Dumfries Town Board - Chair Update

Good Evening,

Firstly I apologise for the delay since my last update however I believe that if we have nothing of great importance to say... then we say nothing. Following the recent General Election, the establishment of a new government has obviously led to significant delays affecting Town Boards Nationwide. However, I am pleased to reiterate that the ￡20 million allocated to us still remains securely ring-fenced and will be forthcoming. The government is currently revising policies related to the Levelling Up Fund to ensure thoroughness. A revised guidance document was expected at the start of 2025; unfortunately, we are still awaiting its release, which is understandably frustrating.

Current Status:

While awaiting official guidance from the UK Government, we have been assured that updates will not affect work completed to date; any changes received will be supplementary. Our board has diligently met every deadline from the outset, and it would be unfair to require a full revision. Additionally, we have received confirmation that, come April, we will receive a further installment to cover any required changes. Regrettably, and this is the bad part, the initial funds for projects are now expected in April 2026. Although this may seem negative, even if we received the funds tomorrow, the necessary procedures and tenders processes would mean that work would not commence much before April 2026.

To that end and to ensure readiness, we have agreed to immediately recruit a full-time Programme Manager (PM) who will align with the Town Board Report and initiate the various interventions requested by the people of Dumfries during our engagement process. This will enable us to act promptly upon the release of funds. The PM will be involved in the tender processes, policy alignments, and other necessary procedures to ensure our projects comply with UK Government guidance. This is a POSITIVE development. Unlike some boards that may allocate funds to external consultants, through the Secretariat agreement already established by the Dumfries Town Board, the PM will be a locally employed individual through the DG Chamber. We consider this essential, as external consultants not only incur higher costs but also lack local context. This continues the financial trend that we set during the creation of the report, coming in 15% of budget, whilst keeping the works local.

Board Developments:

Our dedicated board of volunteers has been organised into sub-committees corresponding to the three interventions outlined in the original UK Government guidance:

* Transport & Connectivity

* Safety & Security

* High Streets, Heritage & Regeneration.

Once in post, the PM will engage regularly with these sub-committees to ensure alignment between the Town Board Report, the sub-committees, and obviously the collective board and myself at board meetings. You will soon notice increased visibility of the board, with the PM and their Secretariat Admin Support frequently engaging with both the public and local business owners. You will also see that I have posted on social media, looking for additional Board Members to come and join us after we sadly lost 2 members to personal and work commitments and I personally wish them the very best for the future.

I am delighted to report that we have now secured our 'home' as such and that will be at 'The Hub' situated at the bottom of Friars Vennel. The Hub has been sadly closed for a short while as things are restructured, however with a new set of Trustee's at the helm, we now will be moving into the Hub once things are sorted on a facilities and technical side. We are really excited with this move and also excited to support the relaunch of the Hub and what it will also bring to the community. The Project Manager and Admin Support will be situated there Monday to Friday which means this will be free to pop into if you have any questions or queries... or even just a cuppa.

We acknowledge potential concerns regarding the delay but emphasise the positives of our proactive groundwork approach. We invite all community members (including our favourite critics and keyboard warriors), to join us for discussions at our new location once operational. Our board remains determined and confident in delivering the initiatives requested by the people of Dumfries. The Town Board Report will be published following the release of updated UK Government guidance, marking another positive step forward.

Have a great evening

Best regards,

Richie