Agenda and minutes

Resolved:- That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Business Growth and Regeneration held on 14th August, 2014 be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

Consideration of this item was deferred.

Further to Minute No. F40 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Culture and Tourism held on 6th December, 2011, consideration was given to a report presented by the Theatre and Arts Manager concerning an application from Safe@Last (one of The Mayor’s charities in 2014/2015), for subsidised use of the Civic Theatre for a fund-raising and variety/entertainment event to be held on Sunday 19th October 2014. The report stated that it is proposed that Rotherham Theatres provide the venue, ticking, technical and site support for this event, at no charge to the organisation.  The box office receipts will be credited to this Charity’s fund-raising efforts.

Details of the costs of this event were contained within the submitted report.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the application made on behalf of Safe@Last, for free use of the Civic Theatre on Sunday 19th October, 2014, as detailed in the report now submitted, be approved.

(3) That Safe@Last shall be advised that this event cannot be postponed to a later date, should ticket sales be lower than expected.

Further to Minute No. G34 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Regeneration and Development held on 2nd September, 2013, consideration was given to a report presented by the Economic Development Manager, describing the success of a further bid for EU funding under the Interreg IVB, North Sea Region Programme, for an extension of the previously approved CAMINO (Climate Adaptation Mainstreaming through Innovation) project from March 2015 to March 2016 (when the administrative closure will occur). Approval was being sought to proceed with this extension.

The report also sought exemption from Standing Order 47 (Contracts valued at less than £50,000) in order to extend the appointment of the University of Sheffield as the Council’s technical advisers for the project on the grounds that:-

(i) the University of Sheffield successfully tendered for the original award of CAMINO funding;

(ii) during the original tendering process, it became apparent that the University of Sheffield is the only academic institution capable of delivering the project to conclusion;

(iii) notwithstanding (ii) above, it would be incongruous to engage with two separate contractors on such a relatively small scale project, in addition to which engaging with a separate contractor would not represent value for money;  and

(iv) the contract with the University of Sheffield for delivery of the original CAMINO project contains provision for the extension of the contract and does not involve any material change in the content.

In its original format, the CAMINO project sought to build on the success of previous flood alleviation/climate change programmes by expanding the Council’s knowledge and involvement from purely flood related issues (which had been the subject of earlier programmes in which the Council had participated) to the wider climate change agenda and participating with larger stakeholders.

The extension will also enable this Council to develop further bids for funding under the upcoming European Union Interreg V programme, which amongst other proposals, focuses on various aspects of climate change including mainstream climate change planning, multiple use of rivers and water-ways and developing community resilience in the face of climate change, potential disasters and the need for emergency planning.

During discussion, Members requested information about the study of the impact of flooding which occurred in the Rotherham town centre and in other areas of the Borough, during 2007.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the extension of the CAMINO (Climate Adaptation Mainstreaming through Innovation) project and funding, in order to continue the work already delivered in this subject area, be endorsed.

(3) That the appointment of the University of Sheffield as this Council’s technical partner for delivery of this CAMINO project be approved and, accordingly, an exemption be granted from the provisions of Standing Order 47 (Contracts valued at less than £50,000).

(4) That an appropriate press release be issued about this matter.

Further to Minute No. G94 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Regeneration and Development held on 25th February, 2014, consideration was given to a report presented by the Economic Development Manager, concerning the proposed allocation of £75,000 from the Rotherham Economic Regeneration Fund (RERF) towards the funding of a Growth Fund to support sustainable economic growth and job creation within the Rotherham Borough area.

The report stated that this bid is seeking RERF support to set up a Rotherham Growth Fund, which will be used to support those activities and projects identified in the emerging Rotherham Growth Plan as essential to sustainably growing the economy of the Borough area. The funding will also be used to help develop bids to the various funding regimes that are becoming available such as the Sheffield City region Investment Fund (SCRIF) and the new European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund programmes

Some initial uses suggested for the Fund include:-

: economic modelling to identify those development sites with the greatest job creation potential and the sectors to pursue, in order to maximise this impact;

: testing the potential economic impact on Rotherham and on the wider Sheffield City Region, of the location at Meadowhall of an interchange for the HS2 railway;

: further development of the concept of  the Sheffield – Rotherham Economic Corridor/Innovation District, centred around the Advanced Manufacturing Park and the Sheffield Business Park;

: master-planning of the Rotherham town centre and its potential developments;

It was noted that money is available through the next round of European Union Programmes and through other sources such as the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund (SCRIF), accessed via the Sheffield City Region Local Economic Partnership.

Members discussed the following salient issues:-

: matters funded by the RERF in the past (eg: ‘free’ parking on Saturdays in the Rotherham town centre, in the weeks before Christmas; review/study of markets growth; site investigation works in respect of the Forge Island site in the Rotherham town centre);

: information sharing with all Members of the Council about European funding (a seminar will be arranged, including details of the Rotherham Growth Plan);

: the Rotherham Growth Plan and the need to rationalise the various funding streams for economic regeneration.

Members noted that the approval of individual projects under the RERF is delegated to the Director for Planning Regeneration and Culture, who subsequently submits reports on such approvals to the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Business Growth and Regeneration.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That £75,000 of Rotherham Economic Regeneration Fund (RERF) be allocated from the revenue budget towards the establishment of a Rotherham Growth Fund, as detailed in the report now submitted.

(3) That reports about the use of the approved Rotherham Economic Regeneration Fund (RERF) shall be submitted to future meetings the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Business Growth and Regeneration, to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The following item is likely to be considered in the absence of the press and public as being exempt under Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, including the local authority)

Resolved:- That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended (information relating to the financial/business affairs of any person (including the Council) and is commercially confidential).

Consideration of this item was deferred.