Agenda item

A copy of a report to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 16 March is attached for the consideration of the Commission.

The Cabinet Lead Members for Economic Development and Highways and Transport, Mr. B. L. Pain CC and Mr. P. C. Osborne CC, have been invited to the meeting for this item.

The Commission considered a Cabinet report and presentation of the Chief Executive concerning the Council’s Enabling Growth Plan. The report was due to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 16 March. A copy of the report, marked “Agenda Item 8”, and the slides forming the presentation is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Mr. B. L. Pain CC, Cabinet Lead Member for Economic Development and Mr. P. C. Osborne CC, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways and Transport who were present to introduce the report and respond to any questions from members of the Commission. It was noted that Mr. Osborne had been invited to take part in the discussion given the high number of projects in the Plan which were linked to transport. Accordingly, it was noted that the Plan was aligned to the activities of the Environment and Transport Department that were included in the Local Transport Plan 3. Funding would in future be allocated through the Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Partnership (LLEP) for these projects rather than directly by Central Government.

Arising from the presentation and discussion, the following points were noted:

·                Commission members generally welcomed the Plan for clearly setting out how the Council would invest in economic projects and support the work of the LLEP;

·                The £38 million of funding as part of the Plan did not include other investment by the Council which had a positive impact on economic growth. The funding would not only be used for capital projects but also enable further funding to be leveraged from the private sector;

·                There were some positive messages coming from the Plan, such as an increase in employment of 4.4% and a number of successful jobs fairs held across the County. The LLEP’s long term vision to create 45,000 jobs was praised for its ambition;

·                There were reservations expressed in regard to the City and adjoining settlements being labelled as the “Leicester Urban Area”. It was suggested that the title could be revised as part of a refresh of the Strategic Economic Plan;

·                Concern was expressed in regard to the lack of profile being given to environmental features and the reduction of carbon emissions. It was felt that whilst this was not currently viewed as a national priority due in some part to the financial crisis, it would again become a primary focus within the lifetime of the Plan. It was noted that the proposed use of anticipated European and Structural Investment funds would include a focus on low carbon investment;

·                In response to concern expressed that communities located deep in rural areas could continue to suffer poor broadband connections even after the Council’s superfast broadband rollout, it was noted that work was afoot to develop community based solutions to these issues;

·                It would remain a challenge for the Authority to ensure that improvements were built into agreements with housing developers. The Authority had little power to insist on improvements;

·                The Rail Strategy included £60,000 from partners including the City Council and the LLEP. It would look at a number of options for improvements to the rail network in Leicestershire and Leicester, including services between Leicester and Coventry, Mountsorrel sidings and the Wigston flyover to address issues of freight trains crossing the Midland Main Line. Passenger services on the Ivanhoe Line (Burton to Leicester) would be a consideration as part a number of options within the Strategy.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Enabling Growth Plan be commended for consideration at the Cabinet’s meeting on 16 March alongside the comments of the Commission;

(b)       That an update be provided to the Commission on delivery of the Enabling Growth Plan in 18 months’ time.