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Growing Business Fund Grant Panel Meeting Minutes (Confirmed)
Wednesday, 03 July 2019 | 10.00am - 12.30pm
Centrum (The Link Room), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UG
Present - Panel:
Mike Burrows (MB)
Jeanette Wheeler (JWh)
Daryl Griffiths (DG)
Dr Sumathi Sundram (SS)
Max Applin (MA)
Jackie Potter (JP)
In Attendance:
Jason Middleton (JM)
Rose Joy (RJ)
Barry Henson (BH)
Vimmi Hayes (VH)
Amanda Castell (AC)
Hayley Johnson (HJ)
Neil Sargent (NS)
Stuart Ager (SA)
(Chair)
Birketts
Burnett Barker Solicitors
S&V Consultants Ltd
Max Applin Consulting
Micropress
New Anglia LEP
New Anglia LEP
New Anglia LEP
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council
Finance East
Finance East
Finance East
Finance East
Actions outstanding | Updates from the meeting: Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Guidance for Applicants - Guidance being revised and should be available next week.
Action: JW to circulate Guidance to Applicants to Panel
Condimentum Limited - JW not available to give update on progress.
Action: JM to speak with JW - update to be emailed to Panel members.
Applications to Panel - JW had a productive meeting with Finance East to go through a number of
issues including Expression of Interest, applications, etc. to tighten up any ‘grey’ areas.
Small Grant Scheme Bulletin - JM reported that the Bulletin has not gone external yet and is still an
internal newsletter until final format agreed.
1
Welcome and Introductions
MB welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2
Apologies received
Chris Dashper, New Anglia LEP, Julie West, New Anglia LEP, Paul Stewart, Center Parcs; Dominic
Keen, Britbots and Martin Ince, Martin Ince Communications
3
Declarations of Interest and GDPR
Declarations of Interest - JWh declared a colleague at Birketts is advising Creative Displays Limited.
4
Meeting Minutes: Panel Meeting held on Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Minutes confirmed with no amendment.
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5
Terms of Reference
JM provided update. Revision changes were deemed to be ‘minor’ and therefore did not need formal
LEP sign off at the Investment Appraisal Committee. Terms of Reference signed off by Panel.
6
New Applications for Approval (3)
a) Creative Displays Limited - Agreed to support
Approved Grant: £40,000 - awarded under de minimus
Four full-time positions to be created.
(b) Bendart Limited - Agreed to support
Approved Grant: £42,500
Four full-time positions to be created.
Note: This is an assisted area award (Article 14)
Recommendation: The Panel recommended that AC speak with Bendart Limited regarding
apprenticeships.
(c) Hugh Crane Cleaning Equipment - Agreed to support
Approved Grant: £56,369
Five full-time positions to be created.
Conditions of Offer applied: We will need to see Directors loan funds in the Company bank
account.
Recommendation: The Panel recommended that Morgan Potter, Growth Hub Adviser, should
visit Hugh Crane Cleaning Equipment to advise on the next stage as a potential high growth
business.
7
Applications to be ratified (2)
(a) Anglian Indoor Karting Ltd - Agreed to support
Approved grant: £40,000
One full-time position and one part-time position to be created.
(b) Stephen Walters and Sons Limited - agreed to support
Approved grant: £118,049 – awarded under de minimus
Two full-time positions to be created.
8
Small Grant Scheme Update
JM provided update. The Small Grant Scheme continues to be very successful and on course to have
allocated all funds by the end of December 2019/January 2020. Currently spending approx. £100,000
per month which is above the projected spend profile. On Friday, 28 June 2019 a Call for bids was
opened and will be asking for an additional £500,000 and an additional year for the programme to take it
to the end of August 2022. JM to keep the Panel updated with progress.
.
The Panel noted the award of eight Small Grant Scheme grants in the month of April 2019, totalling
£104,373 and seven Small Grant Scheme grants in May 2019, totalling £73,068 (Grants Awarded) - See
Appendix 1.
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Funding, Updates and Jobs Creation
BH updated the Panel on the overall funding position, job creation, and five previously approved grants
where there have been recent developments:
Growing Business Fund - just over £800k has been paid out since the last Panel meeting, making the
total for the year thus far £963k. With today’s Approvals, there is now a further £1.159m committed,
leaving us £668k still to be allocated this year - plus the additional £1m provisionally approved by the
Board, if needed.
A further 23 jobs have been evidenced since the last Panel, making the overall total now 2,150.
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Stephen Walters & Sons Ltd - productivity measures have now been agreed, and the grant Offer Letter
has been sent, and Accepted
Liquid Digestate Ltd - a further Monitoring Report is now due and has been requested. Depending on
the content, a visit will be arranged and/or the position referred back to the Panel/LEP.
Weco Engineering Ltd - Planning Permission has still not been obtained, after five months, looks to be
problematic and there may be onerous conditions. The Panel agreed to wait until the end of the month
(July) to see if Planning Permission is approved, if this is not the case, then the verbal offer of grant be
withdrawn, and the Company asked to re-apply when Planning Permission is confirmed.
Zedbox Ltd - press reported the ‘collapse’ of the business, and it was placed into liquidation on
Thursday, 13 June 2019 (and PDS Worldwide). Smart Offices has now changed ownership.
Computer Service Centre Ltd - property purchase did not proceed, but remainder of project intact.
£67,100 of the grant will be recovered.
Small Grant Scheme - BH advised that overall Small Grant Scheme spend is now £2.113m (233 grants)
and there is a further £546k committed (42 grants). There is £554k of unallocated funding remaining. The
Small Grant Scheme has now met its target for new products and services (59 against target 53), and
102 jobs have been created thus far (jobs not a requirement).
9
GBF Applications ‘Pipeline’
NS and AC provided update. Presently there are four cases in the pipeline at various stages, with two
going forward to the August Panel.
JM reported that there were three Expressions of Interest.
10
PR and Marketing
Marketing activities for the Growth Programme 2019/20 (dated 18/06/2019) circulated - copy attached for
information. This is a ‘rolling’ document that is updated monthly by JW.
JM reported that the Growth Hub profile is now much improved with Jess Winslow on board managing
marketing, PR and websites. Observation was made that the Growth Hub needs to be mindful that when
attending events that their marketing promotes all schemes.
JM reported that one of the actions identified in the marketing and communications strategy is a move
away from the current scheme-based banners/promotional materials to using multi-based banners/
promotional materials covering all funding sources.
A new LEP Comms person has been appointed following the departure of Jim Rice. Richard Balls,
Comms Executive, joined the LEP as of Monday, 01 July 2019 and he will be the ‘go to’ person to get
articles into the media/press and ensure there is a pipeline of stories going through from all funding
sources.
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Creative Displays Ltd - it was noted that Creative Displays Limited have been awarded Future50
accreditation.
The meeting closed at 11.30am
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, 07 August 2019 |10.00am - 12.30pm
Venue to be confirmed.
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Appendix 1
New Anglia Small Grant Scheme projects approved in April 2019
No
Applicant
Grant
awarded (£)
1
DXB Pump & Power Ltd.
16,845
2
Bradleys (Stowmarket) Ltd. (2)
17,919
3
Praxis42 Ltd.
6,362
4
Edmondson Hall
25,000
5
The Penny Bun Bakehouse Ltd.
7,203
6
Criterion Ices Ltd.
19,515
7
Fruitful Media Ltd.
8,805
8
Tosier Chocolate Ltd.
2,724
Total
104,373
New Anglia Small Grant Scheme projects approved in May 2019
No
Applicant
Grant
awarded (£)
1
Apex Print & Promotion Ltd.
9,930
2
Pastonacre Ltd.
4,305
3
Donald Utting & Son Ltd. (2)
24,973
4
Safety Devices International Ltd.
5,600
5
A.J. Laminated Beams Ltd.
5,500
6
P J Lee Hire & Sales Ltd.
6,600
7
Newton Automotive Ltd. (2)
16,160
Total
73,068