New Anglia Board Meeting Minutes (Confirmed)

23^rd September 2020

Present:

Sam Chapman-Allen (SC)

Breckland Council

David Ellesmere (DE)

Ipswich Borough Council

Doug Field (DF)

East of England Coop

C-J Green (CJG)

Brave Goose

John Griffiths (JG)

West Suffolk Council

Matthew Hicks (MH)

Suffolk County Council

Pete Joyner (PJ)

Shorthose Russell

Dominic Keen (DK)

Britbots

Helen Langton (HL)

University of Suffolk

Steve Oliver (SO)

MLM Group

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

Tim Whitley (TW)

Attendees

Kathy Atkinson (KA)

Kettle Foods

Mark Ash (MA)

Suffolk County Council

Vince Muspratt (VM)

Norfolk County Council

Julian Munson (JM)

New Anglia LEP - For Item 5

Chris Dashper (CD)

New Anglia LEP - For Item 9

Chris Starkie (CS)

New Anglia LEP

Helen Wilton (HW)

New Anglia LEP

Actions from the meeting: (26.08.20)

Chief Executive’s Report

BR&R data to be circulated to board members

New Anglia Capital

Board members to consider putting themselves forward to join the NAC board

All

September Performance Reports

Carry out analysis on the impact of EZ planning regulation changes

AOB

Suggestion for presenters to be supplied to HW who will organise a programme

All/HW

Welcome from the Chair

Doug Field (DF) welcomed everyone to the meeting. He noted that latest Government

announcements regarding the changes in restrictions to tackle the recent surge in Covid-9 cases and

reiterated the need for the LEP to provide strong leadership at the challenging time for the local

economy.

Apologies

Apologies were received from Claire Cullens

Declarations of Interest

DF declared an interest in Supapass, under Item 9, the New Anglia Capital Bi-Annual Report.

Helen Langton (HL), Corrienne Peasgood (CP) and Jeanette Wheeler (JW) declared an interest in

item 6 - the Institute of Technology.

John Griffiths (JG), Matthew Hicks (MH) and David Ellesmere (DE) expressed an interest in Item 7 -

Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund

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

Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting held on 21^st July 2020

Chris Starkie (CS) confirmed that both outstanding actions were on schedule for

completion by their target date of November 2020.

Innovation Board Update

Julian Munson (JM) presented the board with an update on the work of the Innovation

Board and highlighted the successes achieved in cross-sector innovation across the

region.

JM confirmed that Norfolk County Council was already represented on the Board and that

a letter would be going to Suffolk County Council asking for a representative so that both

local authorities were represented.

JM noted the hard work of his team and advised that, going forwards, they would also be

investigating the opportunities to work more closely with the Skills Advisory Panel (SAP).

Johnathan Reynolds (JR), Chair of the Innovation Board, highlighted the progress

achieved and the important role of local authorities in innovation advising that the board

was keen to continue to work closely with the public sector.

He also noted the benefit of inviting representatives from other bodies, such as the LEP’s

industry councils, to speak at the meetings as this helped to provide a clear understanding

of their requirements.

JR expressed his thanks to JM and his team for their support.

HL queried whether the Innovation Board would be involved in the applications to host an

Institute of Technology (IoT).

JR advised that there was not enough clarity on IoTs at the current time but agreed that

the Board would be working closely educational establishments as the requirements are

ascertained.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

Institute of Technology

HL, JW and CP declared an interest in this item. It was agreed that they would remain for

the discussion but would not participate in the discussion or in the vote.

CS presented the meeting with an update on the process for applying for an IoT and the

local framework which has been drawn up to assist applicants. He advised that LEPs

would be involved in the process but would not have a key decision making role.

CS reviewed the background to the IoTs which aim to bring together business and

technology and noted that the submission of an Expression of Interest earlier in the year

was optional and does not exclude any new applicants submitting to stage one which

formally starts in the Autumn.

The framework is intended to help applicants ensure that their proposals are developed in

line with priorities for the local economy set out in the Economic Strategy, Local Industrial

Strategy and the new Economic Recovery Restart Plan. Expectations and are centred

around 4 key themes - additionality, strategic fit, leverage and deliverability.

The meeting discussed the lessons learnt from the previous application process.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

• To endorse the proposed process and local framework which will be used to set out

regional expectations for Institute of Technology proposals covering Norfolk and

Suffolk.

Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund

JG, MH and DE declared an interest in this item. It was agreed that they would remain for

the discussion but would not participate in the discussion or the vote.

CS reviewed some of the projects included in the Norfolk Strategic Fund which has

previously been awarded £1m of LEP capital funds. He then presented the

the request for £1m of LEP capital funds to the Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund to

support economic recovery. The Board also received details of the proposed principles for

the process of allocation of the funds and the role of the LEP.

The contribution will be part of a one-year fund that will be open to public sector partners

including the LEP for applications.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

• To approve the allocation of £1m capital from the LEP to Suffolk Inclusive Growth

Investment Fund and the proposed process for the management and allocation of the

funds as set out in the report

Chief Executive’s Report

CS presented the report and highlighted key items.

He noted the success of the Business Resilience and Recovery scheme and advised that

a paper providing further information on recipients of the funding would be presented at the

October board meeting.

CS stated that round 500 companies had now signed up for the Restart Festival and

encouraged board members to promote the festival.

CS highlighted the launch of the Tech 100, a virtual event where presentations were

provided by Stephen Fry and Tim Whitley (TW) who confirmed the success of the occasion

which promoted the top 100 innovative and high-potential digital tech companies from the

region.

Peer to Peer Network - CS advised that the first cohort of businesses was being recruited

and they would ensure that the care sector was included in the allocations of spaces for

businesses

Banham Poultry Covid-19 outbreak - CS confirmed that the LEP has worked closely with

the company and other businesses in the poultry industry to provide support during the

outbreak and to ensure lessons learnt are carried forward.

JG asked for details ofgrant recipients to be circulated.

CS confirmed that the appraisal process for the Visitor Economy Grants (VEGs) and Wider

Economy Grants (WEGs) was still ongoing but details of the Business Resilience and

Recovery (BRR) funding would be provided.

ACTION:

BRR data to be circulated to board members

CS noted the successful work across the Economic Development Officers across the

region in promoting the scheme.

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

New Anglia Capital Bi-Annual Report - Confidential

The New Anglia Capital Board has requested another member to enhance capacity.

Volunteers were requested from the Board.

ACTION: Board members to consider putting themselves forward to join the NAC board

All

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the report

September Performance Reports

Rosanne Wijnberg (RW) presented the reports to the Board and highlighted key items.

Growth Deal - The dashboard covers Q1 April to June demonstrating how the pandemic

impacted on delivery and finances. It is anticipated that the projects will slow down but

outputs will still be achieved.

Enterprise Advisor Network - the report details that 2 targets were missed which relate to

direct contact with employers. The EAN team have used innovative approaches to

supporting students and their best practice is being considered for further roll out.

Enterprise Zones (EZs) - JR asked the recent changes to planning regulations would

impact on the EZs or provide more opportunities.

RW confirmed that this would be investigated further on a site by site basis

ACTION: Carry out analysis on the impact of EZ planning regulation changes

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the reports

• To approve the Growth Deal Dashboard

Board Forward Plan

JW noted that the Board had previously met in different locations allowing projects and

partners to present to them and asked if a programme of presentations could be included

in future virtual meetings. The Board agreed with the suggestion.

ACTION: Suggestion for presenters to be supplied Helen Wilton (HW) who will organise a

All

programme

The Board agreed:

• To note the content of the plan

Any Other Business

CS confirmed that the LEP response to the Comprehensive Spending Review had been issued

for comments by the board with the board papers and as all were content would now be signed

off by DF and submitted.

At his final meeting as LEP Chair DF expressed his thanks to the board members for their

support during his term as chair and wished C-J Green (CJG) success as she took over the

role.

CS and the board thanked DF for his hard work and commitment to the region during his time

both as a board member and as its chair.

CJG proposed a vote of thanks to DF on behalf of the board and personally thanked him for the

assistance he had provided to her as incoming chair.

Her comments were strongly supported by the board members who added their thanks.

DF was also presented with a card and gift vouchers and a photo book highlighting key events

during his time as chair.