The MHCLG has said it carries out governance reviews of towns fund boards before distributing any money. After Labour sought access to these, junior communities minister Luke Hall said they were “an internal process carried out by MHCLG officials and there are no plans to publish them”.
Sources in Stocksbridge say declarations of interest and other documents were produced after Sheffield city council expressed alarm at the lack of visible governance.
There are also concerns about potential perceived conflicts of interest given some of the projects earmarked for funding by the board. One would involve the regeneration of Manchester Road, the town’s main high street, which adjoins the Fox Valley retail park, which is owned by Dransfield’s company.