Agenda item

The Leader of the Council, Councillor P. Fox, Chief Officer, Economy and Enterprise and Head of Economy and Enterprise were in attendance to provide a presentation on Cardiff Capital Region City Deal.

On introduction, the Chair congratulated the Leader on receiving an OBE.

We were advised that the presentation was an updated version to that published in the agenda, and it was agreed that the published version be updated to reflect the presentation received at the meeting.

Some areas highlighted in the presentation included the investment fund and areas to be invested in; the importance of governance and the strength of commitment; steps to move forward, and finance and funding contributions.

Following the presentation Members were invited to comment.

• An upcoming Council meeting to discuss City Deal further would provide an opportunity to think about the opportunities Monmouthshire wants to gain from the City Deal.

• The Leader advised that he had attended a Select Committee at Bridgend which had provided positive feedback.  The report and recommendations to be presented to full Council should be easy to digest and support.

• A Member asked why the GVA in Gloucestershire is 50% greater than that in Monmouthshire.  He also referred to the digital economy, and added that this could create digital isolation, and referred to concerns surrounding the Metro.  In response, the Leader recognised the concerns regarding Metro, adding that improvements would be seen at Severn Tunnel, and in time, at Abergavenny.  Metro is multi-modal and alternatives would be looked at.  It was important that people are able to access opportunities wherever they are based, and we noted the importance of the Monmouthshire Strategic Transport Group to ensure our voices are heard in the bigger debate around transport. The Chief Officer explained that in terms of GVA, our GVA is higher than the region as a whole, and since the figures were published had grown by another 4%.  There were reasons why we were not at the same level as Gloucestershire, being that our economy is about tourism, recreation, food and agriculture which were not considered high value jobs, but we do have potential to expand around growth areas. The Head of Economy and Enterprise addressed the question regarding digital exclusion.  Officers were looking closely at opportunities for the region as a SMART region, working closely with a company called Kinetic.  Connectivity rates were not satisfactory but this was being addressed.  A ‘White Space’ pilot was due to start which uses old analogue television signals to broadcast broadband.  A recent activity of mapping the digital maturity of our companies had been undertaken, which had found that those having one on one mentoring had shown a significant increase in online activity.
• A Member expressed the importance of retaining the young people of Monmouthshire, and stated that we should be offering the right education to our young people.  Education should be more tailored rather than a ‘one model fits all’ approach.  It was recognised that we were at an advantage in terms of geographical location, and we need to ensure that we grasp the opportunity for people to set down roots, and grow the economy.  The Chief Officer agreed with the points made regarding education and added we also need to consider enterprise hubs, skills hubs and different kinds of apprenticeships; degree linked not just entry level.

• Reassurance was sought that specialists in education would be involved from the start to the end, not simply invited intermittently.   The importance of vocational training was highlighted.

• Members were advised that should one of the 10 authorities choose to leave the deal, City Deal  would continue with the remaining authorities. 

• In terms of what City Deal would mean initially, the Leader highlighted:

o   A seat as a full partner in the regional agenda;

o   Partnership status in the regional economy and special strategy;

o   Fundamentally placed as the closest point in the capital region to Bristol;

o   Opportunity to lever in new bus services;

o   Opportunity to lever investment for broadband;

o   Expand our presence in the apprenticeship market;

o   Access to high value jobs.

• A Member noted the issues surrounding transport links around the County.

• A Member expressed that King Henry VIII school should be re-planned.

• We heard there would be the introduction of a replacement programme of funding to replace European funding and officers were currently working with colleagues to use the existing funds as leverage into the City Deal.

The Chair thanked officers and the Leader for the presentation.  We noted further information would be provided at a special Council meeting later in the month.