The Dearne Valley Special Board

 

The Dearne Valley Special Board was established in November 2007 and is chaired by John Healey, the local MP whose constituency covers part of the Dearne and who is now the Government Minister for housing at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

 

The Board is made up of senior politicians and officers from the four local authorities in South Yorkshire and a range of organizations who operate and provide services in the Dearne such as SYPTE, Yorkshire Forward, Transform South Yorkshire, the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber, the Learning and Skills Council, JobCentre Plus, the Environment Agency, Dearne Valley College and latterly the Dearne Valley Education Partnership.

 

The Special Board reports to the Sheffield City Region Forum and as such the work of the Board is set within the context of the City Region, not just South Yorkshire.

 

The remit of the Special Board is to oversee the strategic development of the Dearne Valley including the creation of a vision for the Dearne, backed up by the delivery of strategic plans and interventions.

 

A series of groups operate underneath the Dearne Valley Special Board to provide advice to the Special Board and undertake specific pieces of work, as directed by the Board. These include the Dearne Valley Executive Group and the Dearne Valley Core Group.

 

An Ecological Audit Committee will function as an advisory group of 3-5 environmental experts appointed as scrutineers and critical friends in the development of projects and programmes to deliver the eco-vision.

 

In due course a wider reference group will be set up to provide a forum for businesses, organisations and community groups in the Dearne to have their say.