Agenda and minutes

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.

Venue: Committee Room 'D' - The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston. View directions

Contact: Andy Milroy  Tel: 01772 530354 Email:  andy.milroy@lancashire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Chairman, David Taylor, welcomed all to the meeting.  Apologies for absence were presented from Claire Whelan, Dennis Mendoros, Councillor Simon Blackburn, Professor Mark Smith and Graham Cowley.

 

The new Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Interim Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Pettinger, introduced himself to the Board and gave an overview of his background and desires to achieve the LEP's objectives.

2.

Minutes of the Special Board meeting held on held on 19th March 2019 pdf icon PDF 103 KB

Minutes:

Resolved:  That the minutes of the Special Board meeting held on 19th March 2019 be approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

3.

Matters Arising

Minutes:

None

4.

Declaration of Interests pdf icon PDF 39 KB

Minutes:

Amanda Melton raised a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 17 – Growth Deal Update as her employer – Nelson and Colne College was a previous and potential future beneficiary of Growth Deal Capital Funds.  As item 17 contained an update and did not contain any specific decisions regarding allocations Amanda was not excluded from item 17.

5.

Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Operational Budget 2018/19 and 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 82 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman proposed that whilst noting the draft outturn Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Operational Budget positon for 2018/19 that the proposed Operational Budget for 2019/20 be deferred.

 

Resolved:  Following advice from the Section 151 Officer, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board:

 

(i)  Noted the draft outturn Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Operational Budget position for 2018/19.

 

(ii)  Agreed to defer approval of the full Operational Budget for 2019/20 in order to ensure that there is sufficient resources to enable to Board to ensure the right investment was being made to achieve the emerging ambitions; and

 

(iii)  Noted the advice of the Section 151 Officer that there were sufficient resources to cover the proposed expenditure and that spending would necessarily continue on business as usual items.

6.

LEP Delivery Plan 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 68 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Andy Walker, Head of Service for Business Growth, Lancashire County Council, presented a report (circulated) regarding the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Delivery Plan for 2019/20.

 

Board Members expressed a desire to ensure the Delivery Plan links to the Local Industrial Strategy and other plans to ensure a joined up approach.

 

Resolved: The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

 

(i)  Noted the requirement to produce a Delivery Plan and the exemplar template at Appendix 'A' to this report.

 

(ii)  Noted the initial draft of a Lancashire LEP Delivery Plan which was tabled at the meeting, and

 

(iii)  Delegated authority to the Chair and Interim Chief Executive to prepare and submit a final draft of this document referencing the comments of the Board, to meet the 31st May 2019 deadline.

7.

Response to the Annual Performance Review: LEP Strategy Improvement Plan pdf icon PDF 79 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Richard Kenny, Interim Director of Economic Development and Planning, Lancashire County Council, presented a report (circulated) which provided a response to the Annual Performance Review: LEP Strategy Improvement Plan.

 

Board Member expressed a view that Inward investment, exporting, new markets, and climate change references be included in the Improvement Plan and also that it is important to link up all the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership strategies and documentation in alignment.  Board Members also requested that the document be split into three categories – strategy, governance and delivery. Officers noted and agreed to amend the document as necessary.

 

Board Members also discussed to move forward following the LEP Governance Review work and it was noted that as part of the Local Industrial Strategy that workshops with businesses will be held this year with dates to be shared with the Board and business colleagues.

 

Resolved: The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board is asked to:

 

(i)  Noted the national performance assessment of Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

 

(ii)  Noted the urgent response that was required from the Interim Chair and Interim Chief Executive to the request from Central Government for a plan to be put in place; and

 

(iii)  Approved the Strategy Improvement Plan, subject to the amendments suggested by Board Members set out above.

8.

Innovation Plan Progress and the Formation of a Lancashire Innovation Board pdf icon PDF 105 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Andy Walker presented a report (circulated) containing an update on Innovation Plan Progress and the formation of a Lancashire Innovation Board.

 

Board Members expressed a desire to broaden the scope of intentions for the Innovation Board to ensure there is commercialisation support in addition to linking together with the existing Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Committees where there are synergies, such as the Skills and Employment Advisory Panel.  With regard to a timeline for implementation of the new Innovation Panel it was anticipated that the final Terms of Reference would return later in 2019 (to the Autumn 2019 Board meeting) for approval.

 

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board are recommended to:-

 

  (i)  Note the progress made by local partners in progressing the actions with the Lancashire Innovation Plan.

 

  (ii)  Note the work which has been done on their behalf to compare and contrast the structure of innovation boards across the Northern Powerhouse.

 

 (iii)  Approve the draft terms of reference and suggested membership composition of a Lancashire Innovation and Productivity Board, accepting that these Terms of Reference will need to be transposed to the existing house style for these documents across the LEP's committees; and

 

 (iv)  Instruct the Interim LEP Chief Executive, supported by Lancaster University to progress the recruitment of prospective Innovation and Productivity board members, for ratification by the full Board.

9.

Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership: Progress, Digital Skills Innovation Fund and the Tech Talent Charter pdf icon PDF 226 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Michele Lawty-Jones, Director of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, and Kerry Harrison, Digital Skills Coordinator, Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub presented a report (circulated) which provided the Board with an update on the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, Digital Innovation Fund and the Tech Talent Charter.

 

Board Members expressed their support for the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership and endorsed the work undertaken to date and also requested that consideration be given to ensuring female entrepreneurs / business owners are engaged with the Digital Skills Partnership.

 

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

 

(i)  Noted the progress regarding the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership.

 

(ii)  Delegated authority to the interim Chief Executive, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to sign off the Digital Skills Innovation Fund business cases as appropriate and agree and approve the entering into of grant funding agreements; and

 

(iii)Approved the signing of the Tech Talent Charter as presented.

10.

Governance and Committees Decisions Report pdf icon PDF 104 KB

Minutes:

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board noted the updates provided in relation to Governance and the Committees of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

11.

LEP - Former Executive Committee - Analysis of Decisions taken 2018 / 19 pdf icon PDF 64 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board noted the analysis of the Former Executive Committee decisions taken in 2018 / 19 as presented.

12.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Miranda Barker, attended briefing on High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) and provided an update, it was agreed that the Interim LEP Chairman would write to express the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership's support for HS2. 

 

Tony Attard, Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Co-opted Member, provided an update on Lancashire's City of Culture 2025 bid and progress made.  It was reported that an advertisement had been placed for a Bid Director to work up the bid ready for submission by spring 2020.  It was agreed that further details including the Job Description would be circulated to Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Directors after the meeting.

13.

Date of Next Meeting

The next LEP Board meetings are scheduled to be held as follows:

 

·  25th June 2019 at 4.30pm, at Energy HQ, Blackpool with a tour of the facility commencing at 3.30pm.

·  12th November 2019 at 4:30pm, at the Academy for Skills and Knowledge, BAE Samlesbury with a tour of the facility commencing at 3:30pm.

Minutes:

The Board noted that the next Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board meetings were scheduled to be held as follows in accordance with the request to move the meetings around Lancashire:

 

  • 25th June 2019 at 4.30pm, at Energy HQ, Blackpool with a tour of the facility commencing at 3.30pm.
  • 12th November 2019 at 4:30pm, at the Academy for Skills and Knowledge, BAE Samlesbury with a tour of the facility commencing at 3:30pm.

14.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The Board is asked to consider whether, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, it considers that the public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as indicated against the heading to the item.

Minutes:

At this point the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board approved that the meeting move into Part II, Private and Confidential, to consider the remaining agenda items as they contained information defined as confidential or exempt in accordance with the relevant paragraph of Part I to schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as set out in each report or presentation.  It was considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

15.

Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Operational Budget 2018/19 and 2019/20 - Exempt Appendix 'C'

Minutes:

This item was considered as part of the deferred item 5.

16.

Local Industrial Strategy Update

Minutes:

Andy Walker presented a report (circulated) which provided an update on the initial states of work on the Lancashire Local Industrial Strategy.

 

Board Members endorsed the initial work and recognised the need to ensure the Lancashire Local Industrial Strategy takes account of cross boundary working with neighbouring Local Enterprise Partnership areas.

 

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

 

(i)  Noted the update on the initial stages of work on the Lancashire Local Industrial Strategy.

 

(ii)  Approved the proposal to use March 2020 as the deadline date for the production of the Local Industrial Strategy, using the extra time for enhanced consultation; and

 

(iii)Delegated to the LEP Interim Chief Executive the decision to commit further, marginal funds to Steer ED and SKV to support enhanced consultation and communications around the strategy production process.

17.

Growth Deal Update

Minutes:

Anne-Marie Parkinson, LEP Investment Programme Manager, presented a report (circulated) which provided an update on Growth Deal activity.

 

Board Members clarified that all projects previously in the Growth Deal 3 pipeline (that did not receive funding) would be considered in any potential re-allocation of funds.

 

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

 

(i)  Noted the update regarding the implementation of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership's Growth Deal Reallocation Procedure in respect of the £16.490m currently unallocated within the Growth Deal Programme; and;

 

(ii)  Noted the update on the overall performance of the Growth Deal Programme and approved the submission of the Growth Deal Quarterly Reporting Summary Dashboard for Quarter 3 (October to December) 2018/19 to the Government's Cities and Local Growth Unit.

18.

Lancashire Urban Development Fund Update

Minutes:

Sean McGrath, External Investment and Funding, Lancashire County Council, presented a report (circulated) which provided an update on the establishment of an Urban Development Fund for Lancashire.

 

Board Members endorsed the proposals and requested that further consideration be given to the legal implications to see if there are other ways for the Lancashire LEP to remain engaged.

 

Resolved:  The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

 

(i)  Reconfirmed its support for the establishment of an Urban Development Fund for Lancashire targeted at the development of industrial workspace.

 

(ii)  Endorsed the proposed Urban Development Fund delivery model, whereby Lancashire County Council creates a wholly owned Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to deliver the Fund, based on the proposed Limited Partnership model.

 

(iii)  Noted the proposal that the county council will fully fund the operating costs of the Urban Development Fund, estimated to be £1 million over 4 years and that the county council will also explore the potential for engagement by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board in the Urban Development Fund structure.

 

(iv)  Considered and endorsed the proposal that a representative of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership chairs the Urban Development Fund Investment Advisory Panel.

 

(v)  Requested that the county council submits a further report on the operation of the Urban Development Fund including consultation on the Investment Strategy to a future Board meeting.

19.

City Deal Update

Minutes:

Jim Carter, Chairman of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal Executive, provided a private and confidential update on the City Deal and progress made to date.  Work is continuing on the key big schemes and a review of the City Deal with further reports to be presented to the Combined City Deal meeting scheduled to be held in July 2019.