Agenda and minutes

The Chair, Edwin Booth, welcomed all to the meeting. Apologies were received from Councillor Simon Blackburn, David Holmes and David Taylor.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2018 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Kathryn Molloy, Head of LEP Co-ordination, Lancashire County Council, provided an update on item 11 on the minutes, the proposed development of a Lancashire Urban Development Fund (UDF). It was confirmed that a consultancy firm had been appointed to support the development of the UDF, and that a further update will be made to the next Board meeting.

Councillor Mark Townsend declared an interest in Item 8 - Growth Deal Funding Approval and Update report as Leader of Burnley Borough Council.

Laura Sales, Director of Corporate Services, Lancashire County Council, and Company Secretary, presented an update on various governance issues, including the annual refresh of the Assurance Framework, the recruitment process for three new Directors, and the appointment of Directors to various committees.

In relation to the Assurance Framework, it was highlighted that the most notable change was the addition of an Allowance Scheme. The attention of the Board was also drawn to the importance of maintaining an up to date register of interests, including property interests.

The Board agreed that, in recruiting new directors, emphasis should particularly be laid on the following key areas of skills and knowledge to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the Board:

·  SMEs

·  Skills and Technical Education

·  Strategic Marketing

Expressions of interest were received from Board members to fill vacancies on a number of committees, as follows:

·  Executive Committee (1 vacancy) – Councillor Phil Riley

·  Transport for Lancashire Committee (Vice Chair's Nominee) (1 vacancy) – Khalid Saifullah, Ann Dean

·  Enterprise Zone Governance committee (1 vacancy) – Mark Rawstron

It was agreed that these nominations would be considered and confirmed in due course.

Martin Kelly, Director of Economic Development and Planning, Lancashire County Council, provided an update on the recent "Deep Dive" review undertaken by government.

Resolved: That:

  i.  the updates provided in this report in relation to the Committees of the LEP be noted

  ii.  the refreshed LEP Assurance Framework for 2018/19 presented be approved

  iii.  the LEP's Executive Committee be authorised to progress the search and recruitment process for up to three new Directors, as outlined in this report, under the direction of the Company Secretary

  iv.  the expressions of interest received from Directors to fill the Committee vacancies as outlined in the report be noted, with appointments to be confirmed by the Executive Committee

Martin Kelly, Director of Economic Development and Planning, Lancashire County Council, provided an update on the refresh of the LEPs Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the development of the Lancashire Industrial Strategy.

The Board acknowledged the opportunities presented in the SEP refresh in terms of reflecting and influencing Government strategy in this area. The Board also recognised the value on engagement with public sector partners in the development of the SEP, especially in delivering inclusive growth.

It was confirmed that the aim was to bring regular reports updating on progress, with a view to finalising the SEP and Industrial Strategy by December 2018.

Resolved: That

  i.  the refresh of the Strategic Economic Plan, as set out in this report be approved

  ii.  a refreshed Strategic Economic Plan be developed to form the basis of a Local Industrial Strategy for Lancashire

  iii.  Lancashire’s local authority leaders be engaged in the refresh of the Strategic Economic Plan and the development of the Lancashire Industrial Strategy, with a focus on developing inclusive growth and strategic placebased priorities.

Kathryn Molloy, Head of LEP Co-ordination, Lancashire County Council, provided an update on the LEP's operational budget for 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Resolved: That:

  i.  the Performance Committee be authorised to consider and agree the outturn position for the LEP's 2017/18 Operational Budget and prepare the LEP's final Operational Budget for 2018/19

  ii.  the outturn position for the LEP's 2017/18 Operational Budget and the proposed final Operational Budget for 2018/19 be received at the next meeting in June

  iii.  the Head of Service LEP Coordination and Development be authorised to prepare the LEP's Annual Report for 2017/18 under the guidance of the Performance Committee

  iv.  the balance statement of the LEP's Growing Places Investment Fund be noted.

Kathryn Molloy, Head of LEP Co-ordination, Lancashire County Council, presented a report requesting approval for funding for the North West Burnley Growth Corridor Scheme, and presenting an update approval process for the redistribution of unallocated Growth Deal funds.

In relation to the North West Burnley Growth Corridor scheme, it was noted that the Board was being asked to approve an allocation of £4.9m to a revised scheme, following the comments of the Local Plan Inspector in relation to the proposed employment sites, with the remaining £2.1m of the original £7m allocation being retained pending the outcome of the consultation on the revised proposals.

Resolved: That

  i.  a maximum funding allocation of £4.9m be approved to the North West Burnley Growth Corridor scheme subject to the conditions agreed by the Growth Deal Management Board

  ii.  the retention of £2.1m of the original £7m allocation be approved for the North West Burnley Growth Corridor scheme for a period of four months and, in the event that the £2.1m is not required for the scheme, agree that it will be subject to the LEP's approval process for redistributing any unallocated funds within the Growth Deal programme

  iii.  the changes to the Growth Deal unallocated funding approval process as set out in the report be approved

  iv.  the process for approving Growth Deal quarterly reporting submissions to the Cities and Local Growth Unit be approved, including providing retrospective approval for the Quarter 3 2017/18 Quarterly Reporting Summary Dashboard.

Kathryn Molloy, Head of LEP Co-ordination, Lancashire County Council, presented an update on recent marketing and communication activity. Attention was drawn to the Lancashire Digital Skills Summit, which was reported as having been a great success.

Resolved: That the contents of the report be noted.

None.

It was noted that the next meeting of the LEP Board was scheduled to be held on Tuesday 26 June 2018 at 4.30 at County Hall, Preston.

At this point the LEP Board approved that the meeting move into Part II, Private and Confidential, to consider the remaining report as it 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 the report. 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.

Kathryn Molloy, Head of LEP Co-ordination, Lancashire County Council, presented a report in Part II (Private and Confidential), in relation to loan funding via the LEP's Growing Places Fund for a development in Preston.

Resolved: That the LEP Board authorise the County Council, under the guidance of the Directors of Corporate Services and Economic Development and Planning to finalise and enter into all necessary legal documentation relating to the development in Preston as set out in the report.