Continuation of s151 officer networking
Lisa Quinn
As the Towns Fund Delivery Partner comes to the end of its involvement in the Towns Fund programme, we look back at the network of s151 officers and deputy s151 officers that has been built through Stage 2 of the programme.
To date, we have reflected on the importance of the relationships between the Town Deal Board, the lead council (or accountable body), and the s151 officer. Following the s151 officer focus group sessions in August, we reflected on the valuable discussion, exploring the key questions that s151 officers examine for each aspect of their role. The two sessions held in September enabled sharing of practical tips on how to navigate some of the challenges that Towns face at each milestone and valuable collective feedback for DLUHC to better inform next steps for support.
Due to strong attendance at these focus group sessions, and the expressed value that was being gained by those attending, we held two more sessions in October and November. We had a mix of s151 officers, deputy s151 officers and finance officers, some who attended the previous sessions and some who were attending for the first time. The open discussion continued to enable sharing of practical tips on how to navigate some of the challenges that Towns face at each milestone.
Based on all focus group discussions to-date, we present the main lessons below:
s151 officer engagement
The officers emphasised the importance of direct communication with the Town Deal Board Chair to minimise potential conflict, particularly during the development of business cases.
They feel that there needs to be a better understanding of the s151 role, and the local Towns Fund programme needs to afford enough time for the s151 officer review of business cases.
The need for programme flexibility has been a strong theme across all discussions, with officers preferring that local flexibilities and controls can be applied to achieve successful outcomes for towns.
Resource management and delivery
They felt that full involvement in the Towns Fund programme can be a significant commitment for the s151 officer and their team, especially for smaller accountable bodies.
In addition, for smaller accountable bodies the Towns Fund programme can significantly outweigh the existing capital programme, bringing new challenges for those involved.
They expressed concerns that, depending on which Wave a town is in, there may be a more concentrated delivery timeframe due to the overall programme delivery deadline of 2025/26.
Business cases and assurance
They are comfortable with not having to achieve Full Business Case stage by the time that business case summaries are being submitted, recognising the importance of local assurance and controls.
S151 officers have strengthened governance and local assurance frameworks.
Officers focused on the application of Green Book methodology, recognising the need for strong and sustainable quantitative and qualitative justifications, beyond the traditional BCR approach.
At the November focus group session, representatives from Crown Commercial Service (CCS) provided officers with an update, covering their services, customer support and strategic account management support. The presentation material from this session can be found on the CCS support page.
We are keen to further enable s151 officers and their teams to continue to network beyond the Towns Fund Delivery Partner involvement, from December onwards. We have therefore created a network based on those officers involved in the focus groups from August through to November. We recognise that this does not include all s151 officers involved in the programme, which is why we have produced this final blog as a signpost to available resources and continuing support.
Next steps from December are as follows:
Guidance and support material provided on townsfund.org.uk, which will continue to be available from December.
Ongoing Support Pack to be made available to all towns – particularly helpful for changes in local resources.
Cities and Local Growth Unit (CLGU) Area Leads continue to provide advice and support to Towns.
Crown Commercial Service will continue to provide networking opportunities for s151 officers and their teams.
Thank you to all officers that took part in the s151 officer focus group sessions. We have been delighted by the response and the enthusiasm to share practical tips and experiences. It has proved to be an extremely valuable forum for helping DLUHC to continue to shape the Towns Fund programme.
If you wish to make contact with Crown Commercial Service, further details can be found on their support page, or please direct any emails to info@crowncommercial.gov.uk.