To receive apologies for absence, including notifications of any changes to the membership of the Board.

Apologies for absence were received from Steve Darling, Cordelia Law, Steve Reynolds and Alan Tilley.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 20 July 2026.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Torquay Place Leadership Board held on 20 July 2026 were confirmed as a correct record.

Tracey Cabache - Chief Executive Torbay Communities, Liz Muir - Programme Development Manager Torbay Communities, Patrick Rafferty – Capital Programme Delivery Manager

The Board received an update from Tracey Cabache, Liz Muir and Patrick Rafferty on the progress of the Pride in Place Programme, current funding commitments, lessons learned from the first funding round and proposed arrangements for future funding rounds.

Members were advised that ten projects had now received funding approval, with only £1,490 of the first year's allocation remaining unallocated.  The Board reviewed the distribution of funding across the priority themes and noted that expenditure was broadly aligned with community priorities, showing a reasonable split between town centre improvements, crime and safety, neighbourhood improvements and work and skills initiatives.  It was noted that, of these 4 priorities, Work and Skills was the least represented.  The Board discussed the possibility of targeting specific areas in future funding rounds to ensure equity between priorities.

Members also received an update on the progress of approved projects and were advised that grant agreements were being finalised for a number of schemes, with several projects already beginning to draw down funding.

Particular discussion took place regarding the revised Transforming Play Spaces proposal. Members heard that the application had been narrowed to focus on Ellacombe Park and that existing Government and Council funding would cover works planned during the current year. The Board discussed the remaining funding requirements and expressed concerns regarding the level of additional funding sought and the extent to which the proposal aligned with the original community-led aspirations of the programme. Members agreed that further consideration should be deferred until a clearer picture emerged regarding future funding availability and the requirements of other projects.

Members discussed the position of applications that had not been funded during the first round. The Board noted that, of the original 61 applications received, 31 had not progressed beyond the initial assessment stage, whilst a further group of projects had either submitted business cases which were not funded or had been invited to submit business cases but had not yet done so.

The Board considered how best to support unsuccessful applicants and emphasised the importance of providing constructive feedback and identifying alternative funding opportunities where possible. Members noted examples of projects which had already secured funding through other routes following support from the Programme Team.

The Board reflected on the first funding round and noted that the initial call for projects had taken place before public engagement and priority-setting work had been fully completed. Whilst Members felt the process had generated valuable ideas and community interest, it was recognised that improvements were required before future funding rounds were launched.  Discussion also took place on the future approach to grant administration and governance. Officers outlined progress with grant agreements and explained the Council's role as accountable body, including responsibility for financial management, value for money and project oversight.

The Board considered lessons learned from the assessment process and discussed how applications could be strengthened through earlier technical support and engagement with applicants. The proposed use of a RIBA-based gateway process for capital projects was discussed in detail. Members noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.