Towns Fund Board

Towns Fund Board

Information about the Towns Fund Board

Stapleford Towns Board was set up as the decision-making body to develop the Town Investment Plan bid and govern the successful delivery of its Towns Fund projects.

It is made up of residents and representatives from local businesses, environmental and transport organisations, local and regional government, universities and colleges, NHS, sports providers and others.

Please note that we are currently in the process of updating the Board members details due to a review of the Board taking place and there will soon be newly selected members on the Board.

Board Members

Name: Ian Jowett

Profession: Property Developer
Organisation: William May Holdings Limited, Director
Role on the board: Chair
Profile: Ian, was born and raised in Stapleford. Now a successful business owner, Ian takes a keen interest in the town in terms of its economic and social development. He has been involved in a number of developments that have regenerated and improved a number of sites; creating homes and jobs for the local population. He wishes to continue to support the community through his role as Chairman of the Towns Deal Board.

Name: Paul Sweeney

Profession: Property lettings and sales
Organisation: Robert Ellis Estate Agents, Director
Role on the board: Vice Chair
Profile: Paul schooled in Bramcote and after attained a degree in Valuation Surveying. He then embarked on a career in Estate Agency with Robert Ellis, he purchased his first home in Stapleford. 30 years on, Paul is a senior director and responsible for the Stapleford branch. Throughout Paul’s career he has been part of the local community and member of business forums. He is passionate about the town and excited about being able to help in his role as vice chair of the towns fund in delivering a transformational environment for both the community and businesses.

Name: Juliet Campbell

Profession: Member of Parliament for Broxtowe
Organisation: Labour Party
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: I began my career in Nottingham at the lowest grade in the Civil Service, rising to a senior manager in the NHS where I shaped new approaches to patient engagement, coordinated a project to address high-levels of teenage pregnancy, and wrote the first Carers’ Charter in the hospital I worked at. Education is what brought me into politics; specifically, how we educate neurodiverse people. My son is dyslexic and I wanted to help other families struggling against the system, so I set up a not-for- profit company, training teaching assistants and parents to identify and support people with dyslexia in the classroom and community.

Name: John McGrath

Profession: Councillor for Stapleford South West Ward
Organisation: Broxtowe Borough Council
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Born and bred in Stapleford, John is an active member of the community. Owner of the Old Cross Pub and local postman he offers a well-rounded understanding as to what Stapleford needs. He is the longest serving Stapleford councillor for Stapleford South West, having supported a number of projects within Stapleford in this time. He currently represents Stapleford Town Council on the Helpful Bureau and sits on the Stapleford Traffic and Transport group.

Name: Richard MacRae

Profession: Councillor for Stapleford North Ward
Organisation: Broxtowe Borough Council
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Having lived in Stapleford from 6 months old, Richard was elected to the Town Council in January 2014 and re-elected again in 2015 to both the Town and Borough Council. Richard retained his seat in 2019 and again in 2023 for the Stapleford North Ward on both Stapleford Town Council and Broxtowe Borough Council. Throughout his time as Councillor, Richard has been recognised for his commitment to the Stapleford community through a number of National and regional awards. Currently, Richard is Chairman of Stapleford Community Group, Chairman of Broxtowe Youth Homelessness and an Ambassador for the Violence Reduction Partnership, also serving as a committee member of the New Stapleford Community Centre. He is an honorary member and secretary of the Stapleford Combined Services Club, and Chairman of the Stapleford Traffic and Transport Working Group.

Name: Ruth Hyde OBE

Profession: Local government officer, Solicitor
Organisation: Broxtowe Borough Council Chief Executive Officer
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Ruth Hyde OBE is Chief Executive of Broxtowe Borough Council; a position she has held for 16 years. A lawyer by profession, (she specialised in both planning and social services litigation) she worked with Bedfordshire County Council, Bedford Borough Council and Charnwood Borough Council before being appointed to Oadby and Wigston Borough Council as Chief Executive in 1991. While in Leicestershire she served as a governor of Leicester University for 6 years. Ruth was appointed Chief Executive of Broxtowe Borough Council in 2006. She was a governor of Broxtowe FE College for six years, and chairs the South Nottinghamshire Community Safety Partnership; the hate crime partnership and the Notts water safety partnership. She is chair of and a non-executive director of Solace in Business Ltd, and is a non executive director on the board of the professional society for local government chief executives and senior managers . She is also a non-executive director of EMDevco – a company aiming to promote the regeneration of three major sites in the East Midlands She was awarded the OBE for services to local government in Leicestershire in 2004.

Name: Babs Sandhu

Profession: Business owner
Organisation: Euronics Appliance Village
Role on the board: Board Member.
Profile: Babs is one of the longest serving businesses owners in the town, opening the store back in 1986. He and his family have lived in Stapleford ever since.

Name: Tom Spink

Profession: Residential Developer
Organisation: Director, MyPad
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Tom is a Member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors who has worked throughout the UK in various senior operational and commercial positions in the Development sector. In 2020, Tom co-founded MyPad from a small office in Stapleford Town Centre. Since then, the house-building company has grown significantly and now employs 36 people and builds c.300 homes per year. MyPad invest in building affordable housing. They are currently onsite delivering 24 homes in Stapleford for TunTum, a BME-led housing association charity who support diverse tenants.

Name: Ross Bofinger

Profession: Secondary teacher
Organisation: Broxtowe Borough Council
Role on the board: Board member
Profile: Ross has lived in Stapleford for more than 40 years. For the whole of that time he has been a member of the Baptist church in the town. When his children were at primary school, he was a parent governor at two local schools. He has been involved with children’s and youth groups here for over 40 years. He was elected onto the Town Council in 2020 and the Borough Council in 2023. He is also involved with Stapleford Mutual Aid and as the Town Council rep at Dig In Community Allotment. Since semi-retiring, he’s been a volunteer driver for The Helpful Bureau, something he thoroughly recommends.

Name: Keith Brown

Profession: Painter and Decorator
Organisation: Concept Painting Contractors.
Role on the board: Board member / Private Sector
Profile: Keith was born and lived in Stapleford all his life and has been running his successful Contracting business here for 30 years and is passionate about the future of the town.

Name: Barbara Demetriou

Profession: Founder of Archimedia Accounts
Organisation: Archimedia Accounts
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Barbara completed accountancy and tax qualifications with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) over 30 years ago and have since maintained commitment to continuous professional development. Over the course of more than 30 years, have successfully run several businesses and invested in commercial and residential property.

Name: Zulfiqar Darr

Profession: Finance
Organisation: Broxtowe Borough Council, Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Zulf has been a Chartered Public Finance Accountant since 1992. He is passionate about public services and has substantial successful senior leadership and financial experience with a number of city and metropolitan councils and central government. He also has senior advisory experience with KPMG and was a non-executive director at the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust from 2015-2023.

Name: Elaine Bell

Profession: Sewing Tutor & Owner of Sewing B
Organisation: Sewing B Stapleford
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Elaine Bell is a passionate sewing expert and tutor with over 30 years of experience in the industry. As the founder and owner of Sewing B, a thriving sewing studio in the heart of Stapleford, Nottingham. Elaine has dedicated her career to sharing the art of sewing with students of all ages and skill levels. Her mission is to inspire creativity, confidence, and craftsmanship through personalised instruction and hands-on learning. Over the years, Elaine has worked in various aspects of teaching and the sewing/design industry, including teaching / coordinator for Nottingham city based community nonprofit organisation, teaching at local Nottingham colleges and NTU and knitwear designer.

Name: Stephen Jeremiah

Profession: Councillor for Stapleford North
Organisation: Stapleford Town Council
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Majority of the Stephen working life has been spent as a Director of Purchasing within the private sector. Since 2018 he managed is own business supplying furniture and educational resources to the primary educational market within the UK. This is now combined with being both a Councillor for Broxtowe Borough Council and Stapleford Town Council where "I feel my experience together with my academic learning of an MBA in Strategy and Procurement". Will be of benefit in progressing the objectives of the Town Board

Name: Sue Paterson

Profession: Councillor for Stapleford South West
Organisation: Voluntary Sector / Stapleford Community
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: Sue was first elected to Stapleford Town Council in May 2019, and Broxtowe Borough Council in the 2021 by-election. Growing up in a mining village instilled a sense of community which never left her, and it was this which motivated her to stand as a Councillor.

Name: Joelle Davies

Profession: County Councillor
Organisation: Nottinghamshire County Council
Role on the board: Board member
Profile: To follow.

Name: New Member being sourced

Profession: County Councillor
Organisation: Active Trust Partnership/ Volunteer sector
Role on the board: Board member
Profile: To follow.

Name: New Member being sourced

Profession: To follow.
Organisation: Voluntary Sector / Stapleford Community
Role on the board: Board Member
Profile: To follow.

Future Stapleford Towns Deal Executive Board Dates

6th December 2024
7th March 2025
6th June 2025
5th September 2025
5th December 2025
6th March 2026

NB: All dates subject to change due to chair availability

Agenda for future meetings

The agenda covers the current projects and is subject to change depending on circumstances.

Stapleford Town Deal Executive Board Agenda (.pdf) (31KB) (Opens in a new window)

Stapleford Towns Deal - Local Assurance Framework

The Local Assurance Framework sets out the governance and assurance process for the Stapleford Towns Fund for stage 2 and 3. The Local Assurance Framework can be found below:

Local Assurance Framework (.pdf) (1026KB) (Opens in a new window)

Executive Board Code of Conduct

The Executive Board Code of Conduct with specific reference to the seven principles of public life, including a register of gifts and/or hospitality. Set out the Code of Conduct police and conflict of Interest policy.

Code of Conduct - Local Assurance Framework(389B) (Opens in a new window)