Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Holly Tween  Tel: 01772 537955 Email:  holly.tween@lancashire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made by all in attendance.

 

Particular welcome was extended to Damian Waters and Liz Tapner, who were attending as observers, pending membership approval.

 

Apologies had been received from Phil Green. It was noted that Katherine O'Connor from BEIS had moved to a different role so will no longer be attending meetings as an observer.

2.

Declaration of Interests

Minutes:

Miranda Barker declared an interest in items considering Boost funding and Growth Support funding, as the Chamber Low Carbon programme was part of that funding stream.

3.

Minutes of the meeting held on 29 October 2020 pdf icon PDF 203 KB

Minutes:

Resolved: that the minutes from the meeting on the 29 October 2020 were

approved as an accurate record.

4.

Matters Arising

Minutes:

Sue Smith, Centre for SME Development, gave an update on the Phoenix Programme, and reported that after presenting at the NP11 meeting, collaboration had begun across 7 northern universities, and a set of remote/hybrid working principles had been developed, and a repository of information was now available to help SMEs considering hybrid working.

5.

Business Support Performance Overview of 20/21 pdf icon PDF 216 KB

Minutes:

Andy Walker, Head of Business Growth, presented the report providing a summary of delivery and performance for the publicly funded business support activities which attract central government funding. These included Boost, Peer to Peer to Peer Business Support Groups, Access to finance services and inward investment. Discussion followed.

 

It was suggested that having a brand for the Inward Investment work stream would be helpful.

 

It was noted that CBI had run a session on Where Next for Cashflow and Finance, with free access via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8UFPLqPYZU

 

Sarah Kemp volunteered to organise a meeting to include Justin Kyriakou, Stuart Thompson, Miranda Barker, Andrew Leeming and Andy Walker to consider an east Lancashire business angel network.

 

Resolved: the committee agreed that:

 

i.  the report be noted

 

ii.  Sarah Kemp organise a meeting to discuss a business angel network in east Lancashire

6.

Board Membership pdf icon PDF 190 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

At previous meetings the committee had discussed extending the membership. The committee considered the biographies provided with the report, and agreed to recommend the suggested new members to the LEP Board.

 

It was also noted that Stuart Thompson's term at the IOD was expiring, but it was agreed to retain him on the committee.

 

Resolved: that

 

i.  The Business Support Management Board formally recommend to the LEP Board that its membership be extended to include Damian Waters and Liz Tapner

 

ii.  That, once the new membership is agreed, the committee's Terms of Reference are updated to reflect recent changes

7.

Wider LEP Update

Presented by: Andy Walker

Minutes:

Sarah Kemp, LEP CEO, gave an update on the work of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

 

The LEP review was underway, and the annual performance review process had been completed, with significant issues addressed over the last year.

 

The process for recruiting a new LEP Chair was ongoing, and it was hoped this would be completed in time for the next Board meeting in June.

 

The Annual Conference was being planned for 2 July, to be held in Blackpool. It was hoped the annual report would be published around the same time.

 

The EKOS report had been published, and an internationalisation strategy had been commissioned.

 

It was expected that the LIS would be used to inform the new Growth Plan, but details from government were awaited. A draft would be shared with the Business Support Management Board in due course.

 

The Strategic Framework had been published in December 2020.

 

Resolved: that the update be noted

8.

Reporting to Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board

Minutes:

Resolved: that the following matters were reported to the LEP Board:

 

i.  The new membership and Terms of Reference be presented for approval

ii.  A summary of the annual performance report is presented, which will form a formal return to BEIS

iii.  The proposed used of BEIS funding in the coming year is presented for approval

9.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Damian Waters reported that regional score cards had been released outlining in detail productivity and socio economic health across England. North west scorecards were available here: https://www.cbi.org.uk/media/6581/12640-cbi-reviving-regions_north-west.pdf

 

Justin Kyriakou reported that the ICAEW had released the Business Confidence Monitor today. The north west report was available here: https://www.icaew.com/technical/economy/economic-insight/business-confidence-monitor-regional/north-west

10.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting was scheduled for Monday 26 August 2021, at 10.30am.

Minutes:

The next meeting was scheduled for Monday 26 August 2021, at 10.30am, virtually via Zoom.

11.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The Committee 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 Business Support Management 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.

12.

BEIS Growth Hub Funding 2021-22

Minutes:

Andy Walker and Andrew Leeming presented the report (circulated) outlining the proposed allocation of funds for business support activities, and the BEIS funding for Boost for 2021-22.

 

Resolved: that the Business Support Management Board

 

i.  Endorse the allocations of BEIS LEP grant funding for 2021-22 for Boost, in respect of its Core Funding and Peer Networks, as set out in the report

 

ii.  Recommend to the LEP Board approval of receipt of the grant funds and proposed budget

13.

Design and Commissioning of Boost 3.5 Service Offer

Minutes:

Andy Walker and Andrew Leeming presented the report (circulated) outlining the design of Boost 3.5, now to be underpinned by national government resource, following the termination of European Structural Funds. It outlined delivery components and ideas for adaptation and improvement. Discussion followed.

 

It was noted that providers' contracts would expire in December 2021, and an OJEU procurement process would take place July-November. Committee members were requested to circulate the message through their networks that these opportunities were available.

 

Resolved: that the extension to the Boost programme funding is noted, and committee members help circulate information about the upcoming opportunities