To consider the submitted report on the annual review of the Place Leadership Boards.

The Board received the annual review of the Torbay Place Leadership Board, the Torquay Place Leadership Board and progress on the emerging Paignton Place Leadership Board as presented by the Deputy Leader of the Council (on behalf of the Leader of the Council) – Councillor Chris Lewis and the Chair of the Torbay and Torquay Place Leadership Boards – Jim Parker.  Key points included:

·                Governance and delivery arrangements have continued to mature and strengthen over the past year.

·                Torbay Place Leadership Board has focused on presenting a clearer regeneration and investment narrative, while Torquay Place Leadership Board has moved into delivery with six local community projects being recently allocated funding.

·                The Paignton Place Leadership Board was in its early stages, with strong community interest following an open recruitment process.

·                The Torbay Story was highlighted as a valuable tool that now needs refreshing to be more people?focused and locally resonant.

·                Opportunities and risks were identified around capacity, assurance workload and managing community expectations over funding.

Members raised the following questions:

·                Will the Paignton Place Leadership Board remain limited to the current two defined areas, or was there scope for this to widen in future?

·                How were the geographic boundaries for the Paignton Board determined, and was there flexibility to amend them?

·                What skills, experience and representation were being sought for membership of the Paignton Place Leadership Board?

·                How will the Independent Chair of the Paignton Place Leadership Board be appointed, and what criteria will be used?

·                How will the Board manage community expectations given the scale of funding and the wide range of potential community needs?

·                Given early challenges experienced by the Torquay Place Leadership Board, what lessons have been learned and applied to new Paignton Boards?

·                How visible and well?understood was the Torbay Place Leadership Board and the “Torbay Story” across Torbay?

·                How will the next phase of the Torbay Story better reflect people, communities and lived experience rather than solely investment messaging?

·                What steps were being taken to improve digital and social media presence for the Place Leadership Boards?

·                How will communities be engaged meaningfully, particularly those that feel disconnected from decision?making processes?

·                What is the relationship between the Place Leadership Boards, Government funding conditions and political representation?

·                How will longer?term, systemic issues be balanced against community pressure to address short?term practical concerns?

·                How frequently was membership of the Torbay Place Leadership Board refreshed, and how was transparency maintained?

The following responses were received:

·                The areas covered by the Paignton Place Leadership Board have been defined by Government based on deprivation data.  While there was limited flexibility, boundaries covered for the funding can be reviewed where there is a demonstrable community benefit, subject to Government agreement.

·                The boundaries were based on a national statistical formula and include parts of neighbouring areas where deprivation indicators apply.  The Board will have scope to consider how it presents and describes the area as part of its work.

·                Membership was intended to include a broad range of skills relevant to delivery, including community leadership, regeneration, education, skills and economic development.  An emphasis was being placed on people who may not have previously held formal leadership roles.

·                The Independent Chair will be selected through an open application process, with candidates assessed against agreed criteria.  The appointment will be confirmed by mid?July in line with Government deadlines.

·                It was acknowledged that £20m over 10 years creates high expectations.  Clear communication will be needed to explain funding constraints, delivery timescales and the balance between capital and revenue spend.

·                Early challenges in Torquay highlighted the importance of community representation, clarity of purpose and strong governance.  These lessons have informed the development of the Paignton Board, including earlier and deeper community engagement.  Information on the Torquay Place Leadership Board can be found at Committee details - Torquay Place Leadership Board.

·                Awareness of the Torbay Place Leadership Board (Committee details - Torbay Place Leadership Board) and Torbay Story remains limited (Torbay Story - Home).  While inward investment messaging was effective at a national level, local understanding needs strengthening.

·                A new people?focused phase of work is planned, centred on local stories, lived experiences and community pride.  This will aim to make the Torbay Story more accessible, relatable and relevant to residents.

·                Digital and social media presence was currently limited.  Plans include improving online visibility, encouraging sharing of content, and making better use of real stories and imagery rather than corporate messaging.

·                Engagement will rely on listening exercises, grassroots outreach and working with trusted community organisations.  The Boards intend to ensure that engagement is continuous and not limited to formal consultation points.

·                The Boards are independent but operate within national programme rules, including limits on political representation for the Paignton Board, which includes no more than one Member of Parliament (MP) and one Ward Councillor.

·                It was recognised that communities often prioritise immediate local issues such as facilities and amenities, while the programme also requires focus on long?term economic growth, skills and systemic change.  Managing this tension will be a key leadership challenge.

·                Membership of the Torbay Place Leadership Board was refreshed in 2025 alongside new Terms of Reference.  Transparency is supported through published information and clearer communication of roles and responsibilities.  It was acknowledged that information on the Torbay Place Leadership Board was not easy to find through web searches and this should be explored to make the Torbay and other Boards more accessible.

Resolved (unanimously):

1.       that the Overview and Scrutiny Board note the progress made by the Torbay Place Leadership Board, Torquay Place Leadership Board and the emerging Paignton Place Leadership Board, including the steps taken to strengthen governance, transparency and delivery assurance;

2.       that the Overview and Scrutiny Board note the key issues and risks set out in the Supporting Information (including capacity, assurance workload and managing community expectations) and endorses the continued use of a proportionate Delivery Assurance approach to support Board decision-making;

3.       that a new people-focused phase of work around the Torbay Story (“Our Story”) is endorsed to increase understanding and use across the Bay;

4.       that given the independence of the Boards, and the critical (and sometimes legal) role that Torbay Council plays in supporting them, the Overview and Scrutiny Board request an interim update if there are material changes to Government guidance, the funding profile (how much funding is available in each year), or Board arrangements.  Otherwise, Overview and Scrutiny will receive the next annual review report in line with the established cycle; and

5.       that the Overview and Scrutiny Board receive an interim update on the Torquay and Paignton Place Leadership Boards in October 2026.

(Note:  during consideration of the item in Minute 76, Councillor Law declared a non-pecuniary interest as member of Torquay Place Board.)