presentation at the meeting
Minutes:
The Select Commission received a presentation from the Director of Planning, Regeneration and Culture and the Economic Development Manager entitled “Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Combined Authority”, providing an overview of the Local Enterprise Partnership. The presentation and Members’ discussion highlighted the following issues:-
- this subject had been identified, during the scrutiny review of support for Rotherham’s local economy, as a matter about which Members required further information;
- a structure diagram was provided of the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority;
- the principal strands of housing/residential, infrastructure, HS2, skills for growth and partnership and business growth;
- the complicated nature of the arrangements and the need for clear lines of accountability;
- the Sheffield City Region – a “functional economic area” (accommodating 1.8 million people; supporting 700,000 jobs);
- start-up rates of new businesses, productivity, private sector employment – all are below national averages, although there have been improvements in recent years;
- it is acknowledged that there ought to be improvement in the economic performance of the Sheffield City Region;
- history and development of the Local Economic Partnership and of the Combined Authority (the latter being formally established on 1st April 2014);
- the Combined Authority’s remit for transport arrangements, including the management of the region’s 10-years allocation of major transport scheme funding; the allocation of funding for transport from the ‘Growth Fund’;
- the Combined Authority’s remit for economic development, providing accountability and ‘holding’ the public money (including Growth Fund allocations); the Local Economic Partnership leads on strategy and delivery;
- the Combined Authority’s remit for Planning – the duty to co-operate; aligning the work of the Local Plans (the district councils retain the role and function as the Local Planning Authorities); details of the Strategic Economic Plan; economic and demographic forecasting to aid future integrated infrastructure across the City Region;
- the staffing structure of the Combined Authority/Local Economic Partnership and its total, annual operational costs (Members asked to be provided with these details);
- comparison with previous regimes (eg: Yorkshire Forward; English Partnerships; the Dearne Valley project; etc);
- the availability of brownfield sites, across the region, for future industrial development;
- the Local Enterprise Partnership is still in its infancy, therefore any judgement of its value and effectiveness may be premature; some benefits have already accrued (eg; the Growth Fund, with local businesses able to access grants; establishment of the new Enterprise Zones);
- the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – a strategic body established to drive forward economic growth (the LEP comprises Council Members and private sector representatives from across the Region, with a private sector representative taking the chair); operation of the Inward Investment Team, which attracts new businesses to the Region;
- the Strategic Economic Plan – to transform the local economy during the next decade; used to bid for central Government funding from the Growth Deal;
- the LEP Growth Deal – supporting infrastructure projects; skills bank; training for people; business investment and support programme; the establishment of the British Glass Academy; Members asked to be informed of the chosen location of the Academy building;
- European Structural and Investment Funds Strategy (ESIF) – total value of more than £177 millions for the Sheffield City Region – used to deliver the Strategic Economic Plan; money provided from the European Union (eg: the European Social Fund); joint working with external organisations (eg: Department for Work and Pensions);
- details were provided of the Sheffield City Region ESIF Committee;
- Skills and Employment – three strands to the “Skills Growth Deal”; the Skills Bank (funding for training); Progress to Work (people aged 24 years and over); other projects such as: “Learn to Work (schools/careers); “Skills Made Easy” (apprenticeships);
- ways of identifying the skills gap (employer-led by the private sector);
- local Chambers of Commerce help with promotion of “Skills Growth Deal” projects;
- the nine priority sectors of the Local Economic Partnership (ie: Advanced Manufacturing and Materials, Business and Professional Services, Creative and Digital Industries, Healthcare Technologies, Logistics, Low Carbon, Property and Construction, Retail, Sport Leisure and Tourism);
- the Regional Growth Fund – provided by the coalition Government to aid the expansion of business and creation of new jobs;
- Enterprise Zones (at Waverley; also near to M1 motorway junctions 36 (Barnsley) and 29 (Chesterfield); impact of the proposed HS 2 rail route upon Waverley and the possible relocation of that Enterprise Zone to Dinnington); business rates are to be held centrally by the Combined Authority (and the LEP); Members requested details of the site locations and boundaries of the Enterprise Zones;
- payment of the Living Wage and possible impact upon the City Region;
- the current strategic aims of the Sheffield City Region are transport and economic growth (although it was noted that such aims may occasionally be subject to change).
Copies of the presentation slides are to be provided for all Members of this Select Commission.
It was noted that a seminar for all Members of the Council, about the operation of the Sheffield City Region, is to be held on Tuesday 25th November, 2014 and representatives of the Sheffield City Region will be invited to attend.
After thanking officers for the informative presentation, the Select Commission agreed that:-
a) the presentation was the starting point to developing a greater understanding of the implications of the Sheffield City Region structures; however, at this stage, it had raised more questions than provided answers;
b) the Scrutiny Manager shall provide a briefing note for a future meeting of this Select Commission, about the implications for the work programme of consideration of this matter;
c) further information shall be sought about the resources being committed by this Council and its partner organisations to the Sheffield City Region structures.