Agenda item

To enable the Committee to contribute to the development of ‘Priorities and Projects’ to be incorporated as part of the Council’s Back to Business and Recovery Plan, and Performance Management framework for the Council for 2020/21 in advance of any decisions by Cabinet/Council on those matters.

The Committee had before it a report of the Assistant Director of Governance regarding the development of ‘Priorities and Projects’ that was incorporated as part of the Council’s Back to Business and Recovery Plan, and Performance Management framework for the Council for 2020/21 in advance of any decisions by Cabinet/Council on those matters.  The report included an Appendix prepared by the Assistant Director of Finance which drew together the numerous proposals and concepts arising from a survey of businesses locally, from individual Councillors and from Officers to help the District to build back better following the economic and social impact locally of the lockdown associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chairman of the Committee expressed his appreciation for the work of the Deputy Leader in launching the initiative to gather ideas to address locally the challenges arising from the lockdown.

The Committee was invited to identify its collective view on the themes and activities that should be key strands of work to focus on helping the district recover and included restarting the local economy, keeping residents and visitors safe and harnessing the power of the voluntary sector to deliver much needed services and improve the quality of life locally.

It was RECOMMENDED that Cabinet considers the following as it formulates its back to business strategy and the content of that strategy:

·                In considering business development and encouragement, there should be an element that recognises the enduring and ongoing need for a range of service trades (such as plumbing, engineering, building and carpentry) – support for those business should not be overlooked and there should be engagement with other agencies to support training opportunities locally in the skills and competencies to work in those service trades. 

·                Similar to the above, there was an opportunity to look at opportunities to support skills development and business location associated with the off shore wind farm industry and green initiatives to lower energy usage and costs associated with that energy use (around heating, insulation and cooling) and providing services to other businesses to harness the same energy reduction measures.

·                The District had tremendous potential for tourism.  But this needed to harness the separate and distinct elements across the District. Branding around the opportunities and attractions of the Tendring Peninsula were critical to this to avoid visitors just visiting one town or village and not benefitting from the richness that the wider District has to offer.   Part of this would be about developing and maintaining up to date directories of places to go and enjoy, to look early at promoting events to be held in 2021, to harness and reflect national and international interest such as in the years of the Olympic Games to promote related activities locally, but also to look at events and activities to try to appeal to potential visits throughout each month of the year.  Increasing access to information about points and walks of interest, including facilitating elements of sampling digitally those walks, would increase interest in the Tendring peninsula going forward.  This would also positively contribute to encouraging local people to take more walks and thereby improving the health of the population.

·                There was a need to address the needs of our communities and provide, perhaps limited at first, but opportunities for the public that are in Clacton-on-Sea to safely come into the Town Hall so that they can be sign-posted to services that they require.  In addition, the Council should review its spending power to ensure that it was as sustainable in energy terms, it supported training opportunities for local people (including apprentices) and that local businesses had every opportunities to secure work from the Council and therefore recirculate public money locally where this represented good value for money.

·                The Council was in a powerful position, subject to the review of its own spending referenced earlier, to deliver a consistent message around the benefits to the community of buying locally to boost the local economy, to encourage local businesses to succeed and through success to employ more locally and develop that virtuous circle of spending.  

·                To provide tangible support for business a dedicated Covid-19 resource would be beneficial to help businesses access the latest advice speedily and to assist those businesses to identify practical measures to deliver services safely.  The capacity of local businesses and the opportunity for new start-up businesses could be assisted by providing pop-up style facilities and market stall facilities.  And engagement with businesses and providing them with an opportunity to build local supply chains and attract new entrants/apprentices was vital and could be facilitated through existing and new business to business clubs and a jobs fair. 

·                There was an urgent imperative to support super-fast broadband provision locally and end the blight for communities, individuals and businesses that prevented them from making the most of the digital environment.  As part of the dedicated Covid-19 resource referenced above, there should be an element that encourages and enthuses businesses locally to embrace fully the opportunities of expanding their customer base globally through using digital commerce tools effectively.

·                There was an opportunity to support a shift to assist individuals to make healthier life choices, to look at expanding the outdoor gym class provision, to implement early the learning from the pilot project around transitioning inactive people to some form of activity and encouraging the slightly and moderately active to increase their activity levels.  To look at embracing the opportunities for the District to be a cycling attraction and thereby encourage local individuals to enjoy this leisure activity; perhaps through the London style free bike pick up and drop off scheme along stretches of the coast, by providing outdoor community gym style sites at intervals along the coast and elsewhere and sign posting people to multi-use games areas (MUGAs).  These measures would also help to expand the attraction of the area to a wider range of visitors and tourists.  Measure to encourage healthier eating habits and opportunities to ‘grow your own’.

[Note: The Committee agreed that its proposed response to the Cabinet on this matter would be circulated to the Committee Members for confirmation.  In the event that there was a need, the Committee would reconvene to formally endorse that response.]