The Board and NBBC
The Board
Neighbourhood Boards put local people at the centre of defining their town’s future, with responsibility for developing their Regeneration Plan – in partnership with the local authority - to deliver the strategic objectives of the programme. The Board is the vehicle that supports the vision and strategy for revitalising Bedworth. The Believe in Bedworth Board is comprised of key communtiy representatives and will identify opportunities to align or rationalise public investment around key local priorities. The Board includes local MPs, councillors, police representatives, community leaders, and local institutions such as schools, housing providers, and the NHS from across Bedworth, and is led by Chair, Bill Basra.
Board member details can be found in the Terms of Reference, and Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found here.
The Chair
Bill Basra is the CEO of Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton Citizens Advice Bureau (BRANCAB). BRANCAB is a workforce of 120, two thirds of whom are volunteers delivering quality advice services to the communities of Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton in a manner that is free, confidential, impartial and accessible. The service is located in the heart of Bedworth with services available through drop in, appointment, phone and web.
Bill is a longstanding Bedworth resident and attended local schools (Cedars, St Giles and Nicholas Chamberlaine) in his youth. He has volunteered locally both at Citizens Advice (in the 1990’s) and more recently as a Governor at The Canons CE Primary School. In the early 2020’s he was also Chair of Governors during most of the pandemic.
Prior to Citizens Advice, Bill spent 20 years working in local government. The majority of that time was spent at Warwickshire County Council where Bill was the lead for Child Poverty, Armed Forces Community Covenant and partnership working. His last role was working within Children and Families Services and overseeing the delivery of a Government funded programme to vulnerable families. He has experience of leading and managing teams, working in partnership, engaging with the community and delivering long term programmes in a manner that seek to balance immediate need with long term ambition.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is the Accountable Body for the Plan for Neighbourhoods Programme. The Accountable Body is ultimately responsible for ensuring the proper use of funding and the overall success of the programme. It is the entity that holds the financial and legal responsibility for the programme, ensuring compliance with regulations and guidelines. The Accountable Body also provides strategic oversight and decision-making authority and will work closely with the Believe in Bedworth Board and programme support officers to monitor progress, address issues and ensure that the programme remains on track.
As the lead council, NBBC has also been responsible for submitting the area boundary in which the neighbourhood board will represent, including the expansion to include all five wards within Bedworth, and convene said neighbourhood board in line with NBBC’s governance standards and policies concerning whistle blowing, conflicts of interest, and complaints