Agenda item

Report attached.

The Cabinet considered a report of Councillor Mohammed Younis, Portfolio Holder for Levelling Up, setting out the recommendation that had been made by the Town Centre Stakeholder Board for the Council’s submission into the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).  The report sought delegated authority to submit a proposal to the National Lottery on the basis of that recommendation.

Councillor Younis highlighted some key points within the report.

Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP welcomed the visits and support of Historic England’s Historic Places Panel.  He noted that there would be further consultations undertaken with residents and businesses if the bid was successful and that these might incur further costs.  He queried whether there was a ‘Plan B’ if the submission were ultimately unsuccessful.  Councillor Younis responded that indications were good that the submission would be successful, but this was not a guarantee.  Steve Riley, Executive Director (Environment) indicated that if the bid was successful, part of the funding would cover further consultation, as well as the design and planning works, which should take the project up to the next stage before delivery.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

 Bradshaw Advisory (BA) had demonstrated their effectiveness through working with the Town Centre Stakeholder Group/Board, Members and council officers to crystallise a new town centre vision, the production of the TCIP and the submission of the Council’s LUF bid and, more recently, UKSPF investment plan.  In June 2022, Cabinet had given approval to appoint BA to undertake further work, specifically:

• The creation of a TCIP funding strategy through the systematic review and appraisal of the different possible funding routes of interest to HBC, against each of the TCIP interventions through their award size, themes, criteria, bid timetables and any specific requirements (e.g. RIBA Stage 2 design, funding timelines).

• To provide relevant advice and detailed knowledge around other funding bids within the wider ‘Levelling Up’ agenda that may be available to the Council.

Given the Council’s LUF and UKSPF funding only provided for the acquisition of Market Chambers, plus some façade improvements and roof repairs,  BA’s funding strategy search was initially focused on identifying funding which would support the redevelopment of Market Chambers and create the proposed Heritage and Culture Centre within Market Chambers.

BA had identified the NLHF as a good fit, given the criteria for potential funding:

• up to £5m financial ask.

• must involve at risk heritage (can be objects, stories/experiences or buildings).
• must help reach a wider group of people (e.g. people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic minorities, young people).
• must offer good value for money.  The larger the financial ask of the fund the more mandatory outcomes, (set by NLHF) must be met and to a greater degree.

The NLHF application process was split into 3 separate phases: a short Expression of Interest, a more detailed Development Plan and finally a full designed, costed and ‘shovel ready’ Delivery Plan.  Each submission was assessed and if approved, the applicant was then invited to progress to the next stage.  The Council had submitted an Expression of Interest in September 2022 and at the end of October, the Expression of Interest had been considered by the Funding Panel for the North who had subsequently invited the Council to progress to the Development Plan Stage.  The Council would be submitting an application by noon, 17 August 2023 and hoped to receive a decision by the end of December 2023.

 BA had advised the Council to utilise the same process to filter ideas/concepts which had been adopted for the TCIP and LUF funding submission, drawing heavily on the consultation workshops, resident polling to answer two initial gatekeeping questions.

1)            Was heritage central to the idea/proposal?

2)            Did the idea align with the Accrington vision from the TCIP?

Where an idea/concept met the two questions, each case would then be scored using the following criteria.

1)            Costs and VfM - did the idea offer good value for money?

2)            Was the idea/proposal deliverable and within funding timescales?

3)            Stakeholder/public support - was there evidence from polling/stakeholder workshops of support?

4)            Did the idea/proposal align well with NLHF criteria and outcomes?

The scoring process allowed each idea/proposal to then be ranked. The proposals and rankings had been presented to the Culture Heritage Investment Panel on 6 June 2023 and they had reviewed all the suggestions and made a recommendation to the Town Centre Stakeholder Board at its meeting on the 8 June.

Development Phase Submission

The Town Centre Stakeholder Board’s recommendation to the Council was that its National Lottery Heritage Fund submission for Market Chambers should be focused around the following theme/proposal.

Hyndburn is global. Its inventions and their impacts have changed the course of history. Its social fabric has been shaped by the world. The North and the UK’s story is interweaved with that of Hyndburn’s.

We will tell that global story and impact through the lived experiences of local people - including children and those of South Asian heritage. Those stories, noises, sights, feelings and smells will be told in an immersive way using modern technology including virtual reality, soundscapes and lighting aligned with collections and physical objects.

Alternative Options considered and Reasons for Rejection

The Council could choose not to submit a development stage proposal.  This had been rejected as the NLHF had been identified as a good funding fit with the Council’s heritage led town centre regeneration proposal for Market Chambers.

Resolved                                    -    That Cabinet supports the recommendation of the Town Centre Stakeholder Board and delegates authority to the Executive Director (Environment) following consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to prepare and submit a £5 million Development Plan to the National Lottery that reflects the recommendation as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report.