Presentation by David Ralph, Chief Executive of D2N2
Minutes:
David Ralph, Chief Executive of D2N2, delivered the presentation on the role and objectives of D2N2, highlighting the following:
(a) the Committee is faced with two tasks - firstly, producing a business case for a number of projects for 2015/16. If schemes are not ready for submission by 31 March they will not be considered. Secondly, in the next 10 years the public sector will spend £2.1 billion on economic development in D2N2 and there will need to be a drive to devolve funding to the local level;
(b) the objectives of the LEP include creating an extra 55,000 jobs in the D2N2 area by 2023, a step change in skills across the area and a growth in the business base;
(c) D2N2’s vision is for a more prosperous, better connected, increasingly resilient and competitive economy. To achieve this vision, D2N2 will invest in the following four strategic priorities: infrastructure for economic growth, business support and access to finance, innovation and employment and skills;
(d) D2N2’s priority sectors include, transport, equipment and manufacturing, medicine / bio-science, construction, food and drink manufacturing, visitor economy and low carbon goods and services;
(e) LEP funding includes the Local Growth Fund, mostly via the Department for Transport, EU Structural and Investment Funds – with £104.4m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £97.7m from the European Social Fund (ESF), all available from Autumn 2014. Additional funding will be provided via improved performance with Enterprise Zones (EZ);
(f) there is a focus on the following four areas within the D2N2 Growth Deal: skills deal, leveraging key Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs) and key sectors, accelerating delivery of stalled development and High Speed 2 Rail (HS2) at Toton. There are a further two issues connected to the implementation of HS2. Firstly, how to get there, both in terms of light and heavy rail and secondly, ensuring that development opportunities are maximised around a major rail hub. Work will continue with Roxhill Developments and East Midlands Airport (EMA) with a view to maximising development opportunities;
(g) there is an increasing expectation to address the challenge of providing adequate and affordable housing. This will form part of the focus for D2N2. Other priorities include business support for D2N2 Growth Hubs, access to finance programmes, a rural programme, social inclusion schemes (with Big Lottery) and improvements to broadband connectivity. Projects will go live in January 2015 and will oversee a move from plan making to scheme implementation.
Following questions and comments from members, the following information was provided:
(h) the projects that will form part of the submission to the LEP will be well known to authorities and progressed to a good degree. The 15 or 16 schemes put forward will be strong and deliverable;
(i) if there is a scheme not already included in the list which is considered appropriate for inclusion then Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Chief Executive, Andrew Muter, will coordinate this;
(j) improvements to transport infrastructure is needed to facilitate housing regeneration on a large scale. Given the timescales involved in submitting schemes for 2015/16, projects on logistics such as energy and sewage would probably not join the list of approved schemes for 2015/16.
RESOLVED to thank David Ralph from D2N2 for his informative presentation and note the contents.