Twenty-Fourth Report - Selecting towns for the Towns Fund

The government commits to providing a record of Ministerial recusal, decision criteria, and assessment scores upon completion of all Towns Fund decisions. It also plans to publish Heads of Terms on GOV.UK when agreed with towns.

The government agrees with the recommendation and states it is already implemented, citing existing expectations for Town Deal Boards, assessed governance, and requirements for local stakeholder and resident consultation specified in the Towns Fund guidance.

The government accepts the recommendation and commits to providing annual updates to the Committee on the Towns Fund's progress, including an assessment of towns' capacity to deliver their plans, with a target implementation date of April 2021.

The government agrees, stating the Towns Fund is a central component of the Levelling Up strategy and that the new Levelling Up Fund, announced at the 2020 Spending Review, will consolidate fragmented funding streams to provide greater clarity and alignment across programmes.

The government agrees with the recommendation, stating it has already provided accelerated funding to towns in September 2020, allowed additional time for plan development, and encouraged towns to review plans to address the ongoing impact of Covid-19.

The government states it has already set out expectations for Town Deal Boards regarding stakeholder and community engagement in its prospectus and guidance. It assesses board governance and requires towns to provide rigorously assessed stakeholder engagement plans.

The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding monitoring and evaluation. It details existing plans for national and project-level impact assessments and commits to publishing its full monitoring and evaluation strategy in Spring 2021, providing annual updates to the Committee.

The government disagrees with the committee's conclusion about a lack of clarity on impact measurement, outlining specific plans for national and project-level monitoring and evaluation, including tracking metrics on employment, income, and wellbeing, and commits to publishing the full strategy in Spring 2021.

The government agrees with the implied recommendation to support towns, reiterating its recognition of multiple funding programmes and its support for towns to align funding and develop strategic Town Investment Plans. It notes the Levelling Up Fund includes previous Towns Fund competition money.

The government acknowledges the committee's concern regarding the clarity of the Towns Fund's aims and its fit with other programmes. It responds by detailing how the fund aligns with broader strategies and introduces the new Levelling Up Fund to consolidate various funding streams, clarifying a more integrated approach to local investment.

The government agrees with the implied importance of considering COVID-19 impacts, stating it has already provided £81.5 million in accelerated funding, adjusted timelines, and requires towns to outline COVID-19 considerations in their proposals.

The government agrees with the implied importance of addressing COVID-19 impacts, stating it has already provided £81.5 million in accelerated funding, adjusted timelines, and requires towns to outline COVID-19 considerations in their proposals.

The government agrees with the implied importance of accelerated funding to address COVID-19 impacts, stating it has already provided £81.5 million in accelerated funding, adjusted timelines, and requires towns to outline COVID-19 considerations in their proposals.