A £20 million, ten-year transformation plan for Arbroath has stuttered at the first step after Angus councillors couldn’t agree the make-up of a body to appoint the new town board’s independent chair.
The windfall has been labelled a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for the town.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced Arbroath’s inclusion in the UK-wide Long Term Plan for Towns scheme in his spring budget.
The UK Government hopes the levelling up cash will provide opportunities for a range of projects.
Those could include the regeneration of the town centre, transportation and measures such as hotspot policing.
But it will be a town board – not Angus Council – which decides where the money is directed in the next decade.
The search is already under way for the independent figure to lead the body.
A council selection panel will decide who will be appointed to the post.
And it hit a snag on Tuesday after one Arbroath councillor was blocked from being part of the panel.
What was the issue with forming the selection panel?
Angus policy and resources councillors considered a report which set out the background to the Arbroath LTTP selection, its aspirations and timescales.
A key early driver is to find an inspirational figure to lead the board – and they cannot be an elected representative such as a councillor, MP or MSP.
Instead, a council sub-committee will consider nominations.
Policy convener and council leader Beth Whiteside proposed a five-strong group of three administration and two opposition councillors.
It led to nominations for SNP members Ms Whiteside, Kenny Braes and Mark McDonald, and opposition figures Derek Wann and Ross Greig.
But non-aligned Arbroath Independent Lois Speed said she wanted to put herself forward for the group.
Council leader Ms Whiteside rejected the approach.
Conflict of interest concerns
“There were a couple of considerations,” she told Ms Speed.
“One was that five was considered a good number so there wasn’t an even split.
“The other was, given there may be a requirement for elected members on the board itself, there may be a conflict of interest in Arbroath members being involved in the nomination of the chair.”
However, SNP colleague Serena Cowdy pointed out that Conservative Mr Wann is an Arbroath member.
“I don’t mean to be difficult but I would like to be consistent on it,” she said.
It led to a decision to delay confirmation of the exact make-up of the selection panel.
And it makes the race against time to select the board figurehead even tighter.
The UK Government wants to be told the plan for appointing the town board chairperson by June 1.
Thereafter, it’s hoped to fill the rest of the spaces and have the first board meeting later this summer.
And an initial three-year investment plan and 10-year vision for Arbroath must be submitted by November 1.
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