Plans to invest almost £20m in Chesterfield over the next decade have taken a major step forward, with the launch of a new independent board which will oversee how and where the funding is spent.
Local business leader Dominic Staniforth has been appointed to chair the new Chesterfield Town Board – sitting alongside representatives from other local businesses, community and voluntary organisations, and the public sector, including representation from Chesterfield Borough Council.
It follows the Government’s ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’ announcement in October last year, which named Chesterfield as one of 55 UK towns to benefit from the new funding initiative – which aims to give local communities a greater voice in shaping improvements across the town.
Board members have now held their first formal meeting where it was agreed to run a public consultation exercise in June, giving local people the chance to have their say on how the money should be invested.
In line with Government guidance, a representative of Chesterfield Borough Council sits on the board, and the authority will also act as the board’s accountable body. However, all decisions about how the £19.5m worth of endowment-style funding is invested will be made by the Chesterfield Town Board, in consultation with local people.
Dominic Staniforth is a partner at BHP LLP Chartered Accountants – which has a base at One Waterside Place – and has been an active part of Chesterfield’s business community for many years.
He said: “Chesterfield is already a great town full of wonderful people and organisations that share a common purpose to make it even better – a place to live, work, invest and study – and this funding will further bolster our ability to deliver on that collective ambition.
“I am honoured to have been invited to become chair of the new Chesterfield Town Board and it’s fantastic that leaders from across the town, and the council, have already begun work to identify how and where this funding could make the greatest impact for local residents and businesses.
“Listening to the views of local people and understanding where they think this investment could make the biggest difference is at the heart of this work and we will be sharing more information about how to get involved in the coming weeks.”
Working closely with the council, the Board will now oversee the development of a long-term vision statement and three-year investment plan – to be developed following consultation with local people, and based on what they see as priority areas for investment. This must be submitted to the Government for approval later this summer.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of the council, said: “We have really strong and innovative business and community networks here in Chesterfield and this is again another great opportunity to bring people together – backed by millions of pounds worth of funding – to deliver projects which will make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives over the next 10 years.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dominic to the role of chair, as a local business leader with extensive experience of the area, and a shared passion and commitment to make the town of Chesterfield thrive for generations to come.”
In line with Government guidance, the funding must be spent across three key themes, which include: safety and security (to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour), high streets, heritage, and regeneration (making the place more attractive and accessible to residents, businesses, and visitors), transport and connectivity (improving access to the town centre, supporting greener modes of travel and enhancing public transport options).
