Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

The Chair advised that Cllr Phipps had sent her apologies for absence for attendance in person, however, would try to join virtually if possible.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

There were no substitute members on this occasion.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

Cllr Slade declared an interest as being the council leader during part of this process, but also as the former chair of Seascape Group until March of this year, which was talked about in the Governance of Council committees.  Cllr Bartlett declared an interest as the previous Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board that scrutinised FuturePlaces reports.  Cllr Tarling declared an interest as he had previously been interviewed by Future Places for a senior management role prior to being elected.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday on Friday 10 July 2026 [midday 3 clear working days before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday on Wednesday 15 July 2026 [midday the working day before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a petition is Thursday 2 July 2026 [10 working days before the meeting].

Questions from Mr Alexander McKinstry:

Question 1

Page 7, paragraph 8 of tonight's agenda pack notes that on 3 December 2025, this Committee resolved to send a series of written questions to FuturePlaces "stakeholders" in the week ending 12 December 2025, seeking responses by mid-January 2026. The following then appears in italics: "These dates were extended slightly in reality." Just out of interest, why were the dates extended, and what new dates were substituted?

Response:

Due to personal reasons, the Chair was unable to prepare and collate the stakeholder questions until early February 2026. Following consideration of appropriate wording of questions and ascertaining email addresses where possible, the questions were sent to stakeholders in April 2026. Some stakeholders were sent chasing emails in June 2026.

Question 2:

Can you provide a list of all stakeholders contacted for further information or clarification following the 3 December 2025 meeting, and clarify which stakeholders did not reply, or replied stating that they were unable or unwilling to assist with these enquiries? (I accept there was no obligation for any stakeholder to reply.) In addition, did former chair of FuturePlaces Philip Broadhead ever respond to the Chair's email sent sometime prior to 24 September 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/live/8-pK-1mJ_BQ?is=A0ydpeOm-gjRGVVr&t=45m4s), seeking his views on the scope of the investigation; and is there any likelihood of the abovementioned correspondence - questions and answers - being published, perhaps as a supplement if the FuturePlaces report ends up going to full Council?

Response:

Responses were sought from a range of former members, officers and Future Places representatives. Some former officers were unable to be contacted due to private data-sharing considerations. Some other stakeholders responded substantively, some declined to participate and some did not respond at all. The points raised in the responses have informed the Chair’s Foreword Statement.

The responses themselves are not being published because they contain material raising confidentiality, privacy and legal considerations. Some respondents specified the responses were in strictest confidence and they have replied to the Chair on this basis. Instead, relevant themes and perspectives have been reflected within the Chair’s Foreword.

The Chair did not receive a response from the email sent to former councillor Philip Broadhead to the email sent in August 2025.

Question 3

Revisiting the FuturePlaces report, I note that the then-Chief Executive, Graham Farrant, was asked about the recruitment of FuturePlaces' strategic engagement director, who was rumoured to know Drew Mellor - this is at 3 1 29 of the report - yet no questions seem to have been put to him about the recruitment of the managing director, a far more controversial matter in which he, Mr Farrant, was directly involved. This despite the fact that the "make it safe for scrutiny" email was disclosed in an FOI response of 16 May 2025; and that I read out said email at a meeting of this Committee, with the Head of Audit and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

This report is a summary of the BCP FuturePlaces Ltd (FPL) investigation process initiated by the Audit & Governance (A&G) Committee.  

The A&G committee agreed a scope and then considered the findings of a detailed investigation led by Internal Audit.  The Committee considered the investigation report over three public meetings. One non-public financial focused briefing also took place.   

The Committee, via the Chairperson, asked a series of follow up bespoke questions to seek the perspectives from several relevant stakeholders. 

The Committee agreed that the Chairperson would write a forward statement to summarise the investigation and provide an overview of what the Committee considered, including the perspectives of stakeholders, drawing the investigation to a conclusion.

NOTES:

In relation to the confidential Appendix (Section F of the report), should the Committee wish to discuss the content, it is asked to consider the following resolution: -

‘That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs such interest in disclosing the information.’

A copy of the Committee FPL action log is also included with these papers for information.

The Head of Audit and Management Assurance (HAMA) and Chair of the Committee presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report was a summary of the BCP FuturePlaces Ltd (FPL) investigation process initiated by the Audit & Governance (A&G) Committee. The A&G committee agreed a scope and then considered the findings of a detailed investigation led by Internal Audit. The Committee considered the investigation report over three public meetings. One non-public financial focused briefing also took place. The Committee, via the Chairperson, asked a series of follow up bespoke questions to seek the perspectives from several relevant stakeholders. The Committee agreed that the Chairperson would write a foreword statement to summarise the investigation and provide an overview of what the Committee considered, including the perspectives of stakeholders, drawing the investigation to a conclusion.

The Chair thanked the HAMA for all his work in pulling the recommendations together and advised the Committee that she hoped her foreword, whilst it may not express the views of all Committee Members, adequately addressed the main themes which had been considered during the Committee’s meetings regarding FuturePlaces.

The Committee considered the Future Places report and acknowledged it as a thorough piece of work, with discussion focusing on the need for clearer accountability, stronger actions arising from the findings, and consideration of wider lessons for the Council’s long-term approach to regeneration. 

Members discussed the strategic context of regeneration activity over a number of years, noting concerns about changing delivery models, the cost of unsuccessful projects, the need for a clear and consistent regeneration strategy, and the importance of maintaining cross-party support for major regeneration schemes over successive administrations. 

It was suggested that the wider lessons from the investigation should be reflected in the minutes and considered through future work relating to regeneration, although views differed on whether these issues should form part of the report’s recommendations. 

Discussion took place regarding the Chair’s foreword to the report, with comments made about the interpretation of evidence received, the treatment of stakeholder responses, and whether factual inaccuracies or omissions may exist within the foreword. 

A member advised that they had received correspondence from former stakeholders raising concerns about aspects of the foreword and sought to raise these matters during the meeting. Members discussed the appropriateness of introducing this information at this late stage of the process. 

The Monitoring Officer advised that it was a matter for the Committee to determine what information it wished to consider, although legal advice could be provided regarding any issues of privilege or defamation if required. 

Members expressed differing views on the handling of the additional correspondence, with some emphasising the importance of correcting factual inaccuracies and others highlighting concerns about the late presentation of evidence and the need for proper process.

Following further discussion, the Chair proposed a short adjournment to allow the correspondence referenced to be considered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.