Appointment of board members to West Northamptonshire Development Corporation

23 Jan 2007 09:45 AM

Six members of the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation board (WNDC) have been reappointed for a second and final term of 3 years.

David Dickinson, John Farrow, Ann Tate and Councillors Lee Baron (Northampton Borough Council), Chris Millar (Daventry District Council) and Ben Smith (Northants County Council) have all been reappointed as board members.

Lords Minister for Communities Baroness Andrews said:

"I am delighted that WNDC has retained the knowledge and expertise of such first class board members for a further three years.

"We are fully committed to regenerating existing communities alongside building the new homes the next generation needs to make West Northamptonshire an attractive place to live and work for everyone. The reappointment of all six members will enhance the good work which has already begun in West Northamptonshire."

Keith Barwell, Chair of WNDC said:

"WNDC are lucky to have an excellent board with a great range of expertise and skills. I am delighted that all six members up for re-appointment have had their contracts renewed and are eager to continue their good work. The sustainable growth and regneration of West Northamptonshire is a long-term project. This announcement will enable the Board to maintain a clear focus on the delivery of plans for the area."

WNDC was established in 2004 to drive forward regeneration, improved infrastructure, investment and sustainable growth in the towns of Northampton, Daventry and Towcester in the Milton Keynes / South Midlands growth area. As part of the Milton Keynes / South Midlands growth area, West Northamptonshire aims to deliver 47,000 new houses and 37,500 new jobs by 2021.

Notes to Editors

1. Board members' have been re-appointed for a second and final term of 3 years, remuneration will be at £11,484 for 3 days per month. The six members of the board who have been reappointed are:

* David Dickinson

* John Farrow

* Ann Tate

* Councillor Lee Baron from Northampton Borough Council (nominated)

* Councillor Chris Millar from Daventry District Council (nominated)

* Councillor Ben Smith from Northants County Council (nominated).

2. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process (non-nominated candidates). However, in accordance with the Nolan recommendations there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if declared) to be made public. Brief biographies for those who have been reappointed are below:

Cllr. Lee Barron reappointed for three years

Lee Barron is currently the Leader of the Labour Group on Northampton Borough Council. He has been a councillor since May 1999, represents Castle Ward and was first elected Leader in 2003. Since an early age Lee has been involved in the labour movement. In 1992 he was elected Leader of the county's postal workers and currently represents over 2,500 members throughout Northamptonshire

Political Activity - Labour:

Obtained office as a Local Councillor, MP, MEP etc X Stood as a candidate for one of the above offices X Spoken on behalf of a party or candidate X Acted as Political Agent X Held office such as Chair, Treasurer or Secretary of a X local branch of a party
Canvassed on behalf of a party or helped at election X Undertaken any political activity which you consider
relevant
Made a recordable donation to a political party
None of the activities above apply

This member holds no other Ministerial Appointments.

David Dickinson - Reappointed for three years Born in Chester, and educated at Watford Grammar School, Peterhouse Cambridge and through Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, David spent 25 years in the brewing industry managing new-build projects for Guinness, Whitbread etc. Old brewery sites gave opportunities for a career change to 15 years of property development, (with some years overlap). A founding Director of StanHope Properties, (a leading 1980s developer responsible for such London landmark projects as Broadgate and Stockley Park), David was also founder Chairman of the East London Training and Enterprise Council where he gained extensive experience, negotiating with Government on employment issues and multi-billion pound budgets. David helped pilot a Railway Act through Parliament and has wide experience of giving evidence to public inquiries, one relevant example being the "South Cambridgeshire Settlement", and has given evidence to Parliament Committees on employment and the environment. David has been a trustee of The Guinness Trust for 15 years.

Political Activity:

David does not hold any other ministerial public appointments and has declared that he has not been involved in political activity over the past 5 years.

John Farrow - Reappointed for three years

John received a post graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Oxford Polytechnic and an M.B.A. from the Schulich Business School in Toronto. He worked for the Boroughs of Rotherham and Chelsea managing social housing and for the City of Coventry as a member of the team planning the central area. He is Chairman and CEO of LEA Group Holdings Ltd., a transportation engineering and planning consultancy with 900 employees in eight countries. Previously he was Managing Partner Canada for Coopers & Lybrand Management Consultants, and President of the Canadian Urban Institute, an urban policy think tank. He is a professional urban planner and management consultant whose work is focused on city management and urban policy. He has prepared land use, transportation and strategic plans for more than 12 cities and towns and has undertaken professional assignments in 11 countries. He has also worked on landmark projects for the private sector including Honda, General Motors, Mazda, Spar Aerospace, the Bank of Montreal, and real estate development companies.

Political Activity:

John does not hold any other ministerial public appointments and has declared that he has not been involved in political activity over the past 5 years.

Cllr. Chris Millar - reappointed for three years

Chris Millar worked in the banking industry in Manchester, London and the Midlands over a period of 25 years. Chris played a key operational role in setting up a Telephone Banking Operation for a major UK bank. He also initiated some innovative branch banking schemes. Chris has been Leader of Daventry District Council since August 1999 in which he has led the Authority successfully through some major challenges. He has played a major role in bringing Daventry Town into the MKSM growth area. Chris is also a County Councillor, Board member of the Daventry LSP, Chair of the Northamptonshire Waste Partnership Shadow Board, Senior Member Peer IdeA and is involved with other "Leadership in Local Government" initiatives.

Political Activity - Conservative

Obtained office as a Local Councillor, MP, MEP etc X Stood as a candidate for one of the above offices X Spoken on behalf of a party or candidate X Acted as Political Agent
Held office such as Chair, Treasurer or Secretary of a local X branch of a party
Canvassed on behalf of a party or helped at election X Undertaken any political activity which you consider relevant X Made a recordable donation to a political party
None of the activities above apply

This member holds no other Ministerial Appointments

Cllr. Ben Smith - reappointed for three years

Since 1987 Ben Smith has been a Northamptonshire County Councillor and is currently Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environment. He is a member of the Police Authority and a member of the Environment Agency's Anglian (Northern) Flood Defence Committee. Ben is an IDeA Peer Member and has undertaken consultancy work at a number of councils in England. He is a former member of the East Midlands Regional Planning Forum, the LGA Environment & Regeneration Executive and LGA Brownfield Land Task Group.

After training as a landscape architect Ben returned to university to obtain an MSc in Environmental Resources. He is the principal of Benjamin Smith Design Associates. The practice is registered with the Landscape Institute and retains corporate membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. Between 1972 and 1985 he was the Chief Landscape Architect for Northampton Development Corporation. In 2002 he attended the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and was the only councillor on the official UK delegation.

Political Activity - Conservative

Obtained office as a Local Councillor, MP, MEP etc X Stood as a candidate for one of the above offices X Spoken on behalf of a party or candidate X Acted as Political Agent X Held office such as Chair, Treasurer or Secretary of a local branch of a party
Canvassed on behalf of a party or helped at election X Undertaken any political activity which you consider relevant Made a recordable donation to a political party
None of the activities above apply

This member holds no other Ministerial Appointments

Ann Tate - reappointed for three years

Ann Tate is Rector of University College Northampton, a position she has held since 2002. She was born and educated in Lancashire and took undergraduate and post graduate degrees in Sociology from the University of London. Following higher education Ann took up a lecturing post in a new Further Education College in Belfast in 1972 and from there progressed to lecturing in higher education at the Ulster Polytechnic and the University of Ulster. She rose to the position of Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Ulster before taking up her current post. Ann lives in Northampton and is married to Rodney; she has a daughter Karla who is a teacher of Chemistry at Weston Favell School in Northampton.

Political Activity:

Ann does not hold any other ministerial public appointments and has declared that he has not been involved in political activity over the past 5 years.

3. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice.

4. The Order to establish the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) was laid in Parliament in May 2004, and was officially established on the 15 December.

5. In line with the recommendations of the House of Lords Select Committee, the permission of The Commissioner for Public Appointments was sought and granted to have places for six nominated members from the Local Authorities.

5. Powers of the WNDC:

The statutory powers and objectives of Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) such as the WNDC are set out in section 136 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. A UDC's objective is to secure the regeneration of its area. This is to be achieved in particular through:

* bringing land and buildings into effective use

* encouraging the development of existing and new industry and commerce

* creating an attractive environment and

* ensuring that housing and social facilities are available to encourage people to live and work in the area.

For the purpose of achieving the regeneration of its area, the WNDC may:

* acquire, hold, manage, reclaim and dispose of land and other property

* carry out buildings and other operations

* seek to ensure the provision of water, electricity, gas, sewerage and other services

* carry on any business or undertaking for the purposes of regenerating its area and

* generally do anything necessary or expedient for this purpose, or for purposes incidental to those purposes.

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