Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Andrew Wright, Councillor Cheetham, Councillor Swift, Cllr Lewis, Mike Danby, Peter O’Brien, Mark Roberts, Marie Gilluley, Mark Robson and Amir Hussain.

There were no pecuniary interests declared at the meeting.

1. To highlight Appendix 1 to Agenda Item 9 which officers have identifiedas containing exempt information within the meaning of Schedule 12Ato the Local Government Act 1972, and where officers consider that thepublic interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the publicinterest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in thereport.

2. To consider whether or not to accept the officers’ recommendation in respect of the above information as set out in paragraph 4.1 of Agenda Item 9.

3. If the recommendation is accepted, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That in accordance with paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Appendix 1 to Agenda Item 9 on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Resolved: That in accordance with paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Appendix 1 to Agenda Item 9 on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September be approved.

The Chair updated the Panel regarding the LEP merger. It was reported that due to the restrictions of the pre-election purdah period, the LEP Board had not been in a position to take a decision at its meeting on the 21 November and subsequently the decision had been deferred until early 2020.  It was stressed that the LEP would ensure it is fully compliant with the Strengthening LEPs guidelines.

Members were also advised that due to the purdah period and uncertainty around Brexit, the submission of the Local Industrial Strategy had been delayed and would now be finalised and submitted to Government in early 2020.

Resolved: That the Chair’s update be noted.

Lisa Roberts provided an update provided an update on the MIT REAP programme which aims to strengthen local innovation ecosystems.

It was noted that one of the key ‘must win battles’ of the draft strategy was an on using innovation to solve societal challenges such as tackling climate change, widening access to transport and healthy aging.

Panel members welcomed the update on the project and asked for greater stakeholder engagement across the region.

Members were informed of the next steps which included refining the draft strategy for an upcoming workshop in January which would be hosted in the Leeds City Region with further feedback and stakeholder engagement to follow.

The Panel also noted the opportunities afforded by the MIT REAP lite programme which was run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). An expression of interest was to be submitted for the Leeds City Region. 

Resolved: That the update be noted.

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on the European Union interregional cooperation project.

Members noted the intention of the programme which was to improve policy design and implementation in order to increase awareness and adoption of industry 4.0 solutions across SMEs.

Panel members noted the next steps which included the establishment of a working group, mapping of industry 4.0 assets within the region and identifying best practice.

Members were asked to notify officers if they wished to be part of the working group.

Resolved:

(i)            That the report be noted.

(ii)          That the Panel act as the principle stakeholder group for the project.

(iii)         That a working group be established to include BIG panel members.

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on Trade and Investment activity.

The Panel noted that there had been 14 investment successes in 2019-20 and that half of those were outside of Leeds.

Members questioned what more could be done to increase exports in the region. It was suggested that officers would consider what more the Combined Authority could do to promote exporting opportunities and would report back to a future meeting.  

Resolved: That the report be noted. 

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on business support activity.

The Panel noted that:

·         Brexit support would recommence in the new year.

·          A concerted effort had been made to understand large indigenous businesses.

·         ‘Be the Business’ aimed to address underperformance of UK productivity. A mentoring scheme had been launched in the Leeds City Region to connect experienced mentors with emerging SMEs.

·         Members were informed that work was underway with HMRC and BEIS pilot scheme to utilise real time business intelligence. 

·         The second phase of the productivity pilot was open to applicants until the end of the year.

·         Inclusive growth outcomes for grants showed that 80% of jobs created on the Business Growth Programme payed the Real Living Wage.

Resolved: That the progress made to date on the delivery of business support activity be noted.

The Panel was provided with an update regarding the proposed future approach to business finance and investment management. The draft investment strategy was attached as exempt appendix 1 to the submitted report.

Deloitte had been commissioned to advise on gaps in the regional investment market, potential business finance models and advise on appropriate and robust procedures prior to launching a new fund.

Members discussed and provided feedback on the draft investment strategy, governance proposals and the next steps for implementation

Resolved: That the draft investment strategy and the Panel’s feedback be noted.