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MINUTES OF
THE FORTY FIRST MEETING OFSOUTH EAST ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
HELD ON THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER 2002 AT MARRIOT
HOTEL, PORTSMOUTH
Present
Allan Willett CMG (Chairman), Professor Clive Booth (Deputy Chairman),
Cllr. Ken Bodfish OBE (Deputy Chairman), Cllr. Kit Oliver OBE
DL, Caroline Williams, Janis Kong OBE, James Brathwaite CBE, Robert
Douglas, Elizabeth Brighouse, Dr Peter Read CBE, Sarah Ward OBE
DL, Cllr. Ken Thornber CBE,
Apologies for absence
Barry Camfield, Kevin Wilson, Mary McAnally
In Attendance
Anthony Dunnett (Chief Executive), Jeff Alexander (Agency Secretary
and Director, Strategy and Corporate Services), Phil Bailey (SEEDA,
Head of Secretariat), Marianne Neville-Rolfe (Director, Business
and International Division), Paul Hudson (Director, Infrastructure
and Regeneration)
Summary of Meeting
- The Board:-
- Approved the minutes of the previous meeting.
- Noted the Declaration of interests by Members;
- Reviewed the Annual Open Meeting;
- Noted the report by the Chairman;
- Held discussions on Housing, Social Inclusion and 'Corporate
Social Responsibility';
- Approved, subject to certain conditions, SEEDA investment
in Rochester Riverside and noted the proposed investment in
Shoreham Enterprise Gateway;
- Considered and generally welcomed the South Coast Multi-Modal
Study;
- Reviewed recent Inward Investment activity and the SEEDA
Global Network Initiative;
- Reviewed the latest draft of the Regional Economic Strategy
and agreed that the final draft RES be signed off for endorsement
by the Regional Assembly Executive Committee at its meeting
on 25 October;
- Considered the principles and priorities for the Corporate
Plan 2003-06;
- Discussed Regional Governance;
- Noted and agreed SEEDA's Rural Development Accountability
Plan;
- Reviewed and noted the Finance Report and various SEEDA
programme investments.
Declaration of Interests
- Caroline Williams declared an interest in item 6(2) -
Projects Report (No. 9) - because of her position as a
Director of Finance South East Executive. There was no discussion
on this item.
- Jim Brathwaite declared an interest in item 6(4) -
Shoreham Enterprise Gateway - because he was a Director
of Sussex Enterprise. It was agreed that this declaration did
not debar Jim Brathwaite from participating in discussion on
this item.
- Jim Brathwaite asked the Board to note that he had been made
aware that Epic Multimedia Ltd. had recently been awarded two
contracts which involved SEEDA funding. The SEEDA contracts
were with E:Skills UK (Computer Club for Girls project) and
Wired Sussex (Hub 100 project). These organisations had awarded
the contract for the development of the software to Epic. Jim
Brathwaite said that he wished to declare that he continued
to hold a shareholding in Epic Multimedia Ltd. although he no
longer had any other involvement in the company. In addition
he had no involvement in these contracts which had been awarded
under a fully competitive tender process. Jim Brathwaite added
that this interest had been declared in SEEDA's 'Register
of Member's Interests'.
Annual Open Meeting
- Members considered that the Annual Open Meeting, which had
been held earlier in the day, had gone well. They discussed
how the Open Meeting might be even further improved for future
years. It was agreed that:-
- Executive Directors should be more fully involved;
- The Question and Answer session had been lively and Members
felt that it was appropriate to overrun the session if members
of the audience were content;
- Use of video clips, but without extending the length of
the presentations (which were felt to be of the right length).
Chairman's Report
- The Chairman reported that he felt that the handover period
with the Chairman- Designate was going well. He had spent some
time with Jim Brathwaite and it had been agreed that the latter
would be accompanying the Chairman on a number of key visits
and meetings.
- The Chairman-Designate added that he had been inundated with
requests to undertake visits and meetings. He had undertaken
some visits already and had been pleasantly surprised by the
genuine feeling of goodwill towards SEEDA throughout the region
Housing
- The Board held a brief discussion on the implications of the
Deputy Prime Minister's recent announcement that the housing
funds would remain with the Housing Corporation. Members noted
that there would be an increasing role for RDAs because:-
- A new 'gap funding' scheme, recently approved
by the European Commission, for housing schemes would soon
be coming into existence providing opportunities for influence
by RDAs. However although there was the greatest need in
the South East, there was also the least funding available;
- A Regional Housing Board was to be established, with
membership including SEEDA; and
- SEEDA had an influencing and catalytic role through their
Urban Renaissance and Design agendas.
Corporate Social Responsibility
- Members were attracted to the following definition of Corporate
Social Responsibility as a starting point for further work on
this issue by the Agency:-
"A 21st century company creates long term shareholder
value by a commitment to economic, social and environmental
investment in the wider community".
Social Inclusion
- The Chief Executive updated Members on SEEDA's Social
Inclusion activity. Charlotte Dixon would begin her six month
secondment from GO-SE on 4 November. Her remit is to review
issues such as social enterprise, social inclusion and Corporate
Social Responsibility with a view to identifying the key players
in the region, what they do and how best to establish a best
practice network.
- Members welcomed this work.
Rochester Riverside
- Members were reminded that plans to secure the regeneration
of about 30ha of land known as Rochester Riverside were started
by the former Rochester upon Medway City Council in 1994. The
land consists of a range of uses, vacant sites, an aggregates
depot, redundant and railway sidings, in about 30 separate ownerships.
The Council embarked on a programme of voluntary land acquisition,
and resolved to complete the land assembly through a comprehensive
CPO, which was granted by the Secretary of State in 1998. However
Medway Council, following local government reorganisation, was
unable to finance the rest of the land assembly itself, relying
on a private sector development partner to do so, and when two
attempts to secure a development partner had failed, the Council
was faced at the end of 2001 with the need to serve the legal
notices on the landowners or see the expiry of the CPO.
- SEEDA therefore agreed, in principle, at its Board meeting
in November 2001 to provide funding towards the project, with
Government funding, to enable the estimated cost of purchasing
the outstanding sites covered by the CPO to be underwritten.
This was agreed by the former Minister, Lord Falconer, in November
2001, sufficient to provide SEEDA and Medway Council with the
necessary assurances to enable the Council to serve a GVD for
the whole site.
- The Board agreed that, subject to satisfactory terms being
agreed with Medway Council about the joint partnership structure
and Departmental approval, SEEDA should contribute towards the
funding of this project.
Shoreham Enterprise Gateway
- Members noted this project which was to develop an Enterprise
Gateway in Shoreham within the comprehensive redevelopment of
the Ropetackle site which SEEDA is undertaking. The creation
of a Gateway within the Ropetackle site offers an opportunity
to embed the Gateway within wider community facilities of the
site and promote social enterprise. Sussex Enterprise had agreed
to the Gateway and would deliver business support services from
the site.
South Coast Multi-Modal Study
- Members were reminded that the South Coast Multi-Modal Study
(SoCoMMS) is the latest in the programme the Government's
of major multi modal transport studies to be published in the
south east region. SoCoMMS covers the part of the south east
region between Southampton and Thanet. It embraces a wide range
of different circumstances, including the growth point at Ashford,
the major cities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Brighton &
Hove, and the coastal towns in Sussex and south east Kent.
- One of the basic characteristics of this study area, as identified
by the Study, was that it is not a linear corridor, but much
more a set of local situations requiring individual solutions,
rather than a few major projects stretching the full length
of the study corridor. A motorway extending along the coast
was one option reviewed but, according to the Study report,
it was not justifiable given the nature of the traffic demand.
For that reason, in addition to setting out a number of principles
that apply across the south coast, such as encouraging greater
use of bus, walking and cycling for local journeys to reduce
congestion, general improvements to public transport and overall
demand management, the study is developed through number of
area specific programmes covering:-
- South Hampshire
- Chichester
- Arundel
- Worthing
- Brighton & Hove
- East of Lewes
- Bexhill - Hastings
- The indicative costs of implementing the strategy would be
£1.1bn.
- The Infrastructure Committee had reviewed the Study and welcomed
the overall balanced approach and wanted to see early delivery
of the schemes. The Committee had also concluded that the Study
fitted well with the reviewed Regional Economic Strategy because
it proposed a sustainable approach which addressed issues in
the RES such as economic development and regeneration of the
South Coast towns.
- Members generally welcomed the Study, noting that it had been
properly reviewed by the Infrastructure Committee. It was agreed
that SEEDA should welcome and support the recommendations of
SoCoMMS and commend them both to the Regional Assembly and to
Government. Cllr. Bodfish could not support the proposed urban
congestion charging in the SoCoMMS.
Overview of Inward Investment Activity
- Members reviewed the latest report on Inward Investment activity,
recognising the steady level of enquiries and successes in the
continuing tough global condition, particularly the US economy.
Members also acknowledged that the statistics did not reflect
the full range of inward investment activity as mergers and
acquisitions were not counted and the work of the investor development
programme.
Global Regions Programme
- The Chief Executive reminded Members that the Global Regions
programme aimed at identifying a small and focused number of
leading knowledge-based regions around the world with similar
economic/business profiles to the South East of England and
form mutually beneficial business promotion alliances. These
alliances will be aimed at raising the profile of South East
of England as a business location in the partner regions to
increase two-way investment, trading opportunities, technology
transfer and academic links. The Chief Executive highlighted
the key principles, particularly:-
- The focus would be on representation, not offices.
- The programme would bring together and rationalise the
present overseas offices and sub-regional partners under
a single regional banner.
- It was stressed that the programme required long term
commitment, close working with overseas Posts and co-operation
with London First.
- Members welcomed the update and felt that they would be able
to make a contribution to the programme when overseas in the
course of their other duties, perhaps as part of a regional
ambassadors programme.
- The Board noted progress to date and confirmed its support
for the unfolding strategy.
Review of Regional Economic Strategy (RES)
- The Board had already considered the draft RES at its meeting
in September and agreed a number of changes to this document.
A revised document was submitted for consideration at the special
meeting of the full Assembly on 4 October. The overall response
of the Assembly to the draft RES was very positive, and focused
on identifying detailed improvements to be considered in finalising
the document.
- Members agreed that the final draft RES be signed off for
endorsement by the Regional Assembly Executive Committee at
its meeting on 25 October, and following this for submission
to Government.
Corporate Plan 2003-06
- Initial work has been undertaken by the SEEDA executive to
identify the baseline position for the Corporate Plan.
- Members noted the position and agreed to consider the development
of the Plan further at their November meeting.
Regional Governance
- Members held a general discussion on regional governance.
It was accepted that the Government were currently committed
to the principle of directly elected assemblies and that RDAs
were right to focus their response on the economic implications
of regionalisation.
- Members were content with the current SEEDA position which
was that SEEDA should concentrate on its role as an economic
development agency and to continue to develop its strong relationship
with the current Regional Assembly.
Rural Development Accountability Plan
- Members discussed the updated Accountability Plan for Rural
Development. Sarah Ward noted her disappointment that the proposal
to establish a database with partners of rural projects being
carried out throughout the region had not yet been successful.
She believed that it would still be useful to have this information
because it would, amongst other things, reduce the likelihood
of duplicate funding. She would continue to press for this project
to be taken forward. It was noted that all SEEDA rural projects
are being profiled for inclusion in the web site. It was confirmed
that a rural dimension was in the process of being established
to the activities of the Learning and Skills Councils.
- Members approved the Rural Development Accountability Plan
and that it should be placed on the SEEDA web site.
Date of Next Meeting
- The next meeting of the SEEDA Board will be held on Thursday
21 November at SEEDA Headquarters.
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