 SOUTH WEST OF ENGLAND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
MINUTES OF THE 37th BOARD MEETING 18 November 2002
Sterling House, Exeter
Present:
Sir Michael Lickiss Chairman
Nick Buckland Board Member
Peter Chalke Board Member
Nigel Costley Board Member
Helen Holland Board Member
Brian Kemp Board Member
Mike Leece Board Member
Robin Nicoll Board Member
Jeremy Pope Deputy Chairman
Jonathon Porritt Board Member
Juliet Williams Chairman Designate
Geoff Wilkinson Chief Executive
Suzanne Bond Director of Strategy and Communications
Nick Lewis Director of Corporate Services
Colin Molton Director of Development
Anne Bulleid Executive Office
Melanie Farrant Executive Office Apologies:
Doris Ansari - Board Member
Alf Morris - Board Member
Colin Skellett - Board Member 1. MINUTES FROM 35TH AND 36TH MEETINGS
The minutes of the 35th and 36th meetings were agreed as a correct record. 2. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Board members noted the Chairman's activities since the last board business meeting. 3. CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S REPORT
The report for Quarter 2 had been circulated. Geoffrey Wilkinson highlighted a number of issues including: - final RDA expenditure on Falmouth Maritime Museum;
- Regional Assembly (RA) membership on RDA board advisory groups - board members agreed it would be acceptable for the RA to nominate a representative to each advisory group who was mandated to speak on behalf of the RA;
- The cross-RDA performance statistics for Quarter 1 being published by the DTI - which board members felt was an ill-advised decision as this was the first quarter of an entirely new system and there were still errors and omissions in the process that were being corrected; and
- Measurement of Tier 3 targets was becoming more accurate but work was still being done on definitions.
4. SEPTEMBER 2002 ACCOUNTS
Nick Lewis explained the difficulty of forecasting expenditure because of slippage, but it was estimated that there remained £20m of uncommitted funds for the current financial year.
Geoffrey Wilkinson confirmed that RDA staff numbers remained within the limit agreed by the Board, ie 228 plus 1 additional post to support the DEFRA role. 5. REGIONAL ECONOMIC STRATEGY
The Chairman welcomed Chester Long to the meeting, who was representing the Chair of the Regional Assembly for this item.
Suzanne Bond introduced the final draft of the RES which took account of board members' comments at previous meetings. The board members' sub-group had worked intensively to produce the final draft and would be meeting again on 29 November to finalise the document before printing.
Generally the Board praised the final version. A small number of suggestions were made to change wording and emphasis which the sub-group would take account of. There was some concern that the RDA would be seen as the leading agency for matters which it had neither funding nor responsibility. Publishing a single page summary of the document describing the purpose and content of the RES was suggested to make it more easily communicable. Suzanne Bond informed the Board that research looking at constraints to productivity in the South West was currently being carried out.
Chester Long confirmed that the Regional Assembly would be signing up to the revised RES and had welcomed their involvement in the formative development process, which had been invaluable. The RA was taking the approach that sustainability cross-cut across everything and attention needed to be constantly drawn to this; and Chester Long hoped the RDA shared this. The RA had undergone a similar consultation and development process when it prepared Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) and he was pleased to see greater cohesion emerging between RPG and the RES. The RA was looking again at areas of special need in the region defined in RPG and Chester Long invited the RDA to participate in this work so that a mutual set of indicators could be identified. The RDA hoped that full credit for economic development in the region would be attributed to all sectors, including social and enterprise.
Chester Long paid tribute to Sir Michael Lickiss's work and contribution to the region over the past four and a half years. The early relationship between the RA and the RDA had evolved into an effective partnership which had received ministerial praise. Many improvements achieved in the South West over the past few years had been directly as a result of the work of the RA and the RDA, and effective partnership working had proved the best way to achieve success for the region.
Sir Michael thanked Chester Long for his kind words and was pleased that the RA would be signing up to the RES.
Board Decision
The Board agreed to adopt the draft RES subject to minor amendments being made by its sub-group on 29 November. 6. CORPORATE PLAN 2003-06
The Board was asked to approve the draft work programme section of the Corporate Plan 2003-06, and to agree an interim Corporate Plan for submission to government on 1 December prior to a final version being prepared by the board sub-group for approval by the Board on 16 December.
The work programme had been prepared taking account of government funding, economic focus and six priority sectors identified by the Board and the Executive. It illustrated the RDA's strategic direction for the coming years, whilst the appraisal process assessed the impact of projects, including impact on the region's GDP. The ten headings in the work programme related closely to the RDA's work and appreciation was expressed that these did now correlate with the RES. Nick Lewis confirmed that the Agency was required to commit at least 50% of its funding to capital projects.
The Board welcomed the illustrative split of spending across rural and urban work and asked to see a similar split for business development sector activity. However this process would not identify cross-cutting issues such as skills and learning shortages outside these sectors. Board members also asked for a report on the RDA's strategic approach to SRPs and LSPs.
Board Decision
The Board agreed: - To approve the draft work programme as the basis for the Corporate Plan 2003-06 and endorse its presentation as an interim draft to DTI on 1 December; and
- That the board sub-group continue to work with the Executive to develop the final draft Corporate Plan for consideration and approval on 16 December.
7. RISK MANAGEMENT
This item was deferred to a future meeting. 8. FINANCE WESSEX
The Board was asked to consider whether the RDA should become a member / guarantor of Finance Wessex Ltd, a company formed to bid for Objective 2 funding to provide loans and venture capital finance to SMEs in the EU Objective 2 area. Finance Wessex Ltd was based on the structure of Finance Cornwall Ltd.
Board Decision
The Board agreed the proposal for the RDA to become a member / guarantor of Finance Wessex Ltd, with up to two non-executive directors on the Finance Wessex board, subject to adoption of similar legal documentation agreed with Finance Cornwall Ltd, a satisfactory legal opinion on the implications of entering into such an agreement, and, if negotiations were concluded satisfactorily, approval from the Secretary of State. 9. THE MORLANDS SITE, GLASTONBURY - A NEW SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE MARKET TOWN
10. BRISTOL ARENA - ACQUISITION AND REMEDIATION OF LAND BY THE AGENCY AND PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDOOR ARENA
Helen Holland declared an interest in this item and did not take part in the following discussion or decision.
Commercial in Confidence 11. MILLBAY DOCKS, PLYMOUTH
Peter Chalke declared an interest in this item and did not take part in the following discussion or decision.
Commercial in Confidence 12. NEWLYN FISH INDUSTRY FORUM
The Chairman welcomed Michael Galsworthy, Elizabeth Stevenson, Andrew Munson, Jim McKenna and John Forsyth to the meeting. Stephen Bohane also joined the Board for this item.
Michael Galsworthy gave a presentation describing the background to the Newlyn Fish Industry Forum (NFIF) and the strategy for regenerating Newlyn, one of the most deprived English districts and in acute need of support and regeneration. The port of Newlyn was pivotal in the fishing industry, and the top port by value of catch landed in England and Wales. The regeneration strategy proposed broadening the economic base of Newlyn to ensure social inclusion and creating a 'Seafood Cornwall' quality mark. It also included modernising the harbour and market facilities and providing affordable housing for the local population. The NFIF had been in existence for 18 months and was keen to translate its planning into delivery.
Although the majority of fish caught went out of the country through Plymouth, Jeremy Pope suggested that NFIF should link into the food and drink supply network to help add value to the local economy.
The presentation was welcomed by the Board who expressed interest in the regeneration strategy and felt it put forward a strong argument to create a sustainable fishing industry in Newlyn which would, in itself, secure successful tourism. However, there was scepticism that sufficient value could be added to the fishing industry to improve wage levels and it was agreed that addressing poor earnings across all jobs in the far west of Cornwall was an enormous challenge.
The Chairman thanked Michael Galsworthy and his colleagues for their presentation which offered an exciting opportunity to regenerate a seriously deprived part of the region. 13. POLICY BRIEFINGS SYSTEM UPDATE
This item was deferred to a future meeting. 14. SOUTH WEST BRAND
The Board received a presentation from Nigel Markwick of Wolff Olins, the consultants responsible for developing the South West brand.
Board members generally liked the images that had been created and were pleased that a brand for the South West had been produced in conjunction with a number of partners across the region. It was explained how the images and supporting copy could be used by a number of organisations to create a strong regional identity.
Board Decision
The Board approved the three year marketing campaign approach and associated resources requirements totalling £3.198 million, and that the RDA should move into the second phase of the marketing campaign. 15. AIRPORT CONSULTATION STUDY RESPONSE
Claire Gibson joined the Board for this item.
The proposed South West RDA response to the Department for Transport's consultation on air transport, together with the cross-RDA response, had been circulated to the Board. Claire Gibson confirmed that the Regional Assembly's response was largely similar to that of the RDA but there were differences over the long term use of Bournemouth airport. The long term future of this airport was likely to improve because it held the European maintenance contract for Singapore Airways.
The Board noted that Sutton Harbour Holdings was proposing a new airport outside Plymouth to replace both existing airports at Plymouth and Exeter, and felt that the RDA should give this proposal a considered response. Colin Molton confirmed that the RDA would condition its investment in the current Plymouth airport against clawback should the airport be sold.
The importance of taking a pan-European view of air transport was agreed both in the response and in planning air services. Development of a single regional airport in the long term would require enhanced rail and public transport connections to give viable alternatives to road-based access, and fast rail access to London airports as the national gateway.
Board Decision
The Board noted the paper circulated and supported the RDA's formal response to the DfT's consultation on the future of air transport in the UK, subject to the following: - emphasising the necessity of proper infrastructure to access airports, preferably not via roads;
- emphasising the importance of linkages to European hubs;
- including reference to Filton airport and its role in the SW economy; and
- recognising the relationship between Southampton and Bournemouth airports.
The Board agreed to support further work, in conjunction with DfT, to develop a greater understanding of the economic implications of developing one main regional airport; and to understand the viability of the medium term strategy of developing Bristol and Exeter airports as the region's two principal airports. 16. SOUTH WEST ICT STRATEGY
Following debate at the July board meeting, the South West ICT strategy had been finalised under the direction of Nick Buckland to take account of board members' comments.
Board Decision
The Board noted and agreed to promote the South West ICT Strategy. 17. INCUBATION AND SCIENCE PARK STRATEGY
The Incubation and Science Park Strategy had been developed to help knowledge- and technology-based businesses to progress from early stage incubation to purpose built science park environments, and provided the context for developing the RDA's New Millennium Workspace initiative.
Board Decision
The Board approved the Incubation and Science Park Strategy. 18. ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION POLICY INITIATIVES - SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURING
The paper circulated provided the Board with details of RDA activities being undertaken to support manufacturing in the region. Details of all English manufacturing initiatives would be collated at a DTI event on 3 December which Juliet Williams and Nigel Costley would be attending. 19. STANDING ITEMS
a. Projects Approved
The Chairman reminded board members that all decisions taken via the appraisal process were in accord with the RDA's strategic objectives, and that case papers for any of the projects were available if board members wished for greater detail. In addition the Executive Team would be able to clarify any individual issues outside board meetings.
b. Executive Reports
Update reports from directorates were noted. A paper addressing recommendations made by the select committee on the Skills Shortages in Advanced Engineering would be put to the January board meeting.
c. Policy Consultation Responses
Consultation responses made since the last board meeting to national, regional and local matters were noted.
d. Summary of Board Advisory Groups minutes
Noted.
f. Documents Sealed
Noted.
g. Audit Committee Minutes
Noted. | 
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