Agenda item

A report was presented on the business pipeline criteria development.  Work had commenced in order to develop a methodology to qualify enquiries from both indigenous companies and new inward investors for possible funding support.  This would manage the expectations of such companies in order for them to understand the criteria, the process and the timescale of the process, together with the funding options.

A total of 40 business opportunities had been identified through the initial set of business pipeline proposals, which were mixed across indigenous growth and inward investment, and covered all four local authority areas.

Following a successful recruitment process, an Innovation Project Director would commence in post from mid-October 2021, who would give focus to the Innovation Agenda.  It was envisaged that the Innovation Project Director would attend the Board meeting that was scheduled to be held after October 2021, to present the progress and priority on the Innovation Agenda.

At the last Board meeting, Members had requested that a criteria should be developed regarding how businesses could access the pipeline, and to change the title ‘Business Pipeline’ to a working title of ‘Gainshare Business Assistance Criteria’ which would fit under the SEP as part of the scaling up agenda.

R Clark referred to the recent meeting held with the local authority partners, who had referred to the good collaborative working.  At that meeting, many different issues had been raised which could not be covered within this single agenda item, but would be addressed over the coming months through joint working.  The report presented at today’s meeting focused upon the criteria regarding how the significant growth project would come onto the Gainshare Business Assistance Share Programme.

A workshop would be held in September 2021 for local authority partners, in order to focus upon the governance processes and procedures which were required to be adhered to.

Members expressed concern that there was not an identified budget for the programme of activity at this stage, and the proposal that the funding would be made available as required by an approved project, which may impact upon the details of the funding agreement with the businesses in terms of the drawdown.

In response, H Kemp commented that she had previously raised Members’ concerns internally.  She had been informed that there was not currently an intention to have an identified funding pot.

S Kemp was happy to have a circular discussion with H Kemp and Dr Smith on the matter.

In relation to the criteria, R Clark referred to a meeting that had been held with the local authority partners following the last Board meeting.  At that meeting, a number of elements had been highlighted which did did not fit within the paper presented to today’s meeting which referred purely to the criteria for those businesses that had significant growth projects.

Mayor Jones CBE considered that the criteria outlined within the report was correct.  She believed as a Board, that there was a need to press the MCA for a funding allocation for 1 year, to be reviewed thereafter.

Councillor Turpin had spoken to several of the officers at SCC who were unhappy with the situation.  He considered that the expertise within the local authorities had not been sufficiently fed into the process.

Mayor Jones CBE commented that if the Board tied itself down too much to the differing sectors, that this would stifle the ability for utilisation of job growth.  In view of Members accepting the headline criteria, she suggested that the officers at SCC could review the detail which underpinned the outcome, in order to move forward and to start to obtain the schemes which were required.

RESOLVED – That Members:-

i)         Approved the headline criteria that allowed officers to engage with businesses as outlined in the paper.

ii)       Agreed that officers would further develop metrics in relation to criteria 9 in line with the emerging SYMCA Inclusion Policy for approval at a future Board.

iii)      Approved the MCA Executive Team to work with local authority colleagues to further develop the processes that should be adopted for referring clients with growth projects in the SYMCA.