The Hillfields Partnership Board (HPB) was established to secure the efficient and effective use of grant under the European Union's European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) Objective 2, with the aim of securing the economic, social and physical regeneration of the Hillfields area of the City of Coventry. It will do this particularly by carrying out the following roles:

• to ensure that there is widespread community involvement and support for the HPB and to provide evidence of this;

• to specify clear and transparent arrangements for financial management and administration including: where appropriate, the nomination of a specific individual to be responsible for the management of public funds provided to it and for reporting to the HPB;

• to draw up the Objective 2 Action Plan;

• to implement the Objective 2 Action Plan;

• to secure matching funding for the Objective 2 Action Plan;

• to propose arrangements for the promotion and publicity of the programme;

• the development of capacity building actions to enable the local community to contribute to the development of the area;

• to consider project applications which have been assessed and appraised in accordance with the agreed criteria and to endorse those for which an offer of grant is made;

• to review the effectiveness of regeneration projects within Hillfields, with particular emphasis on environmental sustainability, equality of opportunity and innovation;

• To seek to co-ordinate the actions of, and promote communications and partnership between, other organisations whose actions or objects impinge upon the objects of the Board.

Membership

The membership of the HPB is as follows:

• 2 representatives of Coventry City Council (a Ward Councillor and a Cabinet Member);

• 6 Community representatives (to be nominated by WATCH)

• 1 representative of the learning Skills Council;

• 1 representative of the Learning Skill Council;

• 1 representative of the Hillfields Business Forum;

• 1 representative from the Chamber of Commerce;

• 1 representative of the West Midlands Police;

• 1 representative of Coventry Primary Care Trust;

• 1 representative of Registered Social Landlords.

The Board may co-opt additional members as and when necessary (for example to address issues of race and gender balance).

The group will be chaired by one of the local partners.

An officer from the City Council's Regeneration Team. the Area Co-ordinator, the Agenda 21 Manager and the WATCH general manager will be invited to HPB meetings to act as advisers, but will not have voting rights.

Meetings

• The HPB will meet at least 6 times a year;

• Wherever possible the HPB will meet in the Programme Area;

• Agendas for meetings will be agreed by the Chair in advance;

• At least 20 working days formal notice of meetings will normally be given. However the Chair may convene meetings at shorter notice or request a response by written procedure in the event of unavoidably urgent business;

• Papers will normally be issued at least 5 working days before the meeting. Where this is not possible or where there are other exceptional circumstances the Chair may waive this requirement;

• Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of the HPB.

Voting

The HPB's decisions on matters coming before it shall be achieved by consensus wherever possible. In the event of a vote, each member of the HPB shall have one vote. Co-opted members will have full voting rights. In the event of an equality of votes on any issue the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may cast.

Quorum

The Quorum at HPB meetings shall be five (including at least one nominee of Coventry City Council as the Accountable Body).

Declarations of Interest

If a member has an interest in any item of business under consideration at a HPB meeting (whether in a personal capacity or as a member of any organisation that he or she is a nominated representative of or employed by or serves on the Board of) then that member shall declare any such interest before the consideration of that item by the HPB.

Where such an interest is of a pecuniary nature the member declaring it shall not take part in the consideration or discussion of the item or vote on any matter with respect to it.

Accountability

The HPB will act in accordance with established principles of reasonableness and fairness. In acting as the Accountable Body, Coventry City Council will act in accordnace with European regulations, Local Government laws and its own Standing Orders and Corporate Standards.