Agenda for Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday, 13th October, 2020, 7.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Apologies

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. 

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Leaver and Akpinar.

 

Each member introduced themselves. 

2.

Declaration of Interests

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non pecuniary interests relating to items on the agenda. 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest. 

3.

Culture Strategy pdf icon PDF 4 MB

To receive a presentation from Rebekah Polding (Head of Cultural Services Department) for discussion, on the Council’s new Culture Strategy before Cabinet approval. 

Minutes:

Councillor Margaret Greer had to leave the meeting at this point and Councillor Claire Stewart took over the chair for this item. 

 

The panel received a presentation from Rebekah Polding (Head of Culture Service Development)

 

1.            Presentation

 

Rebekah Polding highlighted the following:

 

·         A specialist team working both internally and with external organisations had been commissioned to put together a culture strategy for Enfield. 

 

·         The final strategy was due to be approved at Cabinet in November. 

 

·         The definition of culture had been taken to be broader that of the Arts Council including creativity in its widest sense and cultural identity but with arts at its centre. 

 

·         The purpose of the strategy was to obtain a clear view of Enfield’s strengths and weaknesses, to enable strategic support and planning, to harness the power of culture to support key borough agendas and to make more of the borough’s existing cultural offer. 

 

·         The overall ambition was to connect Enfield through culture providing youth opportunities and celebrating shared cultures.

 

·         Over the summer Enjoy Enfield had shown what the strategy could do in action. 

 

·         The policy framework would contain three cross cutting themes (sustainable culture, opportunity for young people, and culture every day) and five areas of focus (on the ground, right mix, celebration, supporting growth and cultural capacity).  

 

·         Ensuring sustainable culture to include financial sustainability as well as the involvement of stakeholders.  Opportunity for Young People to involve the creation of opportunities across the future work of the Council and in the economy.  Culture every day to emphasise that culture should be seen as an everyday part of everyone’s life, woven through the fabric of the borough. 

 

·         The focus, on the ground focus seeks to ensure that culture would physically visible in town centres, parks and open spaces as well as in the open spaces to the North of the borough.

 

·         The right mix focus seeks to address the culture gap - areas where Enfield has had historically less - creating spaces for artists and facilities such as music venues and independent cinemas.

 

·         The supporting growth and providing opportunities for young people focus would aim to bring more creative jobs to Enfield.  One in six jobs in London was in the creative economy.  These jobs were less prone to automation and were critical to growth. 

 

·         Increasing celebration across communities, would involve working with local people from the grass roots up to develop new activities. 

 

·         Increasing cultural capacity from the top would mean creating sustainable networks and obtaining funding.  Funds were already being directed from the Arts Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help support the covid recovery. 

 

·         The next steps in the development of the strategy would involve cultural and creative sector workshops, agreeing governance arrangements and refining an action plan, following Cabinet approval.  

 

2.            Questions/Comments

 

2.1         In response to the query as to whether all ethnic groups had been involved in putting together the strategy, members were informed that a sample survey had been sent to over 60 organisations, followed up by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Economic Development Strategy pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To receive a presentation from Bob Doyle (Head of Economic Development) for discussion on the Council’s new Economic Development Strategy before Cabinet approval.   

Minutes:

The panel received a presentation from Bob Doyle (Head of Economic Development) on the Council’s new Economic Development Strategy. 

 

1.            Presentation

 

·         Over the last 6 months, there had been many successful economic achievements in Enfield, including helping businesses respond to the Covid situation, the outcome of the Good Growth Fund bid for Angel Edmonton, putting in place Town Centre Action Plans, inward investment from large companies such as Waitrose, the Beaver Town Brewery and OMA Film Studios and supporting the growth of existing businesses including SHL Stage Lighting, which had recently expanded their borough premises, creating more high quality jobs and 20 new apprenticeships.

 

·         The Coronavirus has had a significant impact on Enfield with an increase of 164% in the numbers of unemployed since January, 52,000 people are currently on the furlough scheme - many of these may also lose their jobs, when the scheme ends.  There have been significant rises in youth unemployment.

 

·         The key objectives of the new strategy were to create an economy which worked for everyone, creating more high-quality employment, enhancing skills and connecting local people to employment, developing town centres and crafting a cultural offer. 

 

·         The strategy was about creating the right conditions for growth, designing for the emerging economy, capitalising on Enfield’s unique strengths and building the right partnerships.   

 

·         There were five key themes:  people, work, places, investment and partnerships. 

 

·         Enfield has 17.1% of workless households which is high for London. The borough was getting younger, numbers of young people are growing, it is amongst the youngest of the London boroughs.  It was important to invest in this future talent pool.  In the past, the borough was over reliant on a lower wage economy, which did work for a while, but there is a need to put jobs on a more sustainable footing, with higher quality work. 

 

·         In Enfield 92% of businesses are micro businesses employing 1-9 people.  These businesses are part of the community and reflect local needs and concerns.  Amongst these there are many different types of business and it was important to channel support in the right direction.

 

·         In town centres Enfield has a very low office space vacancy rate at 4%.  Much space had been lost and there was a growing need especially for high quality office space.  The underdeveloped night-time economy and shortage of leisure facilities has meant that Enfield has not been good at attracting visitors from home and elsewhere. This was an area with good opportunities for growth, particularly at the current time with more people working from home. 

 

·         Over the last five years, seventy percent of new investment in the borough has been in construction, professional services, business support services, information and communication and transportation and storage.  The new Metaswitch building now owned by Microsoft was a good example of major investment in the borough.  It is one of the largest in Europe. 

 

·         Enfield had good relations with local partners and had attracted significant funding such as the £156m for Meridian Water from the Housing Infrastructure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 September 2020 pdf icon PDF 199 KB

To receive and agree the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2020. 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2020 were received and agreed as a correct record. 

6.

Workprogramme 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 75 KB

To review the work programme and note any changes.   

Minutes:

The panel noted the agreed work programme for 2020/21. 

7.

Dates of Future Meetings

To note the dates scheduled for future meetings as follows:

 

·         Tuesday 8 December 2020

·         Wednesday 3 February 2021

·         Wednesday 17 March 2021

Minutes:

NOTED the dates scheduled for future meetings:

 

·        Tuesday 8 December 2020

·        Wednesday 3 February 2021

·        Wednesday 17 March 2021

 

Tuesday 8 December 2020

·         Local Plan – discussion on historic housing delivery, the housing delivery test, and new proposed policies and plans

·         Meridian Water – review of how the project is supporting Enfield’s’ economic development

·         Skills and Training - discussion on partnership with colleges and work with Local London to address unemployment in the borough

 

Wednesday 3 February 2021

·         Estate Regeneration – discussion on the social, environmental and economic outcomes of Alma, Ladderswood, New Avenue and Electric Quarter

·         Local Plan – discussion on emerging policies

 

Wednesday 17 March 2021

·         Joyce and Snells – review of regeneration project structure and outcomes

·         Meridian Water – discussion on how the project is addressing local needs and supporting resident health and wellbeing