The role of s151 officer
In the Towns Fund Programme
Lisa Quinn
As Towns have progressed to Stage 2 of the Towns Fund Programme, it has become clear that the role of the s151 officer has become even more important and prominent, with business cases now being developed and submitted. As I said in my previous blog, the relationship developed between the Town Deal Board, the lead council (or accountable body), and the s151 officer is incredibly important in ensuring the successful achievement of each Stage 2 milestone. When communicating with Towns during the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the Programme, we received expressions of interest from s151 officers wanting to engage with the Towns Fund Delivery Partner, to obtain further guidance and understanding.
In early August, we held three s151 officer focus group sessions. The s151 officers and deputy s151 officers who attended found the discussions valuable, particularly in terms of gaining a collective understanding of the requirements for Stage 2 and being able to share experiences. With Towns at different stages, depending on the timing of their Town Deal announcement, the open discussion also enabled sharing of practical tips on how to navigate some of the challenges that Towns face at each milestone.
Observations
As part of the introduction to the focus group sessions, we shared our observations of the Towns Fund Programme and s151 officer role to date, which can be summarised as follows:
Most assurance frameworks, built around regional, city, town and local deals, look to the s151 officer to be a vital part of governance and assurance
Although each Government deal is unique in its form and detail, the Towns Fund does stand out as a particularly novel programme
As s151 officer, you will need to examine your role carefully and determine how you can fulfil the duties in the Towns Fund guidance, whilst enabling the spirit and intent of the Programme
You will need to work in partnership with your local authority leadership, designated Town leads and the Chair(s) of the Town Deal Board(s) for the purpose of defining your role
You will need to balance your strategic role in the delivery of the longer term vision for your area and your statutory role to provide independent assurance and advice in safeguarding public funds
The Towns Fund Programme provides great opportunities for your areas but we recognise the challenge for your role, alongside many other priorities
Summary
We thought it would also be useful to summarise the open discussion. Here are the main points:
S151 officers had limited involvement in the Towns Fund programme in Stage 1, but involvement is increasing appropriately as Stage 2 gets underway
Concerns were raised over the need to think about longer term implications of projects, which may not be focused upon within the 5-year Programme
Concerns were raised over delays in the programme and the significant financial and delivery risk taken on by accountable bodies
Early engagement is important to minimise issues in the programme further down the line and effective communication across the partnership is also very important
S151 officers noted that they play an independent role in the Programme, which is appropriate for their statutory role
In some cases, s151 officers attend Board meetings, but in other cases there has been a choice not to attend Board meetings – this is not prescribed and is very much a local decision
Views were expressed that some Boards may not fully understand the role of s151 officer, which is understandable, but needs to be addressed
Some examples were given of sub-groups established as part of Boards, or linking the Board and the accountable body, which are assisting the decision making process
S151 officers expressed a need for financial and delivery flexibility within the Programme, as they would expect for their wider investment programmes
We have produced some questions to help s151 officers consider their role within the Towns Fund Programme, breaking down the role into four broad areas: strategic leadership; statutory assurance; programme delivery; and risk management.
If you would like further advice on understanding the role of s151 officer in the Towns Fund Programme, please speak to your Town Coordinator or CLGU Area Lead. In addition, we will be holding further s151 officer focus group sessions during September and October, so watch out for an update on these sessions.