Agenda item

Paula Deas (Deputy CEO of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership) and Phil Peak (Operations Director, CWLEP Growth Hub) presented a presentation to the committee.

Paula Deas introduced herself and stated that the CWLEP (Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership) started in 2012 and the CWLEP has succeeded due to its strong partnership between of the private and public sectors working collectively to insure economic growth. The board is representative of Coventry and Warwickshire’s economic structure. The CWLEP secured an exemplar performance rating from central government for their governance, strategy and delivery. The CWLEP work is a national context and were formed to deliver the government’s growth agenda, with working with stakeholders, spatial levels in the Midlands and combined authorities. The CWLEP obtained £43.5 million in funding for growth projects across Coventry and Warwickshire. This funding has been used to enhance and transform town centres whether traffic-wise or environmentally. Work had progressed to ensure this continued during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Warwick District Council was awarded £1.79 million for the 2022 Commonwealth Games as part of a blended scheme. This was primarily to improve Leamington Spa’s railway station and tourist facilities.

Pre-Covid-19, Coventry and Warwickshire had good economies and low unemployment. Therefore, an over-lapping phase approach was undertaken with central government’s context. The phases are crisis (immediate work), foundation (initial recovery), consolidation (start-up growth) and acceleration (long-term economic growth); a delicate balance of interventions for health and wealth reasons will remain. Economic reset objectives were set up to be green and sustainable and be a stable in government funding bids. These objectives focus on influencing businesses, industries and communities to reinvent themselves including using energy, fibre, 5G, modes of transport, whether electrification or cycling funds, differently for the future.

Paula Deas emphasised that the CWLEP are using every method possible to reflect Coventry and Warwickshire’s needs. The ‘Getting Building Fund’ was a short-term fiscal intervention announced by government. Warwickshire was awarded £8.1 million through the CWLEP. A blended package of projects by the private and public sectors will benefit from this; the projects will be environment, recovery, cycling, electrification and skills focused. The projects also include repurposing town centres including Nuneaton and its office facilities, e-cars clubs and cycling. All the schemes were well received in the county and by central government.

Paula Deas continued that the CWLEP are private sector entities spending public sector money and they use their Champions Network to learn what businesses want and secure their support packages and create the skills interventions that businesses want. The network was reinvented during the Covid-19 pandemic to become virtual and the CWLEP Growth Hub deals directly with businesses on every aspect of a businesses needs.

Phil Peak stated that the CWLEP Growth Hub dealt with more businesses in 2019 than ever before, and since 1st March 2020 3000 businesses had been consulted with, including 700 new businesses, every inquiry was resolved, and 7000 businesses are communicated with on a weekly basis. The growth hub generates a ‘sub-region’ report with the county and councils which provides business information to central government’s business department on a weekly basis. This was acknowledged as exemplar across the country and helped them shape policy in terms of the initial response around the survival of businesses and with shaping recovery policies for businesses.

Paula Deas continued that young people are put front and centre stage for the Career Enterprise Company and they have a work experience programme which 46 secondary schools in Warwickshire take part in. Paula Deas and Councillor Seccombe noted the difficulty of new office job starters not being able to work in an office.

The UKBIC (UK Battery Industrialisation Centre) is in Coventry and was a successful bid for the area with £126 million invested and 100 new jobs. The UKBIC emphasised the strength of the areas research, development and capability sectors and that the Coventry and Warwickshire area is good for Gigafactory’s. As the devolution of local government is yet to happen, the CWLEP must wait for ongoing national policies so secure a levelling up agenda. The CWLEP will focus on delivery during the last economic year of the local growth fund and maintain and preserve a strong economy.

The committee commended the presentation.

In response to the Chair’s point on work being done for older people who are made redundant, Paula Deas stated the opportunity the reskill adults is ‘up for grabs’ as the projects which focused on reskilling adults before were European. She concluded that their schemes for this are under development and needs to be reviewed but added they will extend their job vacancy portal.  

Following a query from Councillor Shilton, Paula Deas responded that the CWLEP have an architecture and tourism group who lobbied hard for targeted schemes for furloughed staff in these areas and opportunities will be offered through the growth hub.

In response to Councillor John Holland, Paula Deas confirmed that any schemes that can deliver will be invested into and agreed to get information regarding the Lord Leycester business plan.

Following Councillor Fradgley’s concerns regarding Stratford upon Avon’s economic loses during the pandemic, it was agreed that new industries for tourist focused town like Stratford need to diversify and create ‘micro-industries’. Paula Deas clarified the CWLEP are looking at this now.

Councillor Kondakor’s points about the skills agenda, the Midland Academy Trust being a weaker area and the need to prepare for domestic tourism and looking at ‘spin-offs’ for the UKBIC factory like electric motorbikes. Paula Deas said that the CWLEP make strong representations with skills and contracts are due to be given out regarding cycling in the West Midlands.

In response to Councillor Andy Sergeant’s points regarding support for smaller and self-employed courier companies, Paula Deas stated that this depended on the growth of the courier, but she will obtain information to see if the CWLEP are funding these businesses. Councillor Sergeant noted that several large international companies have moved to Nuneaton.

Matthew Epps added that the Council is rolling out a new business support programme to support businesses most impacted by Covid-19 with a focus on the retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors in the county. He also added that a new tourism contract has just been awarded to develop and implement a new ‘Visit Warwickshire’ campaign which will promote the county as a safe and open destination with a focus on the domestic tourism market.