Do you care deeply about Hillfields and want to help shape a brighter future for the community? What would you do with £20 million over 10 years?
This is your chance to contribute to driving real, positive change for the area by becoming a Hillfields Neighbourhood Board Member.
We are establishing a new Hillfields Neighbourhood Board to drive the government’s Pride in Place programme bringing £2 million every year for a decade to transform Hillfields. It will put residents at the heart of decisionâmaking, strengthen community pride and improve local opportunities.
We are looking for around 6 people who live or work in Hillfields to join the new board. Successful applicants will join the Neighbourhood Board and work with the Chair Rashid Bhayat who has recently been appointed, and Zarah Sultanas MP for Coventry South. The board will be supported by Coventry City Council to create, drive and deliver a community-led plan for change over the next decade.
The Role of Board Members
Board members will support Rashid Bhayat (Chair) in the development and delivery of Hillfield’s Pride in Place Plan. This will include:
- Determining how the funding will be spent based on the needs of the community.
- Engaging and consulting with all parts of the local community to understand what matters to them and the improvements that they think should be prioritised.
- Working with local partners and other organisations to identify and attract additional funds or investment into the area.
- Attending Board meetings with the required frequency.
- Overseeing the progress of Pride in Place funded activities against milestones, budgets and targets.
- Communicating progress made by the Pride in Place Programme and its impacts on Hillfields to the whole community.
Who can apply?
People who want to see change and drive improvements to Hillfields for its community. Most Board members should either live or work in Hillfields.
We want a broad range of interests represented on the Board. This could include residents, local businesspeople, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, faith and community leaders. We also welcome applications from people from sports, arts, cultural or heritage organisations, and public agencies such as a local school or health care providers with a connection to Hillfields.
Initial appointments are expected to be for an initial four-year term. You do not need to have been a member of a Board or held a similar position before, nor have previously worked in regeneration or project management. Support and training and support will be provided as part of the plan. Board positions will be unpaid, although there is capacity to pay some expenses incurred as part of the role, such as travel and care or childcare, to make opportunities to serve on the Board as inclusive as possible.
Board members must:
- Be committed to the success of the Hillfields Pride in Place Programme.
- Be available to attend most meetings in person.
- Sign up to a Code of Conduct based on the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2]).
- Declare any potential Conflicts of Interest. (Coventry City Council will provide support on how to do this.)
- Be prepared to welcome and listen to the views of others on the Board and within the community.
- Think about solutions to community issues but not push personal agendas.
- Be open to learn and to receive feedback on their role.
If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.
How to apply
- Please send a short CV (max 2 pages)
- One page statement (no more than 400 words) explaining:
- why you would like to be involved
- your specific connection with the Hillfields area
- professional skills or experience you could bring to a Board setting
- other relevant personal qualities or experience that you have.
Please include these contact details within your response:
- home address and business/organisation address
- contact telephone number.
Email your application to zarah.sultana.mp@parliament.uk [mailto:zarah.sultana.mp@parliament.uk] and prideinplacehillfields@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:prideinplacehillfields@coventry.gov.uk] as soon as possible.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Interviews will take place on a rolling basis depending on the date your application was received.
More information about the Pride in Place Programme and the role of Neighbourhood Boards is available in the prospectus [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pride-in-place-programme-prospectus/pride-in-place-programme-prospectus#fund-summary].