Apologies were received from Councillor Freeman and Councillor Cordiner-Achenbach

There were no declarations of interest declared.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19^th May 2022 were agreed.

Councillor Jeal requested that the confidential minutes included in the agenda be removed as they were not allowed to be discussed. He added that members in the past were invited to the relevant meetings if they had relevance to the theme.

Councillor Wright added that it needs to be looked at and has been raised on several occasions. Consideration needs to be given that Members may wish to comment on something out of their responsibility as they are not Members of that committee but that it may affect their ward.

Councillor Walker agreed and added that Councillors need to know what is going on and the minutes should not be selective but frank and open.

Councillor Plant added that meetings are open so any Member could come to the meeting. Councillor Jeal asked for a point of order in that the minutes referred to are under the line. This was subsequently retracted.

The Strategic Director advised that, subject to further advice being sought from the Monitoring Officer, that Members of this Committee should be able to refer questions back to the respective Working Group in relation to the minutes they were receiving but not enter into a debate on said minutes in Committee.  Working Groups have representatives from all parties on them, they are not public meetings but members are duly nominated to those working groups and the minutes accurately recorded.

Councillor Candon advised that the minutes are accurate and ratified but that he will refer the matter to the Monitoring Officer to review the terms of reference and seek instructions on the minutes being added to the agenda. He added that the minutes did provide information which was helpful to the Economic Development Committee.

Councillor Plant requested that the Norfolk Infrastructure Framework be added to the forward plan.

Councillor Paul Hammond requested that an update on the Third River Crossing be presented to Committee.

Councillor Candon requested that an update from Vattenfall and Scottish Power also be added to the Forward Plan.

RESOLVED:

That the forward plan with the amendments agreed be noted.

The Renewables Marketing Manager presented the report which provided members with an update on GENERATE, formerly the Norfolk & Suffolk Offshore Wind Competitive Positioning Programme and a summary of the marketing activity in the past four months in respect of the GENERATE brand.  The  operational focus for the rest of 2022-2023 was also outlined, including the key account management of investment prospects/leads.

Councillor Wright commented that it was a good report and asked for updated figures on the number of apprenticeships referred to in paragraph 2.8. It was advised that updated figures are not currently available due to long lead times.

Councillor Wright asked if the East Coast College Lowestoft campus are involved with the Offshore Energy Conference and exhibitions.  It was advised that they had an open invitation to events and, for Wind Week in October, work is under way with the skills sector and East Coast College to get people to the campus and other areas in the region to view, for example, the windcat boats.  It is also hoped to hold a full skills day.

Councillor Wright added that businesses attending exhibitions generally ask what opportunities there are for jobs and with the involvement of the College that is an important part of selling Great Yarmouth.  He added that it was also important to have someone from East Coast Campus attending to sell the offering for skills for engineers as well as retraining and requested that this be taken on board. The Renewables Marketing Manager agreed to look into this.

Councillor Jeal requested that the video referred to in the report be shown at the Committee.  It was agreed that this would be completed and shown at the November meeting.

Councillor Plant commented that he was disappointed that a lot of the training previously delivered at East Coast College Great Yarmouth Campus had now moved to Lowestoft.

Cllr Plant asked whether James Palmer from Cambridge had contacted The Renewables Marketing Manager regarding the plans. It was confirmed that he had not.

Councillor Candon advised that he attended the Southern North Sea Conference which went very well. He also visited Equinor in Great Yarmouth recently who hold their own graduate programme and added that as valuable as East Coast College are it is also important to realise that other businesses are also investing in apprenticeships and local skills.

RESOLVED:

That members review and comment on the content of the report.

The Project Manager presented the report which updated members on the delivery of the Town

Deal Accelerator and Norfolk Strategic Fund funding in respect to the ‘Winter Programme’, under the brand ‘See Great Yarmouth in a Different Light’ #DifferentLight .

The events that have been held were detailed and it was advised that the small underspend of £34k which must be spent in line with how it was awarded from Town Deal, and must meet the required outcomes, will be used as a contribution to the ‘Winter Wonderways’ element of the programme.  The Project Manager explained that a number of events had been pushed back due to Covid.

The Strategic Director advised that the contractor representative for the ‘Fire and Water’  event, Joe Mackintosh of Out There Arts, was unable to attend the meeting and sent his apologies but that he’d provided a presentation relating to the 2021 event which was shown to the Committee on behalf of Out There Arts by the Strategic Director.

The Strategic Director advised that preparations are underway for this year’s event and Out There Arts were proposing Central Beach. The Borough Council is waiting for the operational plan from Out There Arts to ensure that the event is financially viable, fully accessible and safe to hold on the beach. The Waterways is still an option as per 2021. Sponsorship funding has been secured by Out There Arts from Visit Great Yarmouth and Interreg.

Councillors Jeal, Talbot and Robinson-Payne all praised the event last year.

Councillor Talbot expressed concern that by holding the event on the beach this may exclude those with disabilities and also asked if the ticket prices would be kept low to ensure those who don’t have large incomes are included, especially due to the current cost of living.

After discussion regarding the proposed ticket prices, the Strategic Director agreed to seek clarity on this and the age banding for children and added that the event needs to be fully inclusive.  The Council is waiting for the operational plan to ensure that this is the case. Holding the event on the beach may maximise footfall but will only be signed-off if it is fully accessible for all and can be done safely.

Councillor Robinson-Payne referred to the surveys carried for last year’s event, including those attending and where they visited from, and asked for the number of people surveyed.  The Strategic Director agreed to source the information.

Councillor Walker referred to the Carbon Footprint  for the event and added that if it is due increase along with the cost of the liquid gas, whether in the current situation is it viable to  go ahead or should an example be set for others. The Strategic Director apologised for the omission of the carbon information from the report but reported that a carbon off-set calculation has been undertaken resulting in less than 10 trees planted to offset the carbon, owing to the use of an electric re-fuelling boat and use of locally sourced sustainable wood and charcoal. The council worked with an accredited carbon company. A summary of the carbon calculation will be circulated to the Committee.

Councillor Candon commented that he felt it was the right course of action to continue with the event.

Councillor Wright agreed that the 2021 Fire on Water was a very good event and he had also received very good feedback and that the ticket price was not prohibitive. He added that he was aware there were issues to be addressed for the 2022 event and he asked for a further view from Visit Great Yarmouth who are supporting the event. Councillor Wright added that there needs to be reassurance that the carbon footprint is offset in a sustainable way as there is concern that the cost of gas and other consumables is on the increase.

Councillor Price agreed that the pricing structure for this year’s tickets for the event needed clarifying and also the logistics of holding the event on the beach.  He suggested that if the event is ‘not broke, don’t fix it’ and consideration could be given to extending the timescale for the event over more weeks to increase the number of people attending. He added that moving the event to the beach could increase the cost.

The Strategic Director advised that she will pass on all of the Committee’s comments to Out There Arts and discuss with Visit Great Yarmouth. She noted the Committee wanted assurance about the delivery of the contract’s KPI’s and wished to ensure delivery of a return on investment for the event.

Councillor Plant added that the original reason for holding the event was to attract people to the town out of the season and increase footfall and accommodation stays and that local businesses has reported an extremely positive impact from the 2021 event.  He added that everyone would have used one form of transport or another and that there is a carbon footprint for those coming to Great Yarmouth on holiday.  This has to be recognised and mitigated where possible but there is a carbon footprint for all attractions including the holiday parks and there has to be a balance. He added that the Council is trying to mitigate and reduce the carbon footprint but stopping enjoyment would not help anybody.

Councillor Walker added that it is important to assess what the carbon offset is going to be.

Councillor Candon commented that the impact on the environment needed to be considered in relation to carbon reduction but also the impact of bringing footfall and spend into the town in one of the less busy times of the year. That this has to be done in a pragmatic way, responsible and balanced manner. Councillor Candon thanked officers for the presentation and added that there had been some fantastic events held over the last 12 months giving people the opportunity to spend money in the borough, creating investment in smaller businesses.

The Head of Inward Investment gave a presentation on Levelling up Round 2.  He added that this round will be even more competitive than round 1, therefore the bid needs to be as competitive as possible and there will be a binary outcome. The maximum LUF value is £20m with a 90% intervention rate and local cash match of 10%.

Officers are compiling a package bid around extending and amplifying two Town Deal projects:

• Selective enhancement of the Rail Station site and surroundings.
• Further strategic regeneration of North Quay as a riverside quarter.
•  

The original submission deadline was 6^th July but this has now been extended to 2^nd August.

The focus for officers and consultants is emphasis on a clear evidence base, good alignment with local policy and being competitive.

The current focus of work is on detailed cost plans, full Benefit Coast Ratio, outputs and deliverables.

The proposal has been taken to the Policy and Resources Committee to underwrite the local matched funding which is contingent on securing the £20m of funding.  The total project cost is £22.2m with an approximate 20-30% likelihood of success.

Councillor Talbot asked if the Vauxhall bridge would be included in the project. It was confirmed that currently it is within the scope of the project but there are issues with ownership and maintenance, and it needs to be ensured that everything in the bid adds to the benefit cost ratio.

Councillor Plant confirmed that the bridge is owned by Sustrans. He added that the scheme is fantastic, the North Quay area as an entrance to the town is not suitable and really needs investment and uplifting.

The Director of Planning & Growth confirmed that Abellio is engaged in discussions re: this project.

Members discussed the ownership of the bridge, which is listed, the issues faced by regenerating the bridge, the work which had been completed previously and current issues.

In conclusion the Chair advised that he would write to Sustrans in consultation with the Chair of the Environment Committee, concerning the points raised at the meeting.  He advised that talks were ongoing on the bid with Abellio and Network Rail to improve the rail station and surrounding area.

RESOLVED:

That the Levelling Up Fund bid update be noted.

A copy of the presentation will be forwarded to Members of the Committee.

A letter from the Chairman should be sent to Sustrans, in consultation with the Chair of Environment Committee.  The letter to be shared with the Committee.

Councillor Tony Wright gave appreciation and thanks to Sally Pearson who is leaving the Council after 35 years service. This was echoed by the Committee.

The Chairman read out the resolution to the Committee to exclude the public from the meeting. 

RESOLVED:

That under Section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12 (A) of the said Act.