The Chairman will welcome everyone to the meeting and make any opening remarks as necessary.

The Board’s Chair welcomed Board Members to the meeting, and all attendees introduced themselves.  The Chair particularly thanked Sam Jones (ECC’s Localities Lead) and Rachel Rowsell (TDC’s Economic Development Officer) for their contributions over the time of the Board to taking forward the issues addressed by Board Members. 

The Chair advised the Board of a very helpful meeting with Nigel Farage MP on Friday, 31 October 2025 during which he received details of the draft proposed Pride in Place Vision and Investment Plan for Clacton (as it had been drafted to that point).

The Secretary to the Board will inform the Board of any apologies received.

The Board was advised of the apologies for absence of Billy Ball, Ian Davidson, Nigel Farage MP (represented at the meeting by George Ivil from his office) and Laura Taylor-Green.

Members of the Board are invited to make any necessary declarations of interest in accordance with the Board’s Code of Conduct.

In relation to the agenda for this meeting there were no specific declarations from Board Members in respect of the business to be transacted.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 10 October 2025.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 10 October 2025 were submitted to the Board for confirmation.

It was AGREED that the Minutes of the meeting of Board held on 10 October 2025 be received and confirmed as an accurate record of that meeting.

This report outlines current expenditure and commitments and proposes reallocating part of the underspend to support the immediate recruitment of a full-time programme manager. This role will report to the Board, and support Tendring District Council in its role as the Accountable Body. To also propose increasing the Town Centre Manager role to full-time. This post is currently vacant.

The Board received a report that reminded it of the allocation of ‘Capacity’ Funding (provided to the Board by the UK Government and which was in addition to the £2M per year for 10 years that was anticipated upon approval of the 10-Year Vision and 4-Year Investment Plan).  The Board, at its meeting on 20 March 2025 (Minute 61 refers) had approved the allocations which were set out in the report to this meeting (allowing for carry forward between years of unspent allocations).  Those allocations are set out here:

Capacity Funding Budget Approved March 2025

The Board was also advised on the expenditure levels in 2024/25 and 2025/26 and commitments in 2025/26.  The detail is as follows:

Expenditure to date

*£5,000 for Youth consultation reallocated into the Regeneration Plan budget

In respect of resources to deliver the Board’s ambition, it was invited to support the allocation of funding to enable Tendring District Council to establish two separate full-time posts of Town Centre Manager and of Programme Manager with immediate effect. The recruitment to these two posts was considered essential to maintain the impetus of the Pride in Place programme. The Board was requested to approve an initial allocation from the Capacity Fund to facilitate the recruitment to the two posts.  However, it was hoped that these two posts would form part of the Investment Plan for the Board and, consequently, be funded from that source in due course.  In the event that the posts were recruited ahead of 1 April 2026, and assuming the roles were part of the Investment Plan, there would be a relatively small call on the Capacity Fund in respect of salaries etc. 

(1)   It was AGREED to approve:

a.     The funding of £54,000 from Capacity Funding for the establishment and recruitment of a Full Time (37 hours per week) Town Centre Manager for one year in 2026;

b.     The funding of £78,000 from the Capacity Funding for the establishment and recruitment of a Full Time (37  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

The next meeting will be held online at Noon on 26 November 2025 in order to approve the Plan that will need to be submitted by the deadline of 28 November 2025.

The Board was reminded that its next meeting had been scheduled for 26 November (12 noon - online) in order to approve the 10-Year Vision and 4-Year Investment Plan ahead of the deadline of 28 November 2025.

Further to the pre-Board discussion referenced above, and in order to progress towards the next meeting of the Board (with its hoped-for approval of the finalised 10-Year Vision and 4-Year Investment Plan), a draft (dated 6 November 2025) of the 10-Year Vision was circulated at the meeting with a request for comments. 

It was AGREED that an electronic copy of the 6 November 2025 draft 10-Year Vision would be circulated to all Board Members with a request to provide comments by 2pm on Thursday, 13 November 2025.