The Park Wood and Senacre Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board has been formed to help local people shape a long-term plan for the area.

Its role is to bring together residents, local organisations, community voices and partners so that decisions are rooted in local priorities, evidence and ongoing community engagement.

The board will support the development of a 10-Year Pride in Place Plan and a more detailed 4-Year Investment Plan for Park Wood and Senacre. These plans should reflect what local people want to see change, what evidence tells us about local need and opportunity, and what can realistically be delivered through the programme.

We will support the board and will act as the accountable body for the programme at the start of the period. This means that we are responsible for ensuring that public funding is managed properly, lawfully, fairly and transparently.

These terms of reference set out how the board will work, how decisions will be made, and how the board’s community leadership role will sit alongside our accountable body responsibilities.

Purpose of the board

The purpose of the board is to provide community-led strategic leadership for Pride in Place in Park Wood and Senacre.

The board will:

• develop and test the local vision, priorities and outcomes for the Pride in Place Plan
• ensure priorities are informed by meaningful community engagement and relevant evidence
• help shape the 10-Year Pride in Place Plan and 4-Year Investment Plan
• work with us as an accountable body to ensure decisions are deliverable, lawful and accountable
• support open, transparent and respectful decision-making
• help build community capacity, confidence and participation
• ensure the programme remains focused on the interests of Park Wood and Senacre as a whole

Board members do not need to be governance experts. They must:

• come prepared
• listen carefully
• declare interests
• work with evidence
• make decisions in the interests of Park Wood and Senacre

Role of the board

The board will:

• uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the board’s Code of Conduct
• lead the development of the local vision and priorities for Pride in Place
• consider evidence from community engagement, consultation, research, evaluation and other local insight, alongside technical advice and the Board’s own local knowledge
• agree recommendations for the 4-Year Investment Plan, subject to our Accountable Body assurance requirements
• support and oversee the development of the 10-Year Pride in Place Plan
• identify issues, opportunities and priorities for Park Wood and Senacre
• consider risks, including financial, legal, reputational, delivery and community trust risks
• help ensure that community engagement remains ongoing and meaningful
• support clear communication with residents and local stakeholders
• support clear and accurate communications about Pride in Place and ensure any publicity or branding requirements are followed where relevant
• identify opportunities to build partnerships and bring additional support or investment into the area where appropriate

The board should not become a closed group or the only route for local involvement. It should actively support ways for residents, groups and organisations beyond the board to be heard and involved.

Our role as the accountable body

We are the accountable body for the Pride in Place programme locally at the start of the programme.

The board leads on local priorities, community voice and the development of the Plan. We provide assurance and accountability for the use of public funds.

Our role includes:

• ensuring public funds are distributed and managed fairly, effectively and transparently
• ensuring compliance with relevant legal, financial, procurement, subsidy control, equalities and risk requirements
• supporting the board to put in place proportionate governance arrangements
• working with the chair and board to develop appropriate controls for funding and decision-making
• supporting the secretariat function, including agendas, papers, minutes, decision logs and declarations of interest, subject to local arrangements being agreed
• publishing or making available governance documents, agendas, papers, minutes, decision logs and declarations of interest information as agreed
• advising the board where a proposed decision may create financial, legal, procurement, equalities, delivery or reputational risk
• advising on any programme publicity, branding or communications requirements that apply to Pride in Place funding
• ensuring our decisions connected to Pride in Place are made in accordance with our constitution and assurance requirements
• maintaining appropriate local assurance, monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the programme, including any reporting required by government or our own governance processes
• submitting monitoring, reporting and assurance information to government where required
• ensuring we are not put at unmanaged financial, legal or reputational risk by board decisions

How board and council responsibilities fit together

We need to work in partnership with the board. The table below sets out the intended working relationship:

The aim is not for us to override the board’s community leadership role. The aim is for the board’s local priorities and recommendations to be supported by our assurance role, so decisions are credible, lawful, transparent and deliverable.

Capacity and support funding

Where capacity or support funding is available, it may be used to support the effective operation of the board and the development of the Pride in Place plan.

This may include:

• convening the Neighbourhood Board
• supporting community engagement
• developing the 10-Year Pride in Place plan
• developing the 4-Year investment plan
• providing technical expertise
• supporting communications and resident involvement
• putting in place appropriate delivery and governance support.

Use of any capacity or support funding will be subject to accountable body requirements and any relevant programme guidance.

Role of the Independent Chair

The Independent Chair will provide inclusive and impartial leadership for the board. The Chair will:

• chair meetings effectively and fairly
• help all members contribute, including members who are newer to formal governance
• promote a collaborative, non-hierarchical culture
• help prevent gatekeeping or domination by any individual, group or organisation
• work with us and support partners to agree agendas and keep the board focused
• ensure conflicts and declarations of interest are considered and managed appropriately
• support the board to reach clear decisions and maintain momentum
• represent the agreed views of the board where required
• work with us to ensure the programme is not put at unmanaged financial, legal or reputational risk

Role of board members

Board members will:

• act in the interests of Park Wood and Senacre as a whole
• attend meetings wherever possible and read papers in advance
• bring local knowledge, lived experience, skills, networks or community insight to discussions
• contribute constructively and respectfully
• listen to other members and the wider community
• work towards consensus where possible
• declare interests openly and keep declarations up to date
• challenge constructively where needed
• support wider community involvement
• avoid acting as a gatekeeper for any group, organisation, network or interest
• follow the Code of Conduct and agreed ways of working

Board members may bring a particular perspective, for example as a:

• resident
• organisation representative
• business owner
• volunteer
• faith/community representative
• service provider or someone with lived experience

However, when acting as board members, they should consider the interests of Park Wood and Senacre as a whole.

Resident-led working and avoiding gatekeeping

The board should remain open, community-led and connected to the wider area.

Board members should:

• help make sure residents outside the board continue to be heard
• avoid assuming they speak for everyone
• actively support engagement with people who may not usually take part
• avoid controlling access to the board or the programme
• be open about organisational, personal or community interests
• challenge any behaviour that risks making the board feel closed, exclusive or dominated by a small number of voices.

Resident-led does not mean that every board member must have the same experience or confidence. The board should create space for people to learn, ask questions, and build confidence over time.

Community engagement, evidence and external input

The board will use community engagement evidence, local insight, data, research and technical advice to shape the Pride in Place plan and inform its decisions.

Some engagement, consultation, research, delivery or evaluation activity may be carried out by external partners or commissioned providers. These partners may provide briefings, reports, findings or recommendations to support the board’s work.

External partners do not replace the board’s community-led role and are not responsible for board governance or board decision-making.

The board’s role is to use evidence carefully and transparently, alongside its own local knowledge and our advice, to shape the Pride in Place plan and related recommendations.

Board members may help promote engagement opportunities and open doors locally, but should avoid controlling who is heard, filtering community views, or acting as gatekeepers to the programme.

Membership

Board membership was confirmed through a local selection process using three main sources of evidence: expressions of interest forms, group discussion observations, and structured conversations with the Chair. The process is guided by five principles:

• local legitimacy
• resident leadership
• balance of skills and perspectives
• support for people who may be newer to formal governance
• the need to determine the required skills mix for the board as a whole rather than ranking individuals in isolation

Where future vacancies arise, prospective board member(s) will be recommended to the Neighbourhood Board for approval following this process.

The board must be resident-led and include a balanced mix of residents, community voices, organisations, businesses, services and other relevant perspectives.

The board must include the local MP and at least one ward councillor, alongside the Independent Chair and other members confirmed through the local process. The table below outlines the initial board membership.

Attendance, substitutes and ending membership

Board members are expected to attend meetings wherever possible. If a member cannot attend, they should notify the chair or secretariat in advance.

In order to maintain the balance, resident-led nature and continuity of the board, no substitutes are accepted.

A member may cease to be a member if:

• they resign in writing
• they are removed or replaced by an appointing organisation, where relevant
• they are no longer able to fulfil the role
• they repeatedly fail to attend without reasonable explanation (apologies to be received and accepted by the board)
• they are removed under the agreed process following a serious or repeated breach of the Code of Conduct.

Where removal from the board is being considered because of a serious or repeated breach of the Code of Conduct, the member should be given written notice of the concern and the reasons why removal is being considered. The member should be given a reasonable opportunity to respond in writing and/or in person before a final decision is made.

The final removal process should be agreed by us as the accountable body and should be consistent with the board’s Code of Conduct and any relevant requirements.

Meetings

The board will agree on its meeting frequency at its first meeting. This will be quarterly at a minimum (in line with government guidance).

During the development of the Pride in Place plan, meetings may need to be more frequent. Any extra meetings will be called by the Chair and secretariat.

There is a presumption that key full Board sessions, particularly during onboarding and early decision-making, will be held in person. Meetings may be held online or hybrid where the Chair and we agree this is appropriate.

Council officers, technical advisers, engagement providers, delivery partners, evaluation partners or other external advisers may be invited to attend all or part of a meeting where useful. They may contribute with the Chair’s permission but will not have voting rights unless they are also voting board members.

The Chair, supported by the secretariat, will agree on meeting agendas.

Quorum and decision-making

The Board will be quorate when 50% of the voting members are present, including two residents. Where decisions relate to funding, assurance or formal recommendations, an Accountable Body representative must also be present.The Board will aim to make decisions by consensus wherever possible.

If consensus cannot be reached, the Chair may call for a vote. Each voting member will have one vote unless otherwise agreed. In the event of a tie, the Chair has a casting vote.

Decisions required at meetings should be clearly set out in agendas and papers. Decisions should be recorded in minutes and, in a decision log.

If the Board takes a decision that is determined to place us at unmanaged financial, legal, procurement, equalities, subsidy control or reputational risk, it will be reported back to the Board to determine whether to set the decision aside, or to retake the decision with the advice of the accountable body taken into account.

Urgent decisions

Where an urgent decision is needed and a Board meeting cannot be convened in time, the Chair may approve an urgent decision where:

• the decision is determined to be urgent, due to a reason for urgency, where the decision cannot reasonably be taken at the next meeting, or at a meeting called for that purpose
• the Chair informs the board members of the decision taken, the reasons for the decision, and the reasons for urgency, in writing immediately after the decision is taken
• the Chair has consulted with the accountable body to confirm that the decision is urgent, reasonable, legal and able to be taken
• any urgent decisions will be recorded and provided to the next meeting of the Board for ratification

Conflicts and declarations of interest

All members must complete a Declaration of Interest form before or shortly after joining the Board, before attending their first meeting.
Members must update their declaration annually, and when their circumstances change.

The Chair will invite declarations at the start of every meeting and before any relevant item where needed.

Where an interest creates a potential conflict, this will be managed in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

Communication and reporting

Agendas and papers will normally be circulated to members at least five clear working days before a Board meeting.

Board members may propose agenda items through the Chair and secretariat. The Board should agree a practical timescale for proposing items, supported by a Forward Plan.

Minutes will be prepared by the secretariat and approved at the following meeting, signed by the Chair. Draft minutes of meetings following the meeting will be published within 10 working days. Final minutes, once approved by the Board, will be published within 10 working days

Decisions will be recorded in a decision log where appropriate.

Conflicts of interest relevant to decisions will be recorded in the minutes.

The Board should seek to explain its decisions in plain English so residents can understand what has been agreed and why.

Transparency, confidentiality and information rights

The Board will operate with a presumption of transparency, subject to lawful confidentiality requirements.

Some information may need to be kept confidential, for example where it relates to:

• personal data
• commercial matters
• legal advice
• live procurement
• sensitive negotiations
• information that cannot lawfully or appropriately be published.

The Board’s activities, records and decisions may be subject to information access requirements, including Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Regulations and data protection legislation. We will advise on publication and confidentiality in line with these requirements and manage any formal information requests in line with its legal responsibilities and local procedures.

Where information cannot be published, the reason will be publicised with the agenda and recorded in the minutes of the meeting where the information is considered or a decision taken.

The Board may need to produce separate confidential minutes for relevant items where decisions are made on confidential items.  This will only be done where the minutes cannot be written so as to be public and not reveal confidential information.

Confidential minutes will not be published and must be treated as confidential.

Programme lifecycle and review

These Terms of Reference are intended to provide the initial governance framework for the Park Wood & Senacre Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

They are designed to support the Board as it moves through different stages of the programme, including:

• initial onboarding and Board formation
• development of the 10-Year Pride in Place Plan
• development and agreement of the 4-Year Investment Plan
• delivery, monitoring and review of agreed activity
• future changes to delivery arrangements, where appropriate.

The Board’s role, ways of working and relationship with us may need to evolve. This may include changes linked to programme guidance, Council assurance requirements, the development of community-led delivery arrangements, changes in Board membership, or the creation of working groups, sub-groups or delivery partnerships.

These Terms of Reference should therefore be treated as a living document. They should be reviewed:

• after the initial onboarding period
• when the 10-Year Pride in Place Plan and 4-Year Investment Plan are agreed
• before any significant change in delivery arrangements
• if national programme guidance changes
• if our role as Accountable Body changes
• at least once a year

Any changes should be agreed through the Board and Maidstone Borough Council, with appropriate advice from the Council as Accountable Body.

Review

These Terms of Reference should be reviewed in line with the programme lifecycle and review points set out above. At a minimum, they should be reviewed annually, or sooner if required by programme guidance, our requirements, Board membership changes, delivery arrangements, or local circumstances.