Town Leadership in the Delivery Phase
This blog is designed to help board members think about their role in the delivery phase, and to help delivery authorities consider how to get the best out of their board during this period. It has been put together based on conversations with towns in the programme in Place Leadership workshops.
What does it mean to be in the delivery phase?
Town Deal Boards have successfully led their towns through the enormous tasks of producing the Town Investment Plan and then the business cases and summary documents. The next stage will feel somewhat different. The next stage is about on the ground delivery and achieving the aims set out in the Town Investment Plans.
The range of investment through the Towns Fund is staggering. That means a real range in what 'delivery' means too. Many towns have big capital build projects, where 'delivery' will look like detailed design and planning, long before the more tangible and visible build stage begins. For other, smaller projects focused on refurb or retrofit, visible signs of 'delivery' will come sooner.
So, whilst 'delivery' looks different across various places the reality is a set of common themes across towns – regardless of how outwardly visible they are.
What is the challenge with entering the delivery phase?
One reality that most towns share in this phase is that the role of the Town Deal Board is not entirely clear.
A requirement of the Towns Fund was that every town set up a Town Deal Board, bringing together representation from across a place: public, private and community, as well as the local MP. The goal was to collectively shape the plans for a town.
The terms of reference guidance for the Town Deal Boards talks a lot about oversight of the Town Investment Plan and business cases, but less about the delivery phase. So, whilst to date the Town Deal Boards have not had any explicit technical or legal authority, they have developed situational authority, supported by the requirements of the programme. Many towns have established effective working relationships between the board and the delivery authority, based on the understanding of each other’s value, and how to work well together to benefit their town.
As we move into the delivery phase, that authority is shifting. The technical expertise and ability to navigate regulatory processes by the delivery authority has come more to the fore whilst the Board’s authority seems to be less.
Actively undertaking this change in relationship is critical to generate clarity for both parties on what their role is, where they should input, and what they are responsible for.
Establishing the value of the board
We have repeatedly heard that the most important role for the Town Deal Board in the delivery phase is providing the strategic oversight of the programme. That means ensuring the town is being true to the vision and objectives set out in the Town Investment Plan. As projects are picked off and siloed into their project plans through delivery, often by different delivery partners, the board becomes the only place able to provide this oversight.
How the board and delivery authority can work well together
As influence and responsibility shifts, it is important to renegotiate the relationship between the board and the delivery authority to create space and understanding for this role. Through our conversations with towns, we've identified the following lessons and practical tips:
1. Try to understand one another's position
Local authorities – don't underestimate how it might feel to your board to be accountable for the delivery of your projects, and yet to have none of the actual responsibility for doing so. Many board members feel a real personal stake in the projects, of which they are often the public face.
Boards – your local authority colleagues will be navigating all sorts of regulations and processes, which may look impenetrable and inefficient to you, but will be heavily informed by the necessary assurances and risk mitigations that need to be in place when spending public money.
The relationships that are working best are those where boards and delivery authorities have been able to create a ‘safe space’, based on trust in one another's expertise and insight.
2. Review and agree the board’s purpose
The Board has a key role in looking across the programme as a whole and ensuring it delivers the vision and objectives in the Town Investment Plan. It can be helpful for the Board to see itself as a ‘programme board’ with other partners, particularly officers, more focused on the individual projects. This allows the board to add value by looking at the ‘whole town’ impacts and identifying strategic opportunities across projects, such as around skills and net zero carbon.
3. Articulate your assumptions
Tensions emerge between boards and delivery authorities for a variety of reasons. This is inevitable for projects such as these. They’re not always unhelpful, but what is unhelpful is when different assumptions drive difficult behaviours. We heard from towns that naming some of those assumptions and tensions reduces a lot of their impact.
4. Agree appetite for risk
The difference in risk appetite between the board and the section 151 officer can cause frustration and difficulty but acknowledging the reasons for this is helpful. Some groups struggled to develop their business cases, but rather than wait for the same to happen in delivery, they collectively agreed where energy and support was needed to build capability. They realised that a risk register was a way to collaboratively flag and respond to risk, while removing blame from the situation.
5. Work alongside one another
There are several ways in which board members and local authority officials are working directly alongside one another to leverage the expertise and perspective of both. For example, board members taking a comms lead in some towns have been working directly with the council comms team to broaden their understanding of how messages are landing. Others have taken advantage of the specific skill sets of people around the table to troubleshoot problems arising.
Practical ways to set up for success
Being strategic isn't always easy. We've heard grumbles of boards that are both too engaged and not engaged enough! It is a hard balance to strike, but we have included a few practical steps that boards and delivery authorities can take to set expectations and equip the board to play that role.
Refresh your terms of reference to reflect the stage you are now at, and articulate the expected role of the board – be clear on responsibilities and decision making
Establish the level of decisions that will be expected to be taken by the board, cabinet, officers and other governance structures.
Establish the frequency of meetings
Agree the level of reporting the Board needs to make its decisions (acknowledging the risk of officer resource constraints, not least in an environment where the board may be used to very detailed reports).
Consider what skills you need in the board for the delivery stage - it's a good moment to consider whether there is an opportunity to shuffle roles and responsibilities to reinvigorate members, or whether it may be time for some to move on and fresh members brought to the board. A skills audit of board members can be a useful approach to understand what skills you already have and how they relate to what you need.
Recognise that board members, volunteering their time, may have some fatigue after the intensity of the business case phase.
The setup of the boards was intentionally about bringing together the best of the private and public sector. Many towns have done that effectively in the business case stage; now is the time to configure relationships and expectations to replicate that in the delivery phase.
Finally, remember to celebrate your achievements.