SD Sarah Dance (Independent Consultant)
SS Sally Staples (East Sussex County Council)
SW Sarah Wren (Kent County Council)
VP Victoria Pomery (Turner Contemporary)
MT Mo Tomaney (Wise Birds)
IL Ian Lewis, Essex County Council
SWe Simon Wellington (Arts Council England),
AF Alison Fogg (Colchester Council)
TR Tim Rignall (Thurrock Council)
IR Ian Ross (Jasmin Vardimon Company)
LF Lorna Fox O’Mahoney (Essex University)
GH Graham Hammond (Shepway District Council)
RH Richard Holdsworth, Chatham Dockyard
JS Jim Sims, The Service Design Company
TW Tony Witton (Kent County Council
LM Liz Moran (University of Kent)
LMe Lucy Medhurst (Artswork, South East Bridge)
RK Rob Kenyon (Thanet District Council) / Apologies:
Adam Bryan, SELEP
Alistair Burtenshaw, Charleston Trust
Bill Ferris, Chatham Historic Dockyard
Catherine Gill & Sharon Phillips, GFE South
Georgina Button & Jo Simmons, SELEP
Gill Burden, Tendering DC
Gunilla Edwards, Basildon Council
Helen Markwick, Wealden DC
Joe Hill, Focal Point
Kelly Lean & Michele Gregson, Royal Opera House
Lisa Rawlinson, Eastbourne BC
Melanie Powell, Rother DC
Peter Davison, Arts Council England
Polly Gifford, Hastings BC
Sally Shaw, Firstsite Gallery
Valerie Tinker, Essex CC
Item / Actions
1 / Introduction & apologies
SD welcomed the group and delivered apologies; round-table introductions were made.
2 / Review of previous minutes/actions
Outstanding from last meeting:
- Circulation of info on employment for Young People
- Working group established for Talent Accelerator / LA
TW/KL
3 / Presentation from Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary has impact locally, regionally and nationally. Developed in response to the decline of the British Seaside holiday. Part of the Plus Tate network. The organisation was operational for 10 years before the gallery opened, working with local audiences. Artists and entrepreneurs have moved into the area, generating discussions around regeneration and gentrification.
- 2.4million visits
- £50m+ to the economy
- 150,000 engaged in learning
- 47% of visitors to Margate come to see the gallery
- 4.6% never visited a gallery before
- Over 70 new businesses opened in Margate
Income generated through earned income, donations and sponsorship as well as key funding from ACE and KCC.
RK said that Turner Contemporary touched every part of the local community, people want to move to Thanet and want to invest. Creative community business growth is up 84%, living and spending locally. A third have brought a derelict building back to life.
4 / SELEP Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) refresh (presentation available on request)
JS has a background in creative sector and set up START – which grew out of Creative Industries Business Advisory Service (CIBAS), he recognises the importance of SECEN to the future SEP. Separate conversation going on with the Tech community: references to Rifkin and the future of work.
Key questions are strategic, e.g. how do we position the south east in the face of the Northern call for more investment to “catch up” with the south east. The SEP needs to deliver an idea that challenges perceptions of the SE and is not just a list of infrastructural needs.
The creative narrative needs to work horizontally across the UK (are BFI signed up, how about a mini-Bazelgette group?) and be nationally compelling.
What conversations are happening with FE? U9 meetings and partnership development to facilitate discussion.
Comments from SECEN:
- The rhetoric around support for the CI’s needs to play out in the systems that could support its growth – an FTE doesn’t mean anything to many CIs or is not helpful. More jobs do not equal more productivity – emphasis on productivity is not the same as FTEs. What is the understanding of the freelance economy? Investment should be in productivity, not jobs.
- Purloin the word Industrial don’t shrink from it.
- Digital infrastructure is essential to growth, this is understood, the disruption that tech will create in the near future is more challenging.
- Leadership is critical – giving a voice to Millennials – what is their future going to look like? Developing the right skills requires future thinking, not just responding to skills gaps.
9 questions to respond to by end of 2nd week in August as part of listening phase:
OUR EVIDENCE BASE
- What particular evidence should we draw on to develop a compelling SEP narrative?
2. What are the main strategic assets of the SELEP economy?
3. How can we invest in these assets to achieve a source of international competitive advantage?
4. How can investment in these assets help maximise their contribution to economic growth?
MODELS OF SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT
5. How can we invest in our strategic assets to help reduce their long term dependency on the public purse?
ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP DELIVERY
6. What can the LEP and partners do better together in the future to maximise economic growth in the SELEP area?
7. What existing and new partnerships are needed to maximise the potential of these assets?
OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO GROWTH
8. How should we prioritise challenges/barriers that are holding back the local economy and what actions should be taken to overcome these?
PRIORITY PROJECTS
9. What projects do you consider to be a future priority?
Co-Chairs to produce a SECEN response as well as the individual responses. SD encouraged ACE to respond. SECEN will circulate the consultation to the group. / Dave Evans to circulate template for nine questions;
All SECEN members to respond by 2nd week of Aug
Co-chairs to prepare a response
5 / Thames Gateway Production Corridor
The brief has been circulated seeking consultant project manager to work on the development of the SECEN proposition. SECEN’s sign off required on the brief. TR and SD have discussed with GLA their feasibility brief to go out to tender seeking a more detailed feasibility and masterplan for Production Corridor. It had weaknesses so have fed back in great detail.
TR: There is a Thames Estuary Growth Day meeting which it will be good for SECEN to be part of; Thurrock has been asked to present on High House and can present on SECEN; University of Essex has also been asked so can also cover SECEN; VP has also been invited to speak – so all three parties will need to discuss. SD has also been asked to speak on both Thanet and Medway. Currently being seen as fragmented rather than SECEN overview and TEPC. TR to let them know.
GH: Is the Thames Estuary boundary fixed? SD stated the boundary was fixed, but the Vision document is clear that the work will need to permeate boundaries and build on anchor businesses, which maybe outside the Estuary area. / Any further feedback to SD/SW asap
Thurrock, Uni of Essex and TC to confer regarding Thames Estuary Growth Day meeting and agree who will attend and what the shared SECEN messages will be
6 / Workstream: SE Creative Business Support
TR: 18 months of work to support creative businesses via an ERDF supported programme. Have now resolved the issue of internships which will now be called “knowledge transfer” as a final hurdle. Staff allocation issues still to resolve, and budget to be altered as a consequence of the changes. Agreed to extend the programme subject to approval – to start in autumn 2017 for full three years. Solene Ferreira finishing the task and doing other work for Thurrock. Doesn’t need to go back to ESF sub-committee, can go through written procedures. Will take about 2 months to sort procedures but can start to spend “at risk”.
SS and SW to begin some preparation internally. / TR and SF to work on final stages
SS and SW to start preparation
7 / Workstream: SE Talent accelerator (proposed delivery programme)
Following meeting with Louise Aitkin and CCSKills, priorities are now agreed as closer links between employers and education.
TW scoping a specification from pilot work based on Thurrock Trailblazer and Kent Inspire model and anticipating working with Michele Gregson. TW will bring specification back to this group to get this up and running for the autumn. Louise Aitkin indicated that the LEP might support a pilot programme.
SS highlighted that the East Sussex CEP has a skills subgroup following the same agenda so suggested that Richard Freeman who is leading on that work needs to be involved in this programme.
We can bring together some initial pilots from the CEPs as well to bring forward an ask to SELEP. Will need to go through the LEP Board, although Adam has delegated authority, SD recommends TW attends the meeting. / TW to share draft specification for this work
SS to invite Richard Freeman to next SECEN
TW to attend LEP Board to support request for Talent Accelerator funding
8 / Workstream: SE Workspace Audit
SS presented an evolving Workspace master plan. It purloins the language of the Industrial Strategy, takes the initiative and seeks to make specific asks. So far, feedback has been received from critical friends and experts, and the advice will now frame a redraft and ongoing work to complete the County focussed Appendices that will be brought forward in the document with a focus on pipeline projects.
TR cautioned not to overlook the hub and spoke model identified within the Prospectus. The Industrial Green Paper identifies the criteria for the Enterprise Zones and should inform the paper. The question of how we sustain and protect the sector and make sure it’s not squeezed out needs addressing. An approach based on the sector deal may be appropriate.
JS said that changes to EZ’s mean they will erode the business rates income of local authorities.
SS suggested that Creative EZ’s would still be viewed as a prize, and GH pointed out that many of the businesses in Shepway were small businesses.
IR said the language of the report was not right but that it was a good opportunity and recommended to ‘start small’.
SS said places were in different positions in terms of development, the ambition is to create a baseline document to work with e.g. planning departments: there is a profound misunderstanding about how the sector works and things within the system accidently tripping the sector up.
Action: County-based meetings to get the county-based appendices and project pipeline right: with Ian Ross in Kent and East Sussex; Alison Fogg in Essex. Meetings to include HE, FE Sector. / SS, SW, AF to arrange county meetings, IR to advise on agenda
9 / Workstream: Cultural Tourism
The good news is that ACE and SELEP funding is secured, however we are still working on securing Discover England funding.
10 / AOB
Folkestone Triennial, starting on 6 September.
11 / Date of next meeting:
Wednesday 20 September, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, BN21 4JJ
Summary of Actions
2 Previous actions (outstanding From 17 May 2017)
- Circulation of info on employment for Young People (LA)
- Working group established for Talent Accelerator (TW/KL)
4 SELEP Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) refresh
- Dave Evans to circulate template for nine questions; all SECEN members to respond by 2nd week of Aug
- Co-chairs to prepare response on behalf of SECEN
5 Thames Estuary Production Corridor
- Any further feedback on the SECEN brief back to SD/SW asap
- Thurrock, Uni of Essex and TC to confer regarding Thames estuary Growth Day meeting
6 Creative Business Support
- TR and Solene Ferreira to work on final stages of bid
- SS and SW to start preparation in Kent and East Sussex
7 Talent Accelerator
- TW to share draft specification for this work
- SS to invite Richard Freeman to the next SECEN
- TW to attend LEP Board to support report to request funding for Talent Accelerator
8 Creative Workspace
- SS, SW, AF to arrange county meetings, IR to advise on agenda
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