Issue - meetings

Leader Briefing to include a verbal update on the Cheltenham Inward Investment Working Group

Leader

Regarding Local Enterprise Partnerships, he advised that the status of the Gloucestershire/Swindon/Wiltshire bid was currently amber. He understood that the county council had received some government advice on how the bid could be improved. Consequently the bid was still ongoing.

He informed members that the Inward Investment Group had been working with Kraft but the company now had processes in place for supporting its staff so no further work from the group was needed.  The group were focusing on the barriers to inward investment, some of which could be accidental barriers such as restrictions imposed by conservation regulations.  A meeting had been arranged for January between officers and businesses to discuss this matter.  The group was also looking at marketing. In order to make best use of limited resources the strategy was to target potential businesses who may be interested in investing in Cheltenham using existing contacts. Although Gloucestershire First would continue to support the Inward Investment Group, it was originally set up as a temporary group and therefore a meeting had been arranged in January to review its future role.

In response to a comment from the chair at the last meeting regarding the involvement of manufacturing industries, he advised that Spirax had been invited to join the Business Partnership but he was informed at the meeting that they had declined.

In response to a question from a member, he advised that the Inward Investment Group were not in a position to offer any financial incentives to businesses but they relied on emphasising the attractions of the town. There may be funding which could be accessed at a county level and any bids would be co-ordinated by Gloucestershire First or the local enterprise partnership once it was set up.

The Leader shared the concern of a member that companies could be deterred by planning regulations and more flexibility might be needed. However decisions must be the remit of Planning and the Planning Committee.

Cabinet Member Corporate Services

Regarding Strategic Commissioning, he advised that a key issue was agreeing how members wished to be engaged in the project going forward.  The section 4 report would be going to Council in December and if the new arrangements were supported there would be a need for subsequent decisions to be scrutinised.