Mark Lumsdon-Taylor
(Group Deputy Principle and Chief Executive of Hadlow Group) was in
attendance for this item.
- Mr Lumsdon-Taylor presented a series
of slides which promoted the work carried out by Kent Rural PLC and
highlighted three key objectives that had been identified within
the Financial Statement, these were: to provide a focal point for
promotion and profile of the rural economy and its value
proposition to investors; to create a unified portal of business
requirement matching career pathway to maximise the job
opportunities in the rural sector; and to secure the highest level
of investment in the rural sector for Kent. Comments were welcomed
from the committee.
- In response to Members concerns
regarding cultural change within the urban areas and its perception
of the agriculture sector, Mr Lumsdon-Taylorsaid that urban areas
were disconnected from the innovations and opportunities within the
agriculture sector and the way in which the rural industry had
transformed the way in which it approached matters with supply
chains. Mr Lumsdon-Taylor emphasised to the committee the need to
raise the profile within the rural sector and reinforced the
message that it was the Council’s obligation to change
people’s perception of job opportunities within the urban
regions. He said that it was key for Rural PLC to establish a
business engagement piece through the Kent Rural Board and that
this would become a permanent fixture in the way in which Rural PLC
reported, promoted and managed its expectations which would then be
cascaded to the Growth, Economic Development and Communities
Cabinet Committee.
- With regard
to supermarkets and their perception of stocking local
produce, Mr Lumsdon-Taylor said that Rural PLC worked with
companies such as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s who have adopted a
Corporate and Social Responsibility to society however other
companies were willing to stock the produce dependent on
price.
- In response to members enquiries
regarding job opportunities within the rural sector and how to
effectively promote this, Mr Lumsdon-Taylor advised the committee
that it was very difficult to promote agriculture within schools
because it was not considered to be vocational. He reiterated the
importance of Kent County Council’s role in promoting the
rural sector and the digital advancements that had been made. He
informed the committee that a piece of work had been done around
apprenticeships however advertisement around this still needed to
be stronger; he put before the committee the suggestion that Kent
Rural PLC apprenticeships needed its own section on the Kent
Apprenticeship website. Mr Lumsdon-Taylor addressed the gender gap
and said that it was a challenge within the rural sector and that
it was the culture of the industry that needed to be changed. Rural
PLC offered qualifications at both Masters and PHD level and there
were opportunities for both men and women within the sector however
this had not been effectively promoted.
- Members enquired about the potential
of the new Agriculture Act and whether Rural PLC was involved in
the consultation. Mr Lumsdon-Taylor confirmed that prior to the
consultation period, Rural PLC wrote a response to DEFRAs 10 Point
Plan and said that both Rural PLC and Kent County Council needed to
develop a plan that focused on employment, expansion and housing
within the rural areas to help support employment within the
agriculture sector.
- In response to concerns around
workforce issues, Mr Lumsdon-Taylor referred to Thanet Earth which
was leading the industry through innovative ideas and had a 5 year
forward plan which looked at the type of labour and engagement
required to grow and maintain a successful industry. When Thanet
Earth employed its workers it had over
400 applications and only appointed 4 local workers, this was
primarily due to the fact that smaller businesses that were family
orientated were not forward thinking in their approach to farming,
nor did they have the required skill-set or work ethos compared to
those who work within larger industries.
- With regard
to Betteshanger sustainable energy park, Mr Lumsdon-Taylor
said that this had been a monumental challenge and had been
deliberately underexposed as the building required more work.
Betteshanger aimed to be a flagship sustainability project which
provided future life chances through linking green technologies and
old energy production and was due to be opening in October 2018
with the official grand launch in early 2019.
- In response to Members suggestions
for a county-wide campaign that would be advertised through various
forms of social media and television, Mr Lumsdon-Taylor fully
supported Members comments and welcomed the opportunity to explore
this with Kent County Council.
- RESOLVED that the information set
out in the presentation and given in response to comments and
questions be noted.