Bexhill neighbourhood board

Bexhill Neighbourhood Board (Plan for Neighbourhoods)

Terms of Reference

Approved by Bexhill Neighbourhood Board 13 June 2025

 

1. Introduction

1.1 The Bexhill Neighbourhood Board is the Responsible Body for the decisions and allocations of funding through the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Plan for Neighbourhoods (PfN). It is responsible for working in partnership with Rother District Council (RDC), the Accountable Body for the funds, the MP and the resident and business community, to maximise the benefits gained from the funding investment in the town. This partnership underpins the effective development and implementation of the Plan for Neighbourhoods.

1.2 The Plan for Neighbourhoods has three strategic objectives:

  • building thriving places

  • strengthening communities

  • empowering people to take back control

 

2.    Role and responsibilities

2.1 The success of the Bexhill Regeneration Plan under PfN is dependent on a high functioning Neighbourhood Board. The primary role of the Neighbourhood Board is to provide strong, progressive and visible leadership. Members have a responsibility to act as role models for what can be collectively achieved, and as positive advocates for the town and its transformation.

2.2 With the support of the Neighbourhood Board and Partnerships Manager, the Neighbourhood Board will:

  • Be responsible for deciding on the 10 year vision and investment plans for Bexhill Regeneration Plan under PfN.

  • Provide leadership and decision making for the Town Investment Plans and overall vision: defining vision, maximising shared ownership and priorities.

  • Be responsible for ensuring that deliverers stick to timescales and budgets, and for managing overall performance against grant agreements and contracts.

  • Maximise visibility and promote the priorities of the Bexhill Regeneration Plan under PfN at regional, national and international levels.

  • Contribute to ensuring that the needs and successes of Bexhill are heard by policy makers and strategic planners at local, regional and national levels.

  • Challenge all members and partners to stretch their ambitions of what can be achieved collectively, acting as strong advocates for the town and for collective endeavour.

  • Ensure community and business engagement – ranging from informing to supporting independent community action – is inclusive, robust and developmental.

  • Ensure that the voices of people with lived experience of marginalisation and inequalities are heard and addressed within its plans.

  • Provide adequate space for working groups of specialist expertise (lived experience and professional expertise) to inform and quality assure plans (for example, for communications, community engagement and development, climate and natural environment and others), to complement work on the MHCLG funding themes and to move forward specific project plans.

  • With partners, support the identification and application process of additional or future complimentary funding that is in line with the aims of the Plan for Neighbourhoods.

2.3 While the Neighbourhood Board is responsible for funding decisions and allocations, it is not the Accountable Body for the governance of public funds. This role falls to Rother District Council. In its role as Accountable Body, Rother District Council will develop a separate agreement between it and the Neighbourhood Board and articulate roles and responsibilities in more detail, by 1st June 2025

2.4 It is the responsibility of the Neighbourhood Board to ensure that it works collaboratively with the Accountable Body, recognising that it is the Accountable Body who is responsible for ensuring that public funds are distributed fairly and in line with Managing Public Money principles, Nolan Principles, Subsidy Control and Procurement legislation and guidance.

 3.    Chair, Membership and Quorum

 Chair/Deputy Chair

3.1 The Chair, appointed by Rother District Council as the Accountable Body, in collaboration with the Local Member of Parliament, will hold the position for 3 years from 1st April 2025. At this point, the Chairship will be reviewed. The Chair may be re-appointed by mutual agreement, to be ratified by the Accountable Body, the local MP and the majority of members of the Neighbourhood Board.

3.2 The chair should be someone who holds a prominent role in the community and has a passion for the town, in line with Plan for Neighbourhoods guidance. The Chair must not be an elected representative.

3.3 A Deputy Chair/s may be appointed at the discretion of the Chair, with agreement of the Accountable Body and the local MP.

Membership

3.4 Members of the erstwhile Town Board will be re-confirmed by the Chair, liaising with the Local Member of Parliament and the Accountable Body. Any new selection of members will be by the Chair, in collaboration with the MP and Rother District Council as the Accountable Body.

3.5 Members are selected as individuals, rather than as direct representatives of their organisations, with the exception of those organisations mandated by MHCLG guidance. These are:

  • The local Member of Parliament.

  • Rother District Council.

  • East Sussex County Council

  • Police and Crime Commissioner or nominated Senior Police representative.

3.6 Membership will be reviewed by the Chair at the end of the first 4 year cycle of investment, in consultation with the Local Member of Parliament and Rother District Council Chief Executive and in line with the approach suggested in the Plan for Neighbourhoods: governance and boundary guidance. This review will be undertaken with a view to ensuring that the Board continues to be representative of the needs of the town and the Bexhill Regeneration Plan whilst also recognising the benefits of continuity.

3.7 Neighbourhood Board membership will be selected and reviewed with the aim of being as representative as possible of a diverse range of demographics, sectors, skills and interests. This will ensure the Neighbourhood Board membership develops and implements its plans in the most inclusive, equitable and effective ways possible.

3.8 Any member failing to act in accordance with the Nolan Principles may be asked to leave the Board, at the discretion of the Chair, working with the Accountable Body and the local MP.

3.9 Non mandated members will be considered substantive for 3 years from the 1st April 2025 and may be reconfirmed at the Chair’s discretion and the support of the Accountable Body and local MP.

3.10 The following organisations/sectors must be actively represented on the Neighbourhood Board, in line with MHCLG guidance:

  • The local Member of Parliament.

  • Rother District Council.

  • East Sussex County Council

  • Police and Crime Commissioner or nominated Senior Police representative.

3.11 In addition, the Neighbourhood Board has chosen to have the Bexhill-on-Sea Town Council within its membership.

3.12 Members will be expected to be fully engaged, with consistent attendance and to contribute their insights and resources positively, in order to promote a collective driver for a positive and collaborative future direction for Bexhill.

3.13 MHCLG representatives may attend Neighbourhood Board meetings on occasion, to inform and support its work.

3.14 The Accountable Body may also attend as observers or invited speaking guest, to meet the governance and executive functions of the Board.

3.15 The meetings will be considered quorate when 50% or more of members are in attendance.

 

 4. Meeting frequency, timings and attendance

4.1 Neighbourhood Board meetings will be held quarterly, with dates and times for meetings set for the year in advance. Meetings will be typically 3 hours duration including a short break. Venues and papers will be sent out at least 5 working days before each meeting.

Attendance and provision of Substitute Members

4.2 Named members should seek to ensure their consistent attendance at Board Meetings in person. On occasions when this is not possible, those organisations mandated by MHCLG guidance (the Local MP, East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner must identify a Deputy to attend in their place, and vote on behalf of their organisation where appropriate. Other Members are invited as individuals with relevant expertise and ability to represent their sector. They are not entitled to elect a Deputy to represent them, should they be unavailable to attend.

4.3 Members’ attendance should be at a minimum of twice per year (i.e. one meeting out of every two). If members are not able to attend with this regularity, membership will be considered to have been relinquished, unless exceptional circumstances are agreed by the Chair. If the Member is a representative of a statutory body, mandated by the MHCLG guidance, it is their responsibility to help the Chair and Rother District Council Officers to identify an alternative representative who is able to consistently attend. The Chair may decide on exceptions based on individual and time limited circumstances.

4.4 Where attendance is not possible, the member will send their apologies to the Board Secretariat Officer, with as much notice as possible. Those Members representing mandating organisations will arrange for a substitute representative of their organisation to attend in their place.

 

5. Decision making and voting rights.

5.1 All Neighbourhood Board Members will have equal voting rights.

5.2 All decisions by the Board will be made based on the principle of clarity of goals and looked for outcomes, and in line with the Nolan Principles. They will be subject to ratification by the Accountable Body in terms of adherence to relevant legislative requirements.

5.3 Due consultation will be carried out as appropriate to inform development of options papers and decision making. This might include (but is not restricted to):

  • Consultation with relevant professionals with particular expertise.

  • Consultation with the business community and residents and, in particular, those with lived experience of particular life challenges and social barriers.

5.4 All decisions will be taken as members of the Bexhill Neighbourhood Board and not on behalf of specific organisations or areas.

5.5 All decisions will be decided by a simple majority of those Members voting and present in the meeting at the time a vote is taken. If there are equal votes for and against, then the Chair will have the casting vote.

5.6 There will be an expectation of open and transparent decision making, and transparency in communication to the wider public of decisions taken and the reasoning behind them.

5.7 The Board may give approval for Chair’s authority/action as necessary to progress the work and functioning of the Board.

5.8 Minutes will be sent to the Chair for approval within one week of the meeting and to Members within ten working days of each meeting.

5.9 Minutes will be uploaded to the Neighbourhood Board website no later than 15 working days from the date of the relevant meeting.

 

6. Working groups and specific engagement groups

6.1 The Board will establish time limited working groups to move forward on specific priorities. These working groups will act as a vehicle for engaging and involving wider community stakeholders in specific plans within the three themes.

6.2 The Board will select relevant community, business and public sector partners to sit on the working groups as appropriate to the needs of the task/theme being actioned. All working group members will be expected to act in line with the Board Code of Conduct, whether or not they are Neighbourhood Board Members. Each group will have its own Terms of Reference.

6.3 Each working group will have its own community and business engagement plan which will include identification of existing community interest groups and decision-making bodies who would be useful and important to involve in decision making on implementation. This is in addition to community and business engagement on broader decision making on priorities and development of ownership of the Bexhill Regeneration Plan.

 

7. The respective roles of Rother District Council

7.1 Recognising that Rother District Council has several distinct roles relating to the work of the Neighbourhood Board (as Secretariat, Partnership Support, potential Delivery Partner and Accountable Body for Governance of Funds) the standards and expectations that relate to the specific role will apply to the relevant representative. In practice, this means that:

  • The Neighbourhood Board Member representative from Rother District Council will have the same rights and expectations on them as any other Board Member.

  • Departments/work units of Rother District Council that have a delivery role in implementing the Bexhill Regeneration Plan will be subject to a written agreement in line with that of any other delivery partner or provider.

  • The Head of Corporate and Strategic Services (or another representative nominated by the RDC Chief Executive) will observe and support the Council’s interests as the Accountable Body for the governance of funds and inform and advise the Board to this end. They will not have automatic speaking or voting rights on the Board.

  • Rother District Council will ensure that funding is spent in line with legislative and established best practice in terms of legal, procurement, compliance and financial monitoring standards. The Council will not underwrite overspend on grant allocations, nor be responsible for decisions about funding allocations. The Neighbourhood Board will be responsible for ensuring effective performance management of delivery agreements, informed and supported by day to day oversight and reporting from the Neighbourhood Board and Partnerships Manager, and underwriting any overspend or inflationary costs incurred.

  • The Neighbourhood Board and Partnerships Manager, assisted by the Neighbourhood Board Project Officer, will service the Board and the Partnership. They will be available to inform and advise the Board as specifically requested by the Chair. They will not have automatic speaking or voting rights on the Board.

 

8. The respective roles of other members

8.1 Other Neighbourhood Board members may also have distinct roles, in that they represent, or are part of, organisations that are potential delivery partners. They will be subject to the Declaration of Interest policy in the same way as all members of the Board.

8.2 All substantive decisions will be subject to a vote by official Board Members only.

 

9. Code of Conduct for Members

9.1 The Bexhill Neighbourhood Board will be based on collaboration and business will be conducted in the spirit of partnership working and abide by the Nolan Principles of Public Life. Appendix A outlines a statement of intent for Board Members, based on these principles.

9.2 All invited members will be asked to sign up to this statement and to adhere to the spirit and letter of the statement at all times in their contribution, both in meetings and outside in public life.

9.3 Failure to adhere to the Bexhill Neighbourhood Board Code of Conduct may result in dismissal from the Board by the Chair.

 

10. Declarations of interest

10.1 The Board will operate three levels of declarations of interest as follows:

Level 1: a register of declarations of interest must be filled in by all Board Members and supporting Officers. This will be held by Rother District Council, as part of the Secretariat function for the Board.

Level 2: at the beginning of each agenda item, all Board Members will be asked to declare verbally any interest, direct or indirect, in the item for discussion/decision. These declarations will be recorded as part of the minutes of the meeting.

Level 3: Members with a direct financial interest (whether personal or in relation to the organisation they represent, or any other capacity) must leave the meeting for the duration of discussion/decision for the relevant agenda item.

10.2 Standalone policy, documentation and procedures for these three levels of Declaration of Interest will be drawn up for Neighbourhood Board approval in time for the June 2025 meeting. They will include procedures for financial and non-financial interests and the process for requesting exemption.

Version: 0.3 draft 22 April 2025

Anne Rathbone, Bexhill Neighbourhood Board and Partnerships Manager

Comments received (date): 17 April 2025 by email

Approved by (22 April 2025): for ratification at Board meeting 13 June 2025

 

Next review date 19 June 2026

 

Last reviewed: N/A

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