1
Public
New Anglia Board Meeting Minutes (Confirmed)
21
st
July 2021
Present:
David Ellesmere (DE)
Ipswich Borough Council
C-J Green (CJG)
Brave Goose
John Griffiths (JG)
West Suffolk Council
Pete Joyner (PJ)
Shorthose Russell
Dominic Keen (DK)
Britbots
Helen Langton (HL)
University of Suffolk
Steve Oliver (SO)
MLM Group
Andrew Proctor (AP)
Norfolk County Council
Johnathan Reynolds (JR)
Opergy
Alan Waters (AW)
Norwich City Council
Sandy Ruddock (SR)
Scarlett & Mustard
Attendees
Viv Gillespie (VG)
Suffolk New College (substitute for Corrienne Peasgood)
Chris Graveling (CG)
The Grange, Cromer - For Item 2
Mark Goodall (MG)
Chair, All Energy Industry Council – For Item 6
Pete Waters (PW)
Executive Director, Visit East of England – For Item 7
Shan Lloyd (SL)
BEIS
Jai Raithatha (JRa)
Suffolk County Council
Vince Muspratt (VM)
Norfolk County Council
Julian Munson (JM)
New Anglia LEP – For Items 6 & 7
Chris Starkie (CS)
New Anglia LEP
Rosanne Wijnberg (RW)
New Anglia LEP
Helen Wilton (HW)
New Anglia LEP
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Actions from the meeting: (21.7.21)
None
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CJ Green (CJG) welcomed everyone to the meeting including Viv Gillespie, deputising for Corrienne
Peasgood, Mark Goodall, chair of the All Energy Industry Council, Pete Waters, Executive Director,
Visit East of England and Chris Graveling, owner of the Grange Hotel in Cromer.
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Chris Graveling, (CG) provided the board with an overview of the work carried out at the Grange Hotel
in Cromer which received funding from the Business Resilience and Recovery Scheme towards the
completion of its outdoor Sundown restaurant.
CG explained that, given the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, they had looked to expand
their outdoor dining area by building tee-pees and therefore applied to the scheme for support.
The resulting covered, outdoor restaurant was partly built by existing staff who would otherwise have
been on furlough, and can accommodate around 80 people. It provides a reduced menu of local
produce and has proved high successful and has outdone initial expectations.
The success has meant that CG is now looking to employ more staff than originally planned, both
chefs and front of house staff.
Chris Starkie (CS) asked if the project would have been completed without LEP funding. CG
confirmed that the planning permission had to be applied for before funding had been achieved which
was a risk and at the time without the LEP support they would not have proceeded but hindsight
shows how successful the project had been.
CJG thanked CG for his time and wished him and his team success for the future.
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Apologies were received from Tim Whitley, Claire Cullens, Matthew Hicks, Kathy Atkinson and
Corrienne Peasgood.
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Item 6 - All Energy Industry Council Report
Johnathan Reynolds (JR) noted an interest as Director and Co-Founder of Hydrogen East.
Steve Oliver (SO) advised of an interest in Vattenfall via his company SWERCO.
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The minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting held on 23
rd
June 2021.
CJG reviewed the action log and confirmed all been updated.
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Julian Munson (JM) presented the report to the Board providing an overview of the
background to the council and highlighting progress in key areas of delivery:
Promotion – The new “Generate” brand will be launched shortly which will be more closely
aligned with Norfolk & Suffolk Unlimited and will be used to enhance inward investment
promotional activity.
Recovery plan – The AEIC has produced a recovery plan to support the sector’s priorities
through a range of interventions to drive growth, investment and innovation, strengthen the
supply chain and boost sustainable employment in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Sector Advocacy – Work has been carried out on the development of a strategic
communications campaign to highlight the importance of future energy projects to help the
UK’s drive to net zero and support the economic importance of the sector.
JM advised the board of the issues and challenges facing the sector noting the uncertainty
around progress of new offshore wind and nuclear new build projects following delays with
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Government approval processes and the issue of infrastructure for energy transmission and
connectivity and the potential and perceived impact on local communities.
A review of the AIEC is underway to ensure that it is robust and fit for purpose given the
challenges facing this complex sector.
The board was address by Mark Goodall, chair of the AIEC, who reviewed the challenges
facing the supply chain and noted that, while projects by Scottish Power Renewables and
Vattenfall will open up huge opportunities for the region, the pandemic continues to delay
other projects and hinder the sector.
The meeting discussed the importance of the development of hydrogen in the region and
agreed that this offered existing opportunities but was still at an embryonic stage.
JR noted that the projects at Bacton and the Freeport site were gamechangers for the region
and noted their importance for the sector and supply chain in the future.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
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JM presented the plan to the board highlighting the extensive work which has been carried out
with all partners to compile what is now called the Destination Management Plan.
JM introduced Pete Waters (PW), Executive Director of Visit East of England, who noted that
historically the region had not been competitive in achieving national funding however work has
been ongoing to pull together all interested parties to provide one local voice. The speed of
this process has been increased by the pandemic.
PW echoed his thanks to partner organisation for their support during the compilation of the
plan and confirmed that it was vital if future bids for funding are to be successful, noting that
this region has received more funding in the last year than any other.
PW advised that they are working with international gateways such as Stansted to encourage
international visitors to remain in the East of England. Other key areas of focus include changing
the perception of tourism as a career to encourage people to join the sector and also spreading
demand both seasonally and geographically.
The plan covers all areas of the visitor economy to ensure that, when Government implements
the tourism recovery plan, the East is in a position to respond quickly and apply for funding.
The meeting discussed the challenges of supporting the latest infrastructure projects while
ensuring that growth is both clean and green.
Viv Gillespie (VG) noted that there was limited mention of food in the plan both in terms of
hospitality and in niche food production.
PW agreed and advised that the need had been to get the plan in place to be ready for funding
should it become available but that the plan is iterative and will be revised going forwards.
VG queried the level of involvement of the colleges in the plan. PW confirmed that some
colleges have been involved in discussions but this needs to be expanded further to other
colleges and universities. This was echoed by Helen Langton (HL) in relation to skills and who
requested more engagement.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report and presentation
• To endorse the Tourism Action Plan
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The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
• To approve the draft annual financial statements and audit Management Letter
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CS confirmed that work is continuing but it is not clear if an update will be received before the
summer recess.
The one remaining geographical overlap is being tackled and a discussion paper has produced
on accountability.
The review is still expected to be concluded in September and Norfolk and Suffolk MPs,
excluding the ministers, have submitted letters in support of the LEP.
The meeting discussed how voice of businesses can be used to support the LEP and agreed
that this needs to be amplified where possible.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
• To reach out to businesses to make the case for the LEP
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CS presented the report higlighting the ongoing work with the industry councils and the
development of the recovery plan which will now be published in January 2022.
CS noted that the Growing Business Fund (GBF) has seen a considerable upturn in interest
over recent months, with businesses moving on from recovery and the type of project
supported by the Resilience and Recovery Fund to growth projects. It was proposed that up
to £400k of the BR&R underspend is moved to LEP sub programmes budget which includes
GBF.
This will give both schemes adequate budget for the remainder of the financial year as all
monies must be used before the 22/23 financial year.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
• To approve that up to £400k of the unallocated £860k R&R budget is allocated to the LEP
sub programmes including the Growing Business Fund
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RW presented the Growth Programme report to the Board and highlighted key items noting
that the LEP is working with Government to agree a project change request to support the
agreed extension to the scheme.
The pipeline continues to be healthy and the latest claim exceeded target.
As the LEP has delegated authority funds will be moved as required as the financial year
ends and a list of the movements will be presented to the board.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
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RW presented the quarterly management accounts and highlighted key variances.
The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the report
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The Board agreed:
• To note the content of the plan
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