A Force To Be Reckoned With – Meet the Wakefield Taskforce

Wakefield Council continually seeks new funding opportunities from the Government to provide the best possible outcomes for the people who live, work and do business here. This can involve working hard to obtain tens of millions of pounds in a single grant.

As you might expect the Government doesn’t just hand over large sums of money and hope it is put to good use. Before the Council can apply for certain types of funding it must meet a range of criteria. This includes creating an independent Task Force, whose job it is to oversee the spending of any funding awarded.

The Task Force must include local voices, local businesses and local people, to ensure decisions being made by the Council are in the best interests of the district. This can include local community groups, local investors, Wakefield’s Member of Parliament, local enterprise partnerships, and other tiers of Local Government.

Amongst other things, The Task Force oversees anything the Council might submit to the Government, including project ideas and future development opportunities. They get to check and challenge everything the Council is doing to make sure it is right for Wakefield and its residents.

The Task Force is not an accountable body, so it doesn’t get to decide how the Council spends funding, grants or public money, but its members play an important role in overseeing key projects and programmes, making sure all monies are being spent wisely.

The Task Force includes local businesses who send a nominated taskforce member to attend regular meetings. Task Force members not only get a sneak-peek at exciting new projects in the pipeline, but they also get to play a part in shaping the city’s future.

Kevin Trickett MBE, President of Wakefield Civic Society and Deputy Chair of the Wakefield Task Force said “I was asked to join the Task Force not long after it was set up: there was a realisation that community representation was required, and the Council reached out to invite me to join as a representative of the Civic Society.

Membership of the Task Force allows me to hear about proposals first-hand from the Council and developers but, just as importantly, membership gives me the opportunity to hear what others think. I can discuss ideas with members of Wakefield’s business community and other stakeholders, and we can share our opinions not only with each other but also with representatives from the Council and developers. “

The Wakefield Task Force meets every two months to discuss on-going and future projects. The Chair and Deputy Chair are elected by Task Force members and all positions are voluntary - members do not receive payment for attending meetings.  

A Castleford Task Force is also in place and operates in the same way to look after the best interests of the town. 

For more information or to register your interest in becoming a member please contact majorprojects@wakefield.gov.uk.

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