:

Safety & security

·       ASB priorities - people using or dealing drugs, street drinking, knife crime, fly tipping and criminal damage.

·       The most popular suggestion for enhancing safety was an increased police presence and local patrols and the two most popular activities were ‘sports’ and ‘gyms for teens’. Clacton beach was noted as a specific location where young people felt unsafe.

High Streets, Heritage & Regeneration

Greater variety of shops; more events; physical environment - cleaner & greener and safe spaces. Residents value the culture and heritage and natural asset of the beach. Businesses felt that most activity was centred around the seafront, with limited connection to the town centre.

Transport & Connectivity

Improved parking; safer pedestrian & cycle routes; frequency, cleanliness & reliability of buses; train station arrival/accessibility; broadband speeds.

Based on the data and consultation outcomes the proposed priority interventions for the three-year investment plan discussed included those below.  The reference numbers quoted were those from Annex C of the Government’s guidance to local authorities and Town Boards in developing the three-year investment plan and 10-year vision for their Town.  The presentation to the Board set out all of the interventions from that guidance. 

Safety and Security –

·       S1: Design and management of the built and landscaped environment to ‘design out crime’

·       S2: Engage with Police Force and together consider interventions to focus on visible crime prevention in defined areas places

·       S3: Measures to prevent anti-social behaviour, crime and reduce reoffending.

High Streets, Heritage & Regeneration –

·       H1: Funding for place-based regeneration and town centre and high street improvements

·       H5: Support for local arts, cultural, heritage and creative activities

·       H7: Funding for impactful volunteering and social action projects to develop social and human capital in local places.

·       H11: Investment in open markets and improvements to town centre retail and service sector infrastructure, with wrap around support for small businesses

·       H12: Funding for the development and promotion (both trade and consumer) of the visitor economy, such as local attractions, trails, tours and tourism products more generally

Transport and Connectivity

·        T1: Support for active travel enhancements in the local area.

·        T2: Funding for bus infrastructure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

The Board will discuss and agree the date(s) of its next meeting(s).

The Board was advised that a date, time and venue for the next meeting would be circulated.  It was anticipated that it would be in mid-September 2024. 

[Note: Subsequent to the meeting, the Board’s Chairman was consulted in respect of holding the meeting in early October 2024.]