Agenda item

A paper was presented to provide the Board with an update on the SCR Renewal Action Plan.

The Board was reminded that the SCR Renewal Action Plan (RAP) provided the basis for the MCA’s submission to the Government’s 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR); providing a formal request for additional revenue funding for the next three years and additional capital funding for the next four years.

The Government had since announced that the 2020 CSR had been abandoned due to the Covid pandemic and that a one-year settlement would be announced in due course.

It was noted that the Thematic Boards had all considered how the agreed priorities in the RAP should be implemented and which interventions could be delivered.  Each Thematic Board had also considered the interventions that require immediate financial resource; including the anticipated outputs and outcomes for each intervention, the investment required from the MCA, and the use of new Government initiatives, including Getting Building Fund, Housing Fund (Brownfield) and Emergency Active Travel Fund.

The priority interventions were detailed in Annex A to the paper.

F Kumi-Ampofo provided the Board with a verbal update on the key interventions that had been identified in relation to the three high-level objectives of the RAP (People, Employers and Place) to be progressed immediately, using current resource.  Further details were summarised in paragraphs 2.4 to 2.6 in the paper. 

It was highlighted that the interventions did not represent the sum total of interventions under development.  Instead, these were the first in a sequence of interventions selected on the basis of impact, cost and deliverability.  More interventions were being developed and would be shared with the Board in future meetings.

The Board discussed and considered the key interventions.  The following comments were provided by the Board:

Councillor Dore queried who the employer of the Apprenticeship Hub would be and what legal rights would be in place for employees. 

The Board also discussed if the proposed enhanced Apprenticeship Training Agency/Broker would lead to displacement with the Further Education sector.  The Board queried if any sensitivity analysis had been undertaken. 

The Board also queried how the Apprenticeship Hub would work with training providers. 

It was agreed that the MCA Skills Team would provide the Board with further information on the queries set out above.  ACTION: F Kumi-Ampofo

The Board highlighted that marketing and communication would be very important over the coming months to ensure businesses were aware of the advice and support that is available to them. 

It was agreed that a wider discussion would take place at the January LEP Board with regards to communications, engagement and providing awareness of the support available to businesses in the City Region. 

It was felt that ‘Digital Adoption’ would be critical in the next 4 weeks to allow some businesses to progress with digital adoption. 

The Board requested that they be provided with details to understand what the £1.7bn of funding ask have / had been covered within the RAP. 

Furthermore, the Board requested details on which initiatives would be funded from existing resources.  The Board also asked if details could be provided on the large scale initiatives where there were current funding gaps. 

D Smith agreed to present a paper at the January meeting setting out an audited assessment on funding, taking account of the announcements in the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review.  ACTION: D Smith

The Chair requested that updates on the RAP continue to feature as a standing item on future LEP Board agendas. 

RESOLVED – That LEP Board Members noted the progress made and provided comments and suggestions they deem appropriate, on how the Renewal Action Plan should be implemented.