Agenda and minutes

The Co-Chair, N MacDonald welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were noted as above.

None.

None.

None.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 6^th January 2021 were agreed to be an accurate record and approved for signing by the representative of the Head of Paid Service.

Matters arising from the Board meeting held on 6^th January 2021 were noted as discharged, or contained within reports on today’s agenda. 

Following discussion, the Board agreed that local authority officers be permitted to attend and observe Board meetings (at the Co-Chairs discretion), in order to provide advice (in private) to their respective Elected representative. 

The Board requested that there be consistency with regards to the local authority officers in attendance at Board meetings. 

H Kemp agreed to inform the local authorities of the Board’s decision.  ACTION: H Kemp.   

A report was submitted to outline a proposed forward work programme for the Business Recovery and Growth Board, identifying regular items of business as well as those items that will require decision and/or direction from the Board in the coming year.

The Board was asked to consider the proposed work programme as set out at Annex 1 to the report. 

The Board noted that the proposed programme had taken into consideration the requirements of the Board’s Terms of Reference as well as existing programme reporting arrangements.

The proposed programme also identified additional key workstream areas that were expected to come before the Board during 2021/22 and that will require either a decision or strategic direction from the Board.

Members requested that they be provided with the pertinent points arising from Government Policy Briefings.  H Kemp acknowledged the request and said that presentations could be made to the Board to allow Members to discuss the pertinent points. 

The Board requested that they be provided with feedback on bids which had entered the Business Investment Pipeline, where delegated authority had been requested from Members prior to a scheduled Board meeting.  

H Kemp replied that officers were currently examining the delegated authority process of agreeing bids entering the Business Investment Pipeline.  If appropriate, special meetings of the Board could be arranged to obtain the Board’s approval of bids. 

The Board highlighted that they had received several enquiries to ascertain how projects had entered the Business Investment Pipeline and how they had been assessed. 

In response, R Clark proposed to submit a paper outlining the formalised process to the next Board meeting, for discussion and agreement. 

The Board considered that it would not be appropriate to leave questions un-answered around the Business Investment Pipeline until the next Board meeting in June.  In the interim, the Board requested that a statement be prepared and circulated to the Board Members.  ACTION: R Clark & H Kemp. 

The Board requested that the International Update on India be presented at every third meeting, to align with the update on the India Advisory Forum.  ACTION: H Kemp.   

At this point in the meeting, the Board received a verbal update on the delivery of the Renewal Action Plan (RAP).  In summary, the following key points were noted:-

·        Alexa Greaves had been chairing weekly meetings to progress delivery of the RAP. 

·        In relation to the Digital Strategy, discussions were taking place with local authorities to ensure the soft-landing was in place.  A paper would be presented at a future Board meeting to obtain sign-off in relation to how the Strategy is promoted. 

·        The Supply Chain Group would be examining all the key Supply Chain elements of the RAP. 

·        Adverts for the secondment of Supply Chain Advisors into each of the local authorities would be published on Friday 26^th March 2021.  Barnsley MBC were leading on the recruitment campaign. 

·        The Supply Chain Group was also responsible for developing kick-start events to support businesses.  A programme of events had been developed to commence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

A report was presented to outline to Members the proposal for procedures to ensure commercial confidentiality for applicant businesses for business growth projects. 

The Board was asked to support the proposal and agree in principle to entering into Non-Disclosure Agreements in relation to the business of the Board.

A copy of the proposed Non-Disclosure Agreement was annexed to the report, for Members information. 

Mayor Jones queried how Doncaster MBC officers would be able to provide advice to her on confidential information if they had not signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. 

A Bottomley replied that additional wording would be added the Non-Disclosure Agreement, which would allow Mayor Jones to share the information with professional advisors, providing that, they are informed it is confidential information which is being shared with them. 

The Board said that they would need to be informed of the officers in attendance at future meetings who had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. 

A Bottomley replied that the MCA would keep an internal note which detailed the officers who had signed the Non-Disclosure Agreement. 

N MacDonald suggested that a standard item be added to future agendas (after Declarations of Interests) entitled ‘Non-Disclosure Agreements’ to enable the Board to establish who had signed the Non-Disclosure Agreements, prior to business being discussed.  ACTION: H Kemp.

Following discussion, the Board agreed that the Non-Disclosure Agreement be circulated for Members’ signatures. 

It was further proposed that Board Members approve a policy of before sharing any confidential information with a third party, the third party and the disclosing company enter into a direct Non-Disclosure Agreement between themselves.  This policy would ensue that any breach of confidentiality by the third party will be a matter between them and the disclosing business, and not attract any liability to the Authority.

RESOLVED – That the Business Recovery and Growth Board:-

1.      Agreed that Members of the Board should enter into Non-Disclosure Agreements prior to receiving confidential information.

Agreed that Local Authority partners should enter into separate Non-Disclosure Agreements with applicant businesses prior to the Combined Authority releasing Confidential Information to them.

A report was submitted to provide the Board with an update and indication of the next phase of activity for the India Programme. 

Following discussion at the last Board meeting, the Board was presented with the proposed next phase priority areas to review, discuss and agree the delivery of the proposed priority initiatives for developing the next phase of activity for the India programme for the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23.

The Board was informed that good progress had been made to date around the five high-level priorities which had been identified in the 2017 paper by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC). 

Annex 1 to the report provided Members with a visual roadmap of the proposed core programme and next steps that would establish activities for the next 2 years.  There were several key themes that would underpin the next phase strategy.  Further details were set out within paragraph 2.4.1 of the report. 

Strong progress had also been made on the SCR India Growth Champions Exporting Growth Programme that was launched in 2020 with 9 participating businesses. 

The Board noted that an interim evaluation of the programme was currently underway and would conclude with a full report on conclusion of the trade mission to India. 

The Board Considered and approved the forward delivery proposals for the India programme and the role of the South Yorkshire India Forum in guiding the strategy and agreed that the South Yorkshire India Forum is accountable to the Business Recovery and Growth Board and reports on progress periodically.

The Board noted the ‘next steps’, as outlined in the report, were to establish an Advisory Board and to present detailed proposals outlining activities for the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23, together with a programme of events to support the launch of the Business Network.

These steps would give the Advisory Board a platform for the next two years and allow room for parallel activity in the development of a post 2023 sustainable strategy alongside increased focus on the investment, education, and tourism objectives to ensure that ambitions to 2025 are achieved.

R Stubbs said that, as part of the Strategy, it would be important to maximise opportunities to conduct business digitally, wherever possible, but acknowledged that, trade missions may be required in future. 

RESOLVED – That the Business Recovery and Growth Board:-

1.      Note the activities completed and progress made to date.

2.      Considered and approved the forward delivery proposals for the India programme and the role of the South Yorkshire India Forum in guiding the strategy.

Approve the recommendation that the South Yorkshire India Forum is accountable to the Business Recovery and Growth Board and reports on progress periodically.

A report was delivered to provide the Board with a proposal to establish the South Yorkshire India Forum (SYIF).  Following the discussion at the last Board meeting, the Board was presented with the proposed approach and timing to establish a South Yorkshire India Advisory Board and a South Yorkshire India Business Network.

The report also provided the Board with an update on the progress made to date on the core programme, which warranted a commitment to move to the next phase of development, establishing the SYIF, giving strategic direction towards the 2025 ambition, stakeholder and partner engagement and increasing visibility of the South Yorkshire region in an area that is seeing significant progress being made across the Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse.

The Board noted that the SYIF would have an Advisory Board of 10-12 senior representatives from the public, private and academic sectors to guide and oversee the implementation and development of the SCR India engagement strategy.  The Board noted that invitations and shortlisting was to be completed by the end of April and the first formal meeting to be held in June 2021. 

Alongside establishing the Advisory Board, it was recommended that a SYIF Business Network is set-up to engage a wider group of businesses and other stakeholders in India and across the South Yorkshire Region and when appropriate, the whole UK.  Members will have access to newsletters, networking opportunities and invitations to SYIF events in the UK and India.

A programme of activities for the next two years would be developed by the end of April 2021 and sent out for consultation, with a first meeting held in June and proposed networking event in July 2021.

Paragraph 2.5 of the report provided the Board with details on the recommended next steps for establishing the South Yorkshire India Forum. 

It was proposed that a two-stage approach be taken to developing the South Yorkshire India Forum over a 3 month period from April 2021.  Stage one was to establish the Advisory Board and Stage two was to establish the SYIF Business Network. 

RESOLVED – That the Business Recovery and Growth Board:-

1.      Consider and approved the proposed approach and timelines for establishing the South Yorkshire India Forum.

Approved that, once established the South Yorkshire India Advisory Board is given authority to develop and deliver the forward South Yorkshire India strategy, the Advisory Board being accountable to the Business Recovery and Growth Board and providing periodic updates.

A report was submitted requesting approval to accept the annual allocation of Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Growth Hub Grant, BEIS grant for Peer Network Programme and Department of International Trade (DIT) Key Account Management extension grant for 12 months from 1st April 2021 until 31st March 2022.  Further details were set out within the report. 

The report also requested the Board to delegate authority to the S73 Officer in conjunction with the Head of Paid Service and Monitoring Officer to enter into legal agreements for the schemes.

The Board highlighted that there had been a substantial reduction in KAM funding for 2021/22.  The Board asked if other MCAs had received the same percentage of funding cut in comparison to the South Yorkshire MCA. 

R Clark replied that the same question had been raised from a Northern Powerhouse perspective, in relation to all partners across the North.

A meeting would be held during week commencing 29^th March to discuss the level of cuts.  R Clark agreed to raise the Board’s question at the meeting and provide the Board with feedback.  ACTION: R Clark. 

RESOLVED – That the Business Recovery and Growth Board:-

1.       Approved acceptance of the annual Growth Hub grant allocation for £0.70m.

2.       Approved acceptance of the Peer Network grant allocation of £0.12m.

3.       Approved acceptance of the Key Account Management extension funding for 12 months and accepts the grant of c£0.08m.

Delegate authority to the S73 Officer in conjunction with the Head of Paid Service and Monitoring Officer to accept the grants of c£0.99m subject to their acceptance of the terms of the agreements when these are received.

A report was presented to provide the Board with an update on the significant investment opportunities that have been identified from LEP led business engagement. 

13 identified schemes had been considered by the LEP Board at their March meeting to go onto the pipeline in order that Business Cases may be developed for approval by this Board or the MCA.

The Board noted that the 13 projects could have an immediate impact and were are likely to need in the region of £74m public investment to realise c£500 m of private investment and create c 1445 jobs.  Of which, 8 would be new investors to the region and 5 were indigenous companies with expansion plans. 

To-date, discussions had taken place with 65 businesses.  These consisted of a mix of old industry, new digital and technology businesses, locally owner managed, as well as multinational companies at different stages of maturity.

It was noted that further cohorts of projects would be presented at the June LEP Board meeting.  This would be a regular item at the meetings of the LEP Board and this Board.

R Clark asked the Board to provide a steer how they would like to receive information on the next round of enquires which the Team were currently handling. 

Following discussion, the Board highlighted that there needed to be openness and transparency with regards to the funding available to fund those projects within the pipeline.  The Board said that they would also need to be provided with details on the assurance framework process and its role with regards to making approvals. 

The Board asked that a summary of the projects within the pipeline be presented at future Board meetings, on the assumption that Members had signed the Non-Disclosure Agreements. 

In relation to the assurance processes and due diligence, H Kemp said that a draft Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework had been presented to the MCA, which would also be presented at a future Board meeting, to set out the process.  Officers were currently carrying out work to identify those projects in the pipeline which were considered to be at risk if they could not be funded in 2021/22. 

The Board agreed that an informal meeting be arranged within the next 3-4 weeks to discuss finance and the Board’s role with regards to the Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and approvals process.  ACTION: R Clark & H Kemp. 

G Morgan informed the Board that there was currently a shortage of land and sites across the region for projects coming forward in 2021/22.  The Board was also made aware that the lack of power at 2-3 sites in the region was also becoming an issue.

Following discussion, the Board suggested that there be a joint discussion with the SCR Housing and Infrastructure Board around the shortage of land, site and power. 

H Kemp added that she would also discuss this matter with Infrastructure colleagues.  ACTION: H kemp. 

RESOLVED – That the Business Recovery and Growth Board:-

1.      Acknowledge the investment projects that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

H Kemp provided the Board with a verbal update on Business Support Services. 

The Board was informed that, Business Support Services would not be up and running by 1^st April 2021 as originally planned, due to new challenges which the Team were currently having to meet. 

The Team had worked with local authority colleagues to ensure that there was continuity from a business support perspective to deliver on an interim basis and to ensure continuity.  Recruitment was currently taking place for members within the MCA Team. 

It was agreed that a formal update would be provided at the June Board meeting.