Agenda item

The Board discussed and noted the Panel and Committee updates which were presented to the Board for information.

It was noted that the Business Communications Groups had met on 5 June 2019.  The meeting had been attended by Mark Roberts who was a member of the Employment and Skills Panel and the Future-Ready Skills Commission and the key points discussed were outlined in the report.  It was reported that the delay in Brexit had also been discussed and the City Region’s readiness for a ‘no deal’ situation.  It was agreed that this should be discussed in more detail at the LEP Board’s awayday in September 2019.

In respect of the Business Growth Programme (BGP), the Board discussed the proposed changes to the programme guidance and criteria which were set out in Appendix 1 to the submitted report. In approving the proposed changes, Members asked that consideration be given as to how the impact of climate change/low carbon can be embedded in the grant appraisal process. It was noted that the Business Investment Panel had requested a review of criteria be undertaken to help  inform their consideration of applications.  The proposed changes were considered by the Business Innovation and Growth Panel in May 2019 as the panel with strategic responsibility for the programme and the Board agreed that the changes be implemented from Quarter 3 of 2019/20 onwards.

The Board discussed the Strategic Inward Investment Fund (SIIF) and supported the broadening of the criteria to enable it to be used more flexibly and proactively in the current and future economic climate.  This included supporting major investment projects from UK businesses with a presence in the City Region as well as those with overseas ownership, and also supporting projects that can demonstrate significant numbers of jobs safeguarded, as well as those that will create new net employment in the City Region.

In respect of the Digital Inward Investment Fund (DIIF) branded as “#Grow”, the Board supported the importance of extending the DIIF to include a new fund focussed on growing the City Region’s existing creative and digital businesses - #Grow, to complement the existing #Welcome fund that provides funding to inward investors from that sector.  The two funds will have a combined budget of £2.5m and will be supported by a dedicated project manager and marketing officer.  The Board supported the principles of the proposals and the criteria for both the SIIF and #Grow will be circulated to Members.

It was noted that the Green Economy Panel had met on 9 July 2019 and the Board was provided with an update on the outcomes of the meeting including current activities and the recent workshops which had been held.  In noting the declaration of a climate emergency by the Combined Authority, the Board discussed and welcomed the ambition to be net zero-carbon by 2038 and the strategic approach to achieving this.

The update on the Capital Programme (Investment Committee) was noted.  The meeting was attended by Rebecca Pates and Richard Hindle of SQW Limited who are leading the National Evaluation Panel responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of investment funds across the UK.  Leeds City Region is one of four areas subject to the evaluation in 2019 and SQW have been commissioned to evaluate the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund.  The headline findings were outlined in the submitted report and the Board received a presentation which provided a summary of SQW’s work on the independent review of the Growth Deal programme and the initial report findings.

Copies of SQW’s Executive Summaries of their Baseline and One Year Out reports for the Leeds City Region were attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to Agenda Item 5d. The Final Report would be delivered in November 2019 and the first gateway review was expected to be completed by Government in early 2020.  It was noted that future growth deal funding may be subject to the outcome of the first gateway review.  Quarterly national progress meetings were being attended with officers from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BEIS) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and it was expected that greater clarity should emerge on how the final gateway report will form part of the overall assessment of performance, together with other evidence such as the annual conversations. 

The Board thanked SQW for their attendance and informative presentation. 

Resolved:

(i)         That the Panel, Committee and Group updates be noted.

(ii)        That the proposed changes to criteria and guidance for the Business Growth Programme as outlined in Appendix 1 to Agenda Item 5b be approved and that the changes be implemented from Quarter 3 of 2019/20 onwards.