Agenda item

To consider a report from the Chief Executive as the Council shareholder for the Rushmoor Development Partnership (Report No. CEX2101 attached).

The Committee considered the Chief Executive’s Report No. CEX2101.  The Chief Executive’s report as Council Shareholder related to the progress review received from the Rushmoor Development Partnership (RDP) on its business plan.  The Report provided information on the progress and delivery to date on the four regeneration sites which had been agreed as part of the initial RDP business plan.  The Report also proposed some changes to the management and governance arrangements to support the Council’s input and oversight of the RDP to respond to the current stage of the regeneration programme.

It was noted that the RDP’s financial position was reviewed by the Council’s Finance Service and the annual accounts would be included as confidential appendices to the Annual Report to be submitted to the Committee in October 2021.

The Committee noted that there had been significant progress since the approval of the initial business plan, particularly on Union Street, Aldershot where the RDP had secured planning consent during 2020 despite the pandemic. Work on the Civic Quarter Masterplan was progressing well and a public consultation exercise would commence in Summer 2021 prior to the submission of an outline planning application.  Parsons Barracks Car Park had been sold to enable the development of a care home with the proceeds being used to fund the work of the RDP to date, reducing pressure on the Council’s financial position. 

Overall the RDP had made a positive contribution to moving forward the Council’s regeneration objectives over the previous two years and, as Shareholder, the Chief Executive was satisfied with progress achieved.

As the regeneration programme was now moving to the construction phase for some schemes, it was considered appropriate to review the partnership arrangements and approach to governance.  An initial review had been undertaken by the Chief Executive as Shareholder and changes to management and governance were now proposed.   The RDP Board currently consisted of the Leader, Property and Major Projects Portfolio Holder (Cllr M.J. Tennant) and Executive Director (Karen Edwards).  It was proposed that this should now be transitioned to the Property and Major Projects Portfolio Holder, Chief Executive and Executive Director.  This change would allow the Council to bring the Chief Executive’s regeneration and development experience to bear on the projects and also allowed the Leader to play more of a strategic leadership role without any hinderance or conflict of interest that could arise.  The Committee was advised that the Executive Head of Regeneration and Property (Paul Brooks) would be replaced by the Interim Head of Development (Keith Harley).  Both of these proposed changes would be subject to confirmation by the RDP Board.

The Committee was advised that, once the new arrangements had come into force, it was further proposed that the Council’s shareholder representative for all other purposes should be the Executive Director and Monitoring Officer (Ian Harrison). 

The Report set out the current annual cycle of oversight and governance by the Committee, which was considered by the Chief Executive to be sufficient.  However, the Council’s officer project and programme management arrangements had been strengthened from 1 April 2021 to reflect the move towards the construction phase of the Union Street development and quarterly performance reporting to the Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny Committee and six-monthly regeneration briefings would continue for all Members of the Council.  The Chief Executive felt it was important that management and governance arrangements should be kept under review as the Council’s regeneration projects proceeded. 

RESOLVED:  That

(i)            the Chief Executive’s Report No. CEX2101 be noted; and

(ii)              the changes to the management and governance arrangements set out in section 3 of the Report be agreed in line with the Council’s Constitution.