Make a difference: join the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board (new deadline)

28th September 2023

Deadline extended to Tuesday 31 October! Sandwell Council is looking for an independent chair and board members to join a new partnership board in Wednesbury. Could you bring insight and your voice to make a difference to the Sandwell town?

The Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board (WLUP Board) will oversee the delivery of around £20m investment in Wednesbury over two years. The WLUP Board will ensure communities’ voices are involved in shaping design and decision making. It will help to harness collective powers to ‘level up’ Wednesbury, by bringing together a range of partners. These will include elected council members, MPs, public-sector organisations, representatives of the business and voluntary community, and young people. Is one of them you?

About Levelling Up Partnerships

The UK government has created Levelling Up Partnerships as practical, tangible actions to support priority places to ‘level up’. That means: to bring them into line with other places in the country, in areas that include pay, jobs, and living standards.  

The government has selected Sandwell as one of twenty places to form a Levelling Up Partnership. This is because the borough is one of the most deprived local authorities in England. 

Wednesbury is set to be offered around £20m of capital funding for bringing about new homes, improvements to green spaces and the public realm, deterrents to crime and anti-social behaviour, and an extended community centre offer. And the WLUP Board is needed to oversee the delivery of this investment.

WLUP Board positions

The WLUP Board needs:

• One independent chair
• One business community representative
• One VCS (voluntary and community sector) representative
• Two organisations in Wednesbury representing residents with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) protected characteristics and of different faiths.

What you need to know about applying

To apply for a WLUP Board position, you must not be an elected member of the council, a council officer, or a co-opted or independent member of any current council committees.

All positions are voluntary.

WLUP Board meetings are expected to take place monthly initially. They will be a blend of in-person and virtual meetings. The appointed independent chair will help to make and confirm these arrangements.

Sandwell Council recognises that people interested in the positions may not have previous experience of participating in multi-agency boards. So it welcomes applications from all interested people who meet the criteria below. You would have an induction and ongoing support.

If you are successful in applying, you will need to sign the Councillor Code of Conduct. This is based on the Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles. You will also need to complete a register of interest setting out any private interests which may conflict, or may be perceived to conflict, with your board duties. Please see the WLUP Board Terms of Reference below for further details.

About you

You will bring to the role:

• An understanding and awareness of the issues, challenges and strengths of Wednesbury
• An ability to work constructively with others from across sectors and be a ‘critical friend’ to WLUP Board
• An ability to act as conduit between the WLUP Board and act as a voice for other organisations and/or residents in Wednesbury
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• A passion for making a difference in Wednesbury.

For the independent chair role, you will also demonstrate:

• Experience of chairing multi-agency boards
• An inclusive and supportive manner to bring partners together and build consensus
• Your championing of equality, diversity and inclusion
• An understanding of effective governance.

It is also desirable for you to understand the government’s Levelling Up ­­agenda.

How to apply to the WLUP board

Please apply by submitting an expression of interest (written statement), setting out your suitability for the role.

Your expression of interest should be no more than 750 words. It should contain:

• Name of group / organisation
• Your role in the group / organisation
• Contact details (phone and email)
• Which role(s) you are applying for.

If you are interested in a position as an organisation representing residents with EDI-protected characteristics, please also include the following information:

• Footfall / Average numbers of residents your organisation engages with per year
• Indication of the demographics (profile) of the residents you engage with
• Any additional information you can provide about your organisation’s reach in relation to the following:
  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Race
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation.

 Please submit your expression of interest by noon on Tuesday 31 October to Tyler-Jesse_Ryan@sandwell.gov.uk.

Further information

For more information see:

• Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board Terms of Reference
• Cabinet’s approval to establish Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board

You can also email Rebecca Jenkins (rebecca_jenkins@sandwell.gov.uk) for an informal discussion.