Issue - meetings

(Report by Mr M Dance, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development and Ms B Cooper Director of Economic Development)

1.         Ms Cooper introduced the report which included the draft Kent and Medway Growth Plan – Unlocking Potential: Going for Growth and explained the relationship with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan and potential future government and European funding.  The report also invited comments on the draft plan.

2.         Ms Cooper said the report was consistent with previous discussions at the Economic Development Cabinet Committee, the Kent and Medway Economic Development Partnership, Kent Council Leaders and the Business Advisory Board and asked for any detailed comments to be submitted on the Kent Chapter by 31 January 2014.

3.         Questions were raised and comments made about whether a potential change of government in May 2015 had been taken into account in drafting the plan, the importance of rural business to local economies, the importance of farming and agriculture for food security in the longer term, the desirability of not using land categorised as productive for solar panels; and the need for buy-in to the growth plan from borough and district councils.

4.         There was general agreement that the report was well written and encapsulated the plans and aspirations for Kent’s future development.  It was suggested that the report be improved by adding case studies about real people and businesses at the beginning of the document. 

5.         RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted

(b)       That Ross Gill (Economic Strategy and Policy Manager) be thanked for his work to produce a high quality draft plan.

– reportof theCabinet Memberfor EconomicDevelopment, MrMark Dance andthe Directorof Economicand SpatialDevelopment,BarbaraCooper)

Cabinet receiveda reportintroducing‘Unlockingthe Potential:Going forGrowth’, the draftKentand MedwayGrowthPlan andexplaining howthe document wouldlink to the South East LocalEnterprise Partnership’sStrategic EconomicPlanandpotential future Governmentand Europeanfunding.

TheLeaderspokebriefly oftheprojects at hand referringmembersto the significant fundsavailable throughthe LEP and the importanceofplanningin advancefor fundingwhich mightbe allocated.In additionhe spoke oftheEuropeanfunding availableand urged innovativethinking and deliveryto allow non-statutoryfunctions inlight ofrevenuebudgetcuts.  Finallyhe reportedthe success of regeneration projectsin Kent and hisdesire to see thiskind ofwork continuedthroughnewfunding streams.

Thestronglocal government/ businesspartnershipin Kent, wouldhe believed,be key to thesuccess ofthoseprojects and schemesaboutwhich hehad spoken.

RossGill, EconomicStrategyand Policy Manager,spoke tothe item.  He reported that:

•        ‘Unlocking the Potential’would requiretwo steps before 31 March2014 whenit wouldbe submittedto Government.Firstly,a strategy forKent and Medway that wasconsistent andagreeabletoall partiesmust be agreed by all.  Secondly,the highlevel allocations suggestedfor the use of local growthfundand Europeanmonies,inpart  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43

(Report by Mr R Gill, Economic Strategy and Policy Manager)

1.         The Economic Strategy and Policy Manager, Mr Gill, introduced the report which set out the progress and next steps toward finalising ‘Unlocking the Potential’ and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan.  The report also introduced ‘Unlocking Potential – Maintaining Momentum: Prospective Priorities and Asks’ and outlined the proposed governance arrangements for Kent and Medway in context of the South East LEP.   He highlighted the following information contained within the report:

·                The Strategic Economic Plan was intended to achieve three aims:

§    To set out the overall strategic priorities for the area

§    To set out the freedoms that would be sought from central government in order to deliver those priorities

§    To set out the reasons that the priorities identified require government funding.

·                Shared Intelligence was currently working on the SEP for the LEP

·                UK national funding worth approx £2 billion would be available of which KCC was likely to pitch for £83 million.  A large proportion of this funding was already within the local authority spending arena but was being repackaged for the purposes of the LEP

·                In addition £65million of EU funding would become available, of which Kent would seek to secure approximately £10million.

·                The three main themes of ‘unlocking the potential’ were ‘Unlocking Places’, ‘Business for Growth’ and ‘People for Growth’

·                That comments would be particularly welcomed in relation to the spatial element of the report and how funds would be distributed once secured.

·                A draft would be prepared by the 19^th December for submission by the LEP to Government, following that the final document would be completed by March 2014.  Ongoing negotiations with Government would follow with a view to a growth deal being agreed in the summer with funding to flow from April 2015. .

·                That the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership had now been established and the process, minutes and papers related to that meeting would be fully transparent.

2.         In response to questions raised and comments made the committee heard the following further information from Mr Gill:

a)        That the importance of the rural economy to the strategy had been raised on several occasions and had now been captured and would appear in the draft.

b)        That members of the business community had been consulted on priorities, challenges and opportunities through a series of roundtable exercises and a business survey.

3.        It was RESOLVED that:

          a)      the responses to Members comments and questions be noted;

and

b)      the content of Unlocking the Potential – Maintaining Momentum: Prospective Priorities and Asks be endorsed subject to it reflecting comments received regarding the rural economy and skills for young people.

(Report by Mr M Dance, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Ms B Cooper, Director of Economic Development)

(Mr Ross Gill, Economic Strategy and Policy Manager, was present for this item)

1.            The Economic Strategy and Policy Manager, Mr Gill gave a presentation, using overheads, appended to these Minutes.  The presentation covered: 1. Where we are currently in revising Unlocking the Potential as the Economic Growth Strategy for Kent and Medway; 2. Progress in preparing a Strategic Economic Plan for the whole Local Enterprise Partnership area covering Kent, Essex, and East Sussex and ensuring consistency between this document and Unlocking the Potential; and 3. The sources of the additional funding that was anticipated coming forward in the next couple of years linked with these plans.

2.            Mr  Gill and Ms Cooper responded to comments and questions by Members which included the following:

a)    The Strategy was very clear and should be supported.

b)    Mr Gill considered that more could be done with Kent MPs especially on the agenda item “Assisted Areas Designation” as there was a role for Kent MPs in lobbying their constituencies.

c)    Although the Single Local Growth Fund had been referred to as unringfenced, it was likely that in practice, there would be restrictions on its use. In addition, Mr Gill considered that the use of the New Homes Bonus funding that had been incorporated into the Single Local Growth Fund could be an item of discussion for the new Kent and Medway Economic Partnership.

d)    Ms Cooper advised that the Business Advisory Board, at its last meeting, discussed the membership of the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (the name of which has yet to be agreed).  It was agreed that as the district councils nominated their 6 representatives, the businesses through the Business Advisory Board would nominate their 11 representatives.    The Local Authorities would not determine nominations from either the business sectors or district councils.

e)    Future update reports would be submitted to this Cabinet Committee

3.            RESOLVED that the responses to comments and questions by Members and regular updates be submitted to this Cabinet Committee be noted.

(Report by Mark Dance, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, and Barbara Cooper, Director – Economic Development)

(1)          Ms Cooper introduced the report which set out progress to date in developing “Unlocking Kent’s Potential” and explained how it was being taken forward in the light of changing Government policy and the evolution of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership. 

(2)          The Economic Development Cabinet Committee had previously considered proposals for a re-fresh of “Unlocking Kent’s Potential” to develop a new strategy for economic growth at its meeting in March 2013. Since then initial consultation with business and with district and borough council leaders had taken place.  In addition the Government had proposed devolving some economic development funds and had asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to prepare growth plans setting out future investment priorities.  This was considered to be an opportunity to which the refreshed Unlocking Kent’s Potential would need to respond.

(3)          In response to questions, Ms Cooper said that the annual spending review on 28 June would indicate the size of a new Single Local Growth Fund that would be available in 2015, Kent County Council’s plans for growth would need to be sufficiently robust to benefit from any funding provided nationally and would therefore concentrate on three priorities – unlocking infrastructure, unlocking business growth and unlocking skills

(4)          RESOLVED:

(a)          That the contents of the report be noted;

(b)          That a further report, including a draft consultation version of Unlocking Kent’s Potential, be received at the next meeting of the Economic Development Cabinet Committee on 20 September 2013.