Agenda item

The Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment submits a report updating the Commission on the Economic Recovery Plan.

Members of the Commission are recommended to pass any comments to the Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment.

The Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills Policy Delivery and Communications introduced the item on the Economic Recovery Plan. It was noted that the report served two purposes, to update the Commission on the economic recovery plan and also to reflect and respond on how this work responded to the Scrutiny Review carried out by the Commission. Members that were involved in producing the report were thanked. 

It was further noted that the proposed economic activity should reward the people of Leicester with good well paid employment.

The Head of Economic Regeneration provided an update on the Scrutiny review and delivered an update on progress. It was noted that the recommendations from the scrutiny review had helped plan the strategic direction of the plan. The primary recommendations included a greater use of statistical data when developing services and policies. Availability of up to date data during the pandemic had  been challenging, but the team had been developing an Economic Development Dashboard to keep the data and information available.

It was suggested that as a result of the pandemic there had been a significant increase in youth unemployment and the Scrutiny Review had recommended a direct response to this. The Scrutiny Review also recommended interventions at a more local level and this was being addressed.

The Review also recommended embedding inclusive growth into the economic strategy planning and this was something that had been addressed in the recovery plans.

As part of the discussions it was noted that:

·         The Kickstart Scheme would be available from a broad range of industries and organisations across the city

·         Members suggested that the interventions outlined in the report had the potential to have a positive impact on economic recovery though time would tell on how effective the plans would be

·         Engagement with the VCS sector was important as the sector had previously played a vital role. Officers suggested that this was particularly dependent on funding and overall, there had been positive engagement with the VCS Sector including well attended workshops

·         It was noted that the on-site construction hub would be advertised through the Employment Hub. There would be more information on this once it went live

·         The department were working on reaching further into communities to raise the profiles of the initiatives available

·         The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward investment noted that business support programmes were targeted at SME organisations and this  allowed for VCS sectors to participate.

·         It was noted that working in partnership with community-based organisations provided partner organisations to bring their expertise on sectors to develop future plans and strategies

The former Chair of the Economic Development Commission thanked the Chair and Officers for the invitation to the Commission meeting. It was noted that the purpose of the Review was to examine how the disadvantaged and economically excluded neighbourhoods in the city could be levelled up and noted the report accurately summarised the recommendations from the review.

The Member asked how work would be targeted towards neighbourhoods that the data demonstrated had the greatest needs and how will the data be used to develop policy and programmes targeted at the most deprived communities.

Officers noted that the targeted work was sometimes hindered by resources but outlined some of the current schemes based in neighbourhoods. This included the Construction Hub and its geographic location north of Beaumont Leys would be attractive to people from the surrounding area and as part of the work travel restrictions have also been considered to make it more accessible. The Fashion Technology Centre based in North Evington would also benefit a local area which accommodates a significant textiles workforce. The Youth Employment Hub would be based in the city centre but with a broader network reaching in to communities e.g. with DWP workers based at local libraries.

It was further noted that projects were located at various locations across the city and data collected from participation at these projects would provide for more targeted communications. The project around the Economic Dashboard had allowed for data to also be accessed from the DWP from their live monthly updates and these were the types of resources available to develop policy going forward.

Members of the Commission suggested that the training made available should be focussed on sectors where there was a current need and that were well paid to benefit the people of Leicester. It was noted that the initiatives were in various different sectors and would help close the gaps such as pay inequality. 

Following the Chair’s questions, it was noted that the Youth Employment Hub would be located in the city centre as it had a large footfall of young people and one of the main criteria to attract the youth was visibility. Further information would be made available once a new location had been confirmed.

It was also noted that there were no findings as of yet from the REACH programme and this would be communicated to the Commission in the future.

Officers also noted that although, virtual delivery of services continued, some face to face delivery was returning. Some of the virtual events would continue as they had proved to be successful and these services would be retained to reach broader audiences.

AGREED:

1)    That Members of the Commission note the recommendations from the review; and

2)    That Officers be requested to update the commission in the future on the improvement of the Neighbourhood Retail Scheme across the city.