A board of people responsible for a £25m government-backed scheme to regenerate an East Lancs town is being recommended for re-appointment.

Nelson Town Deal Board members come from council, private business, public sector and community organisations, Their role includes looking at the future of Nelson’s Pendle Rise shopping centre, which may be demolished and redeveloped.

In addition to the re-appointments, the town board should be ‘repurposed’ for long-term government funding releases over years and possibly extra cash. And private consultants may be paid for some work because of tight government approval deadlines, a report states.

Town Deal Board members are responsible for developing and carrying out an investment plan to support the Nelson Town Deal, with cash from the government. The aim is to deliver long term economic growth.

The board was created in 2020, linked to the government-agreed Nelson Town Deal. Under government-backed terms of reference and principles, town board members are appointed or re-appointed every two years.

Now town board appointments are due again soon. A Pendle Council report is recommending the current members be re-appointed. It states: “The current board offers a strong, cross community-sectoral representation. The existing members have helped to develop the plan and vision which the Town Deal seeks to deliver from the outset.”

Board members have voting powers for decisions, while advisers or observers do not. Ideally, decisions should be reached by agreement, guidance states. But votes can be used, if needed. Each member has one vote and a simple majority is enough for a decision.

Current board members are independent chairman Stephen Barnes, a former chief executive of Pendle Council. Other members are elected Pendle councillors Conservative Nadeem Ahmed, Labour’s Mohammed Iqbal, Lib-Dem David Whipp and Labour’s Asjad Mahmood, leader of the council.

Also members are Lancashire County Council’s Steve Burns, Zafar Ali, representing Nelson Town Council, Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson and Lisa O’Loughlin, of Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Business representative members are Dennis Mendoros, chairman of Pendle Vision Board, Joel Rosenblatt. of Buoyant Upholstery Ltd and Lara Oddie, of Oddie’s Bakery.

Community members are Rauf Bashir, of Building Bridges, Claire Bennett, of Positive Action in the Community, Paul Hartley of the In Situ arts organisation, Lancashire Police Insp Claire Pearson and Arif Patel, of East Lancashire Hospital Trust.

Non-voting advisers are Charlotte Schofield of the government’s Department for Business, Christine Parker of Homes England, Helen Warren from the Department of Work & Pensions and Mike Nuttall, of Brookhouse Group, the private sector town centre redevelopment partner.

Board members are being made aware of an intention to ‘repurpose’ it as the body to oversee the Nelson Long Term Towns Plan programme. This is an endowment-style approach, meaning government funding will be released over seven years and councils have flexibility to spend it over 10 years.

The council report states: “The fund is an acknowledgement by government that towns across the country, as opposed to cities, are struggling as a result of a number of factors.

“To access their allocation, each town is asked submit a Long-Term Plan to government for approval. This will comprise of a 10-year vision and three-year investment plan. Themes are safety and security, high streets, heritage and regeneration,  transport and connections.

The government has set an August deadline for town plans.

The report adds: “The quicker a plan is submitted and approved, the quicker investment funds are released. To assist with this process, and within the short time-scales , it is proposed that specialist consultants will be engaged to help produce the plan.”