New Anglia Board Meeting Minutes (Confirmed)

25^th March 2020

Present:

David Ellesmere (DE)

Ipswich Borough Council

Doug Field (DF)

East of England Coop

John Griffiths (JG)

West Suffolk Council

Matthew Hicks (MH)

Suffolk County Council

Pete Joyner (PJ)

Shorthose Russell

Helen Langton (HL)

University of Suffolk

Dominic Keen (DK)

Britbots

Steve Oliver (SO)

MLM

Corrienne Peasgood (CP)

Norwich City College

Andrew Proctor (AP)

Norfolk County Council

Johnathan Reynolds (JR)

Opergy

Sandy Ruddock (SR)

Scarlett & Mustard

Alan Waters (AW)

Norwich City Council

Jeanette Wheeler (JW)

Birketts

Attendees

Paul Claussen (PC)

Breckland District Council

Jai Raithatha (JR)

Suffolk County Council

Vince Muspratt (VM)

Norfolk County Council

Shan Lloyd (SL)

BEIS

Chris Starkie (CS)

New Anglia LEP

Rosanne Wijnberg (RW)

New Anglia LEP

Helen Wilton (HW)

New Anglia LEP

Actions from the meeting: (25.03.20)

COVID-19 Impact on the LEP and the Local Economy

Arrange a one hour teleconference in April for an update on the current crisis

LEP Operating Budget 2020/21

To investigate the LEP’s responsibilities with regards to payment of the apprenticeship levy

Welcome from the Chair

Doug Field (DF) welcomed everyone to the meeting and welcomed Paul Claussen who was

deputising for Sam Chapman-Allen.

Apologies

Apologies were received from Lindsey Rix, Claire Cullens and Sam Chapman-Allen.

Declarations of Interest

Full declarations of interest can be found at http://www.newanglia.co.uk/about-us/the-board.

None

Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting held on 26^th February 2020.

Actions

Chris Starkie (CS) confirmed that the paper on the Freeports consultation was included in

the board papers and that letters of thanks to staff retiring from the LEP had been

completed.

COVID-19 Impact on the LEP and the Local Economy

CS presented the paper to the board and provided detail on the main strands of work being

carried out by the LEP.

LEP Internal processes - staff are working from home, the leadership team are holding daily

teleconferences, leadership responsibilities have been amended as required to ensure focus

and team members are in daily contact with their manages.

Growth Hub - This is being promoted as the key support for businesses as preferred by

Government. Daily updates are received on sources of funding and Governmental advice

which are being transposed into scripts by the Communications team. Work is ongoing to

source additional staff as call numbers increase. Initial calls will go through a triage system

where an advisor will call back as required.

Norfolk Economy Cell - CS is chairing the Economy Cell of the Norfolk response to the

emergency which contains 8 workstreams supported by LEP and Local Authority staff along

with other key partners. Discussions are ongoing to provide similar support to Suffolk.

CS confirmed that the workstreams identified are:

• Business Support - support with loan applications, liaising with banks etc and advising

on funding sources

• Business Intelligence - reports are being submitted weekly with ad hoc intelligence

provided where needed. This stream is also assisting in identifying gaps in support and

funding

• Local Funding - reviewing current programmes to identify what funds can be rediverted

and coordinating local funding to ensure it achieves maximum impact

• Government Response Funding - Developing a local script to ensure consistent

messaging and identifying gaps in delivery

• Workforce - identifying workforce gaps and challenges across the sectors.

• PPE - Coordinating demand and supply and working with large scale manufacturers to

speed up production and distribution

• Sectors and Supply Chain - Identifying strategically important sectors and those worst

affected

• Economic Impact - Ascertaining long term impacts and identifying where further

intervention will be required

The Board discussed the unprecedented situation and the impacts it is having on the

businesses and economy of Norfolk and Suffolk and provided examples based on their own

experiences and contact with businesses.

CS provided further comment on the points raised by board members.

He agreed that the size of the tourism sector within the two counties meant that that it needs

to be considered a priority as are food and medical supplies.

CS noted that £4m remains unallocated from the Growth Deal which will provide limited

support to businesses and that the LEP network has submitted a bid for £2b to Government.

CS confirmed that the LEP is in daily contact with both chambers and the FSB to work on

providing consistent, clear messaging across both counties.

It was suggested that, as there is no scheduled April board meeting, a teleconference

should be held to provide the board with an update on the rapidly changing situation.

The Board agreed:

To note the content of the report

To hold a one hour teleconference in April to receive an update

ACTION:

Schedule an April teleconference to provide an update on the COVID-19 crisis

LEP Delivery Plan

Rosanne Wijnberg (RW) presented the new LEP delivery plan for 20/21 which provides an

outline of the main objectives, initiatives and targets of the LEP over the coming 12 months

and asked for approval in principle for the plan from the Board.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

• To approve the Delivery Plan and delegate to the LEP chief executive authority to make

minor changes necessary ahead of publication on 1 May 2020

LEP Operating Budget

RW presented the operating budget for the LEP for 2020/21 financial year noting that it

reflected the running costs the LEP operation. The capital budget will follow in May.

RW highlighted key changes and noted that the budget sees an increase in operating income

of 34% and expenditure of around 33% compared with 20/21 reflecting the LEP’s additional

responsibilities including the Innovative Projects Fund and the ERDF Growth Through

Innovation programme.

RW confirmed that salaries are the highest element of spend and that amount is not

envisaged to change however staff would be redeployed to support current circumstances.

Johnathan Reynolds (JR) queried whether the LEP now needs to contribute to the

apprenticeship levy as it is over the threshold of £3m.

RW agreed and confirmed to investigate this issue.

ACTION

RW to investigate the LEP’s responsibilities with regards to payment of the apprenticeship

levy.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

• To approve the operating budget for 2020/21

Governance

RW presented the changes to the LEP’s Assurance Framework, Scheme of Delegation and

Accountable Body Agreement which have been updated to ensure they are in line with

newly published Government guidance and that all the information contained in them is

accurate and up to date.

The Board agreed:

• To approve:

o The 2020 Local Assurance Framework

o The Scheme of Delegation

o The Accountable Body Agreement

Freeports Consultation

CS presented the paper providing an update on the Freeports consultation as requested at

the February Board meeting.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

EU Exit Transition

CS presented the paper which provides an update on activities during the transition period,

intelligence from the Norfolk and Suffolk business community and sets out a light touch

delivery plan against the key recommendations agreed at the January Board meeting.

It was noted that the COVID-19 crisis was likely to have an impact on Brexit planning and

negotiations.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

Election of Deputy Chair

CS advised that one nomination has been received for the post of deputy chair which had

been proposed and seconded in accordance with the LEP’s policy and invited the Board to

ratify the appointment of Jeanette Wheeler as deputy chair of New Anglia LEP.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

• To ratify the appointment of Jeanette Wheeler as deputy chair of New Anglia Local

Enterprise Partnership on a three year term

Chief Executive’s Report

CS noted some of the highlights of the report and asked for questions from the board.

CS confirmed that the funding application to extend the Business Growth Programme has

now been approved in principle by MHCLG. In the current circumstances formal sign off of

the contract will take longer than usual however this approval in principle does provides the

LEP with the reassurance needed to continue the implementation of the extension.

Innovative Projects Fund - CS noted that some projects are not proceeding due to the

current restrictions and the team are investigating how those funds can be reallocated.

Planning is underway for an emergency fund for businesses impacted by the Covid-19 crisis

and details will be submitted to board members for approval by written procedures to ensure

this is launched as quickly as possible.

CS confirmed that board recruitment is continuing with applications received from a number

of quality applicants. Virtual interviews will be held in April.

Steve Oliver (SO) asked whether the repayment profile for the Winerack project would be

impacted by the current situation which will have implications for the housing market.

RW confirmed that the first payments had been received on time and future scheduled

payment dates would be monitored with options for a revised plan drawn up if required.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

March Programme Performance Reports

RW reviewed the reports for March and asked for questions.

RW confirmed that the work of the Enterprise Advisor Network is currently on hold therefore

staff will be redeployed.

The Board agreed:

• To note the contents of the reports

Board Forward Plan

It was agreed that the emergency fund for businesses will be signed off via written

procedures and that a teleconference would be arranged in order to receive an update on

the COVID-19 crisis.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the plan

• To receive a paper on the proposed business emergency fund for approval by written

procedures

Any Other Business

None