Minutes of the Board meeting held on Friday 11th November 2004,
at NWDA Warrington.
Present:
Bryan Gray (Chairman)
Martin Harris
Pauleen Lane
Dennis Mendoros
Anil Ruia
Brenda Smith
Mike Storey
Maureen Williams
Joe Dwek CBE
John Dunning
Neville Chamberlain
Dave McCall
Marie Rimmer
Also Present:
Steven Broomhead
Bernice Law (Secretary)
John Roberts (62/00)
Loyd Grossman (62/00, 62/06)
Libby Raper (62/00)
Ian Haythornthwaite (62/04)
Vivienne Upcott-Gill (62/05)
Nigel Craig (62/06)
Helen France (62/07, 62/08)
Philip southward (62/09)
David Flemming (62/06)
David McDonnell (62/06)
62/00 PRESENTATION: JOHN ROBERTS, CHAIR NW ENERGY
COUNCIL
The Board received a presentation from John Roberts, Chair, NW
Energy Council.
PRESENTATION: LOYD GROSSMAN, CHAIR, CULTURE
NORTHWEST
The Board received a presentation from Loyd Grossman, Chair and
Libby Raper, Chief Executive of Culture Northwest.
62/01 INTRODUCTION AND APOLOGIES FOR
ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Richard Leese, Robert
Johnston and Keith Barnes, GONW.
62/02 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 8 OCTOBER
2004
These were approved as a correct record.
62/03 ACTION POINTS FROM LAST MEETING AND MATTERS
ARISING
There were no matters arising.
62/04 FINANCE REPORT AND STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PLAN
2005/06 TO 2007/08
The Director of Finance and Corporate Resources reported on the
Agency’s management accounts for the period to 30 September
2004. The Board noted programme spend and overhead
expenditure which included a presentation on particular
projects.
The Board noted the new management systems to monitor
expenditure, which include regular and robust reviews by Executive
Directors and the Chief Executive.The Board requested an update at
future Board meetings on a sample of Agency projects showing their
financial performance. The Board also requested information
on the Agency’s over programming allowance.
The Board noted the outline framework for the Strategic
Investment Plan (SIP) 2004/5 to 2007/8 and the timetable for its
preparation, including consultation with Partners.The Board also
noted the initial analysis of expenditure by RES Objective 1, which
will be included in the Corporate Plan and SIP.
62/05 REVIEW OF NORTH WEST SEED AND VENTURE CAPITAL
FUNDS
The Board received a report on the development background to the
outcome and performance of the Agency’s Seed and Venture Capital
Funds.It was reported that the Enterprise and Innovation Sub Group,
at its July meeting, had also looked in detail at this matter.The
Board endorsed that the Agency should plan for subsequent and
follow-on funds to meet demand and to maximise the long term
benefits from the funds established to date.
The allocation of Agency funds from 2006 onwards would be
considered as part of the SIP review.
62/06 OPTIONS FOR MANN ISLAND SITE
DEVELOPMENT
Bryan Gray and Mike Storey declared an
interest in this item and took no part in the discussions.
Bryan Gray vacated the Chair. Sir Martin Harris Chaired the
meeting for this item.
The Board received a presentation on the options for the
development of the Mann Island site within the context of the
Merseyside Waterfront Strategy and the regeneration of
Liverpool.
The options considered were:
-A A major visitor destination in partnership with National
Museums, Liverpool including a canal link, a covered open space,
public realm works and a mixed-use development.
B Public open space as an extension of the Pier Head
connecting with the Albert Dock.
C A residential dominated mix use scheme to maximise land
value.
D A flagship HQ office development.The Board considered each
of these options including risks associated with each
scheme.National Museums, Liverpool gave a presentation on their
operation, standing and current operations in Liverpool and
Merseyside.
They also outlined their initial plans for a new Museum of
Liverpool and included conceptual ideas about its content and
visitor attraction.The Board recognised the importance of the
Waterfront to the regeneration of Liverpool City Centre and to the
growth of tourism to Merseyside and endorsed the broad thrust of
the Waterfront strategy, including the creation of a major new
visitor destination(s) on the Mann Island site.
The Board agreed that the mix of uses outlined in Option A
(including a proposed new Museum of Liverpool) offered the best
opportunity to achieve this objective and agreed that the Agency
should continue to work with Liverpool Vision, NML and Liverpool
City Council to confirm the impact of and funding package for the
mix of uses outlined in Option A.
It was further agreed to:
Receive a full report on the project in May 2005 which
addresses:-
a) All development aspects of the proposals in Option A,
including the content and visitor experience of the proposed new
Museum of Liverpool, visitor numbers and target audience and the
inter-relationship between all elements of the scheme.
b) A full appraisal of the benefits and outputs of the
scheme.
c) An assessment of the scheme’s value for money.
d) Evidence of the robustness of all elements of the funding
package including the ongoing sustainability of the
project.
e) A full risk assessment.The Board also asked for a joint
communication strategy to be agreed.
62/07 PROPOSED SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLES IN
BLACKPOOL AND SALFORD
The Board received reports on proposals to set up Urban
Regeneration Companies for Salford and Blackpool and to make a
formal application to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and
the Department of Trade and Industry to do so.
The Board agreed to:-
a) Support the establishment of a Central Salford “new model”
URC.
b) Support the establishment of a Blackpool URC.
c) A formal submission being made to ODPM/DTI for the Agency
to become a member of the Salford and Blackpool URC’s.
d) Provide ongoing revenue support for three years from April
2005.The Board to receive a report on the capital business plan of
each URC in June 2005.
62/08 STONEBRIDGE BUSINESS PARK
This matter was deferred to the Board meeting in December 2004.
62/09 NW REGIONAL AGGREGATION BODY
The Board received an update on the current status of the NW
Regional Aggregation Body (NWRAB) set up by DTI and funded by
monies taken from the RDA Contingency Fund.The Board noted that
following significant discussions with the DTI, it was clear that
due to the inability of the two foundation customers to prescribe
that Broadband procurement would be made through the Broadband
Aggregation Project, no sustainable business case existed for the
NWRAB.
This view was confirmed by an independent report, commissioned
by the DTI. The Board noted the impact in terms of the
employment of NWRAB staff. The Board agreed that a motion
should be taken to an extraordinary meeting of the NWRAB Board to
issue three months contractual notice to the employees of the NWRAB
and to take steps to close the NWRAB in an orderly and diplomatic
manner, operating in the best interest of the Limited Liability
Partnership, whilst minimising any negative impact on the business
prospects of other RABs and the National Aggregation Body.
62/10 MINUTES OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE HELD ON 1
OCTOBER 2004
The Board endorsed the Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 1
October 2004.
62/011 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT
The report from the Chief Executive covered the following
issues:-
1 Corporate plan update
The Chief Executive reported that the DTI had delayed the deadline
for the submission of RDA Corporate Plans until 25th January
2005. The Board noted that the presentation of the first
draft of the document will be presented to the December
meeting. The consultation period on the Corporate Plan closed
on 15th October and the Board noted that to date 33 replies had
been received. All were supportive of the Framework Document
and broadly supported the Board’s decisions in respect of the
Agency’s strategic direction. A number of organisations highlighted
their support for the Agency to do larger but fewer projects,
however some suggested that flexibility should be retained to
deliver smaller projects.
There was agreement that more support should be given to Tourism
and for the Agency’s intention to strengthen the capacity of sub
regional partnerships. Work now continues to compile the draft
Corporate Plan and a summary of the responses to the consultation
will be included in the document. The RDA Tasking Framework and
associated Corporate Plan Guidance is close to being finalised and
approved by RDA’s and Ministers. This will specify the
targets to be set within Corporate Plans, on which RDA’s will be
required to consult with stakeholders.
As a consequence, the Board noted the proposal to have one final
consultation with stakeholders in December on the strategic
framework of proposed expenditure over the Corporate Plan period
and the proposed targets. The Board also noted that the
finalised document including consultation responses would be
presented to the January Board.
2 North West Science Council Strategy
Review
The Board noted that a review of the role and strategy of the North
West Science Council had begun following a full NWSC meeting on
18th October, which agreed that the Council would operate on three
levels as follows:
· Strategic Board
· Executive (primarily NWDA staff)
· Ad-hoc working groups tackling particular strategic
priorities driving these into action by the Executive (the first of
these to deal with Science Foresight).There was overall acceptance
that the existing NW Science Strategy was satisfactory and had
provided significant benefit and focus for the region; the main
area for improvement was in respect of implementation.
The Chief Executive reported that he and Sir Tom McKillop (the
NW Science Council Chair) would present proposals to improve
implementation and NWUA would present proposals on how the diverse
roles of HEIs in the Region could be represented.
Final agreement will be reached at the next NWSC meeting, which
is scheduled for January. The Chief Executive agreed to keep the
Board aware of developments.
3 Regional Casinos
The Chief Executive reported that in anticipation of the
introduction of legislation covering gambling in England and Wales,
which will allow a new generation of large scale “regional casinos”
to be developed, developer interest and speculation in potential
casino development in the region was growing. The Bill
currently before Parliament contains many provisions but, in
particular, highlights proposed responsibilities for Regional
Planning bodies to determine the locations of the largest
(regional) casinos.
The Board noted that because of the potential economic impact,
the Agency, with GONW and NWRA had commissioned Pion Economics to
undertake a study to assist the NWRA in preparing a policy in the
emerging Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) to identify the most
appropriate generic locations for such developments. The study will
consider the market demand for regional casinos and their economic
development, regeneration and tourism potential, and test various
development scenarios.
It will also contain a brief overview of the social implications
of the liberalised gambling regime, although it is understood that
the Government will be conducting a national survey of gambling
participation and problem gambling prior to the implementation of
the Draft Gambling Bill in order to fully address this issue.The
Board also noted that the study is due to be completed by February
2005 and any emerging changes to the Gambling Bill will be taken
into account in the findings and recommendations.
4 RENEW Update
The Chief Executive reminded the Board that the NW Centre of
Regeneration Excellence, RENEW was established earlier this year,
following extensive consultation throughout the region by NWDA and
GONW.
Such Centres of Excellence are currently being established by
RDAs in each of the English regions. Their work is set within the
context of the Urban White Paper published in 2001 and the Egan
report into Skills and Sustainable Communities issued earlier this
year.The Board noted that the NWDA is the Accountable Body for
RENEW and the Director, Phil Barton is line managed by the NWDA
Executive Director, Development and Partnerships.
A Constitution, Service Level Agreement and Scheme of Delegation
between RENEW and NWDA are currently being prepared and a Business
Plan will be submitted for NWDA approval by the end of 2004.The
Chief Executive reported that NWDA has appointed an initial Board,
consisting of 11 members and with representation from the private
and public sector and that as an interim arrangement, Brian Holmes
of GONW is acting as Chair. However the intention is to appoint an
independent Chair, who would be remunerated in line with the
Agency’s current policy to remunerate Chairs of NWDA linked
bodies.
The Chief Executive outlined a range of activity that is already
underway or has taken place. He also updated the Board on the
work of the Task Force chaired by Sir John Egan, which published
its report into Skills for Sustainable Communities earlier this
year, which recommended the establishment of a new National Centre
for Sustainable Communities Skills, which should work closely with,
amongst others, the Regional Centres of Excellence.
An ODPM Task Force is currently considering the role, structure
and financing of the proposed Centre, which will be launched by the
DPM at the Sustainable Communities Summit in early 2005.The Board
noted that the Northern Way proposes the establishment of a
Northern Way Centre of Skills Excellence and that RENEW had bid
jointly to ODPM with the RCEs in Yorkshire and the North East for
funding to commence delivering some joint programmes and to carry
out feasibility for further joint working.
5 Jobs and Enterprise in deprived areas
The Chief Executive reported that in March 2003, the Prime Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister asked the Social Exclusion Unit to look
at what could be done to tackle “worklessness” (i.e. the unemployed
and economically inactive) with particular focus on how the
delivery of current policies could be improved.
The review identified a number of key issues and problems that
needed to be addressed and what was being done to address them.The
Board noted that the report is highly significant for RDAs and
includes a number of recommendations, for them to help to address
the key findings.
It suggests that RDAs have focused on growth areas rather than
issues of deprivation and urges RDAs to support low cost
professional business support in enterprise areas to tackle the
issues of low quality jobs, through the management of Business
Links. It also states that:
· The worklessness areas policies and programmes should
concentrate on quality job creation at the right level and not just
skills development.
· Work around career development should continue and be
strengthened.
· To help to address the benefits trap, RDAs’ need to keep
benefits reform on the agenda.
· There is a need to understand the RDA role in the
implementation of the Jobcentre Plus Partnership Strategy.
· RDAs will also have to implement the strategy to maximise
public sector engagement with jobcentre Plus which is being devised
by the Office of Public Sector Reform.
The Board agreed that the Urban and Enterprise and Innovation
Sub Groups should be asked to look in more detail at the report and
its implications for the Agency.
6 Transport priorities for regeneration and economic
development in the North West - Stage 1 Road
The Chief Executive reported that the Agency had prepared a report,
which prioritised the region’s key strategic road schemes in terms
of their contribution towards economic regeneration and RES
objectives. By identifying its own transport priorities the Agency
would be able to make an effective and informed contribution to the
Regional Transport Strategy as part of the Regional Spatial
Strategy. The exercise would also provide an input into the
consultation on development plans, local development frameworks,
Local Transport Plan reviews, major planning applications, Sub
Regional Action Planning processes and the various strategic
transport projects currently underway in the region. The Board
noted that this matter had been considered by the Infrastructure
Sub Group and that its recommendations would come to the Board in
December.
7 Freedom of Information
The Board noted that the Freedom of Information Act comes fully
into effect on 1 January 2005 and that the Agency has undertaken a
health check to ensure compliance with the legislation.
8 Daresbury Science Park
The Chief Executive reported that a report would be presented to
the meeting of the Board in December 2005 on this
project.
9 Delegations
The Board noted the list of delegations approved by the Chief
Executive and Executive Directors from 1 August to 31 October
2004.
62/12 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The Chairman reported on the following items:-
· The Sustainable Communities Summit, 31 January 2005 - 2
February 2005.
· The State of the Region Dinner, 24 February 2005 - the first
of what will become an annual event with a treasury or economic
focus. Keynote speaker, John Healey.
The Chairman explained that this was Denis Mendoros’s last Board
meeting.The Chairman thanked Denis for his valued contribution and
support as a member of the Agency’s Board. He said that Denis
had been a great personal support for him and an excellent advocate
for Aerospace and Innovation.
The Board concurred with these remarks.
62/13 REPORT OF THE NWDA SUB-GROUPS
The Board noted the reports of the NWDA sub groups.
62/14 BOARD MEMBERS FEEDBACK
There were no items to report.
DATE AND TIME OF THE NEXT BOARD MEETING
09.30 on Friday, 10 December 2004
The meeting finished at (15.59)