New Forest Borough Council Corporate Affairs and Local Economy Overview and Scrutiny Panel Meeting

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2021 be confirmed and signed.

There were no declarations of interest made by any member on any agenda item.

There was no public participation.

The Panel received updates from Portfolio Holders on the following topics:

Cllr E Heron (Leader)

County Deal. The Levelling Up white paper was still awaited, though the Leader had indicated to the County Council that NFDC would still like to progress joint working on economic development and regeneration, in advance of the white paper.  HCC had worked successfully with other local authorities, including East Hants and Test Valley and the intention was to work with HCC in the same way.  There were areas of the District where the Council needed to take more of a lead in promoting both the economic and social aspects for residents, with one of the priority areas being Totton. 

The Leader was asked whether there was a dedicated team for Levelling Up. It was explained that the Council had an Economic Development team, but many areas of the Council’s Corporate Plan included elements of the Levelling Up agenda.  It was hoped the white paper would give a steer on how the Council could work with Government departments, and how it could work with schools and Further Education particularly on the LEP and the Freeport and also the DWP. It was hoped there would be greater emphasis on Government departments and other agencies in more of a seamless way. There was need to emphasise to Government that whilst parts of the District may be affluent, it still had pockets of severe deprivation. The South East was a large net contributor to Government finance and investment was needed in the area.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The Leader referred to the sustainability KPIs, and explained that a related report would be submitted to a future Cabinet meeting.

Also, on Vacancies Filled First Time, he emphasised that despite the good results the employment market was still very challenging and recruitment and retention were being monitored closely.

Cllr Harris (Business, Tourism and High Streets)

High Streets Event October 2021. The online High Streets conference event held in October had been very successful.  On this note, the improvements to the High Streets, economic and the public realm, related to several portfolios and there were many initiatives underway. 

Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) It was reported that NFDC officers were in discussion with officers in a neighbouring authority (BCP) concerning the BIDS scheme.  BIDs were business led partnerships created through a ballot process to deliver additional services to local businesses.  They could be a powerful tool for directly involving local businesses in local activities and allow the business community and local authorities to work together to improve the local trading environment.  Conversations were ongoing to see if it could be replicated in the New Forest.

Weekly Emails to New Forest Businesses

The Portfolio Holder was very impressed with the quality of the Council’s emails to businesses (from Economic Development) and felt they were very informative and helpful.  He also commented that the Council had 4000 subscribers of the 8,500 businesses in the District, and invited members’ suggestions for ways in which the council could reach the remaining 4,500. 

Website Sponsorship

The Council’s website had recently been upgraded, and the Portfolio holder felt there was an opportunity to generate revenue by using adverts on the website.  He sought the Panel’s views, and support for the initiative.  It was noted that this matter was being considered further and an update would be given at the next meeting.

Tourism

The Portfolio Holder continued to liaise regularly with Go New Forest (GNF), and had discussed a tourism initiative and supported their project ‘Improving the Green Economy’, relating to tourism in the area. Some members felt the GNF benefits should be promoted more widely.

Gaming

Microsoft had recently purchased a gaming company called Activision Blizzard for £50bn. The gaming sector employed a large number of people and it was felt that the Council should encourage it in any way it could.

Broadband Connectivity

Whilst this was a local priority for the community, this was a County Council project, however local groups could collaborate and access grants to improve provision in the area.   

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

It was explained that a joint bid with IOW was submitted in September 2019 and the matter was still in discussion. The bid related to the rural economy and would be a business support resource. The pandemic meant the project had been delayed by 2 years. Discussions were now underway with IOW and the ERDF project manager. Officers were mindful of the deadline for accessing the funds.      

Mid and South Hampshire Youth Employment Hub

The launch of the Hub had been delayed and took place in November 2021.  There were two centres, at Brockenhurst and Totton colleges.

Cllr J Heron – (Finance, Investment and Corporate Services)

The Portfolio Holder reported that the provisional budget settlement had been better than predicted, but it being only a 1 year settlement, made it difficult to make assumptions for the longer term.

Work was ongoing on developing the commercial property strategy, and the council was receiving a better return than was previously envisaged. The Crow Lane site was under construction and he was looking forward to the end of the project and welcoming new tenants.

On ICT, a number of projects were under way, including an expedited move to Sharepoint.

In answer to a question, it was confirmed that the provisional allowance for wage increases in 2022/23 was 2%, but this was subject to national negotiation.

The Panel received a presentation on the Freeports Bid. A copy of the slides are attached to these minutes as Appendix 1.

Members queried how local people would be trained for newly created jobs. In answer, it was explained that upskilling and training packages would be designed to match employers’ requirements. The business rates would go towards skills academies.

Members noted that the anticipated Freeport governance arrangements meant that the Council would not have sole control over use of business rates and that some funds may be spent in areas outside the District, but within the Freeport geographic area, given supply chains and employment areas.

It was reiterated that, for the Council, one of the main financial benefits of the Freeport was 100% Business Rate Retention, whereas without a Freeport, the Council would only benefit from 10% of the business rates.

The Panel received and noted information on the New Forest economy from headline business demography data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The view was expressed that whilst the figures in the report showed that the New Forest had done rather better than Hants and the UK, the source data did not allow for analysis of specific sectors such as accommodation and hospitality sectors.

Additionally, it was noted that the latest business demography data related to 2020 so did not show the full impact of covid. It was also observed thatsome charts could be presenteddifferently togive a clearer picture of trends. Officers would take these comments on board and adjust the report for the next time it was submitted

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Panel considered the proposed Asset Maintenance and Replacement Programme and General Fund Capital Programme for 2022/23.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Panel considered the proposed Capital Strategy for 2022/23.

RESOLVED:

That it be a recommendation to the Cabinet that the Capital Strategy for 2022/23 be approved, including the adoption of the MRP statement.

The Panel received an update on the delivery of the ICT Strategy.

A copy of the slides was attached to the agenda pack.

It was explained that current ICT staffing at the Council was a reflection of modern reliance on ICT and the complexity of systems and projects, including security requirements. In broad terms, it was currently felt that having in - house staff for certain functions enabled greater service flexibility and agility, which was not always possible to the same degree when using contractors.

The Panel received and noted its work programme.