Growing Business Fund Grant Panel Meeting Minutes (Unconfirmed)

Wednesday, 06 November 2019 | 10.00am - 12.30pm

Centrum (Meeting Rooms G01 & G02), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UG

Present - Panel:

Mike Burrows (MB)

Chair

Jeanette Wheeler (JWh)

Birketts

Dr Sumathi Sundram (SS)

S&V Consultants Ltd

Martin Ince (MI)

Martin Ince Communications

Dominic Keen (DK)

Britbots

Daryl Griffiths (DG)

Burnett Barker Solicitors

In Attendance:

Julie West (JW)

New Anglia LEP

Rose Joy (RJ)

New Anglia LEP

Nataliya Klymko (NK)

New Anglia LEP

Stuart Ager (SA)

Finance East

Amanda Castell (AC)

Finance East

Dean Pierpoint (DP)

New Anglia Growth Hub

Actions outstanding | Updates from the meeting: Wednesday, 02 October 2019

Pipeshield International - SA reported that Pipeshield International had been sold and BH aware of the

sale.

Welcome and Introductions

MB welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies received

Jackie Potter, Micropress; Paul Stewart, Center Parcs; Max Applin, Max Applin Consulting;

Barry Henson, Suffolk County Council; Vimmi Hayes, Suffolk County Council; David Dukes, Norfolk

County Council; Neil Sargent, Finance East; Chris Dashper, New Anglia LEP and Jason Middleton, New

Anglia LEP.

Declarations of Interest and GDPR

Declarations of Interest - No Declarations of Interest declared.

Going forward NK will be monitoring the Register of Interest of the Growing Business Fund Panel

members (excluding LEP Board members) to ensure the LEP is fully compliant in accordance with New

Anglia LEP policies and National Assurance Framework requirements. NK will email panel members,

prior to the expiry of their Register of Interest declaration, to ensure the paperwork is in order.

Please note reminders will also be given at upcoming Panel meetings.

Meeting Minutes: Panel Meeting held on Wednesday, 02 October 2019

Minutes confirmed with no amendment.

Page 1 of 4

Terms of Reference (ToR)

The latest version of the Terms of Reference has been emailed to Panel members. Going forward it was

noted that Terms of Reference will be a standing agenda item for compliance.

New Applications for Approval (2)

LiMAR Oil Tools (UK) Limited - Agreed to support

Approved Grant: £70,690

Five full-time positions to be created.

Note: This is an assisted area award (Article 14)

Condition of Offer applied: Will need to see evidence of confirmed match funding.

Recommendation: The Panel recommended that the Growth Hub contact the business to offer

skills advice support.

DP reported that a Business Skills Advisor will contact the business following a successful

Growing Business Fund grant application as a matter of course to offer skills support advice.

(b)

Plastech Industries Limited t/a Plastech Additive Manufacturing - Agreed to support

Approved Grant - £56,500

Three full-time positions to be created.

Note: Offer Letter to be addressed to Plastech Industries Limited.

Small Grant Scheme Update

JW provided update. The Panel noted the award of five Small Grant Scheme (SGS) grants in the month

of September 2019, totalling £56,100 (Grants Awarded) and £243,000 (Total Project Cost) - see

Appendix 1. It was noted that Display Products Limited was an assisted area award (Article 14).

For the month of October, seven grants have been approved and one grant has already been approved

for November.

The Small Grant Scheme is still buoyant and remains ahead of profile.

Funding, Updates and Jobs Creation

JW updated the Panel on the overall funding position and job creation.

Growing Business Fund - actual spend this financial year now stands at £1,643, out of the initial

allocation of £2.79m - or 59%. There are 13 grants committed, but not yet claimed, totalling £871,964, or

a further 31% with the expectation that all grants will be claimed before the end of March 2020. Currently

there is £1.3m left less todays spend of £127, 190.

It was noted the recent slow-down in applications continues and the average grant remains at a lower

value.

A further 25 jobs have been evidenced since the last Panel meeting, making the overall total now 2,247.

GBF Applications ‘Pipeline’

JW reported that there is a healthy pipeline of applications coming through (totalling approx. £2.3m), at

various stages, but six remain waiting for planning permission and one or two are held up with

negotiations to move into an Enterprise Zone.

Hopeful of 2-3 applications being presented to the December Growing Business Fund Panel Meeting.

PR and Marketing

JW provided update.

Case studies - Emma Finn has a short-term contract to the end of March 2020 to produce nine case

studies (not all grant related) covering the whole of the Business Growth Programme. It was noted that

case studies are proving difficult to source. Emma is currently working on case studies for Musks

Sausages and Pecksniffs Bespoke Fragrances & Cosmetics Limited and has re-written and tidied up the

existing case studies on the Growth Hub website. As well as being on the website, case studies are

being disseminated via newsletters, social media (Facebook, Twitters, LinkedIn, etc.) and articles placed

in the local press.

Page 2 of 4

It was agreed that the Comms and Marketing team need to keep the ‘pressure up’ on getting the

message out.

JWh to attend a Women’s Leaders Dinner and would welcome a suitable case study topic.

Action:

JW to send details of suitable case study to JWh.

Any Other Business

Condimentum Limited - AC provided update on Condimentum Limited. The Panel noted that the TUPE

issue is still ongoing.

Forthcoming meeting -The meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at Park Farm Hotel

(The Ellingham Suite) is to be moved to Wednesday, 15 January 2020 - same venue/time.

The meeting closed at 11.15am

Next Meeting:

Wednesday, 04 December 2019 |10.00am - 12.30pm

Concertus Design and Property Consultants (Boardroom), 2 Friars Bridge Road, Ipswich,

Suffolk, IP1 1RR

Page 3 of 4