South West Regional Development Agency

Minutes of the 13th Board Meeting 5/6th June 2000 
 
 
 
 
Present:

• Sir Michael Lickiss Chairman
• Helen Holland Deputy Chair (HH)
• Jeremy Pope Deputy Chair (JP)
• Doris Ansari (DA)
• Cairns Boston (CB)
• Peter Chalke (CB)
• Nigel Costley (NC)
• Tudor Evans (TE)
• Michael Leece (ML)
• Alf Morris (AM)
• Tim Parker (TP)
• Stella Pirie (SP)
• Jonathon Porritt (JPT)
• Jill Barrow Chief Executive (CEO)
• Caroline Bull Director Enterprise & Innovation
• Nick Lewis Director of Corporate Services
• Colin Molton Director of Development
• Michael Roberts Director of Marketing
• Simon Hodgson Head of Corporate Affairs

Apologies: 
Suzanne Bond Director of Strategy and Performance  
 
 
1. Minutes of the 12th Meeting -The Minutes were agreed and signed by the Chairman. 
 
2. Matters Arising 
 
Chairman reviewed the actions bought forward from the 12th Meeting. 
 
Points Raised:

• Progress with the SW integrated office in Brussels was reviewed.
• Chairman clarified the position over representation on Local Learning and Skills Councils (LLSCs). DFEE have directed that only Board members (appointed under Nolan rules) and the Chief Executive could sit on the LLSCs. Directors may sit as observers in the absence of the Board member representative.
• There was a short discussion on the issue of LLSCs covering the time required for Board member involvement, the appointment of Chairman and DFEE's approach to the whole initiative. The Chairman invited Board members to put their names forward to him.

3. Chairmans Report 
 
Points Raised:

• Chairman reported that he had now met all the Conservative MPs in the region and felt that a rapport had now been established and would be continued.
• Chairman reported on the trip to the US and Japan. He noted that all the companies they had met had expressed support for the SW and their decision to locate in the Region. He had returned with a greater understanding of how these companies see the SW.
• Chairman noted that all the Consulates had been very helpful, the support had been excellent and they were all well informed about the businesses operating in the UK.
• Chairman reported on his meeting with Commissioner Barnier in Brussels. The meeting was called to try and draw in ideas from the regions that might be brought into Objective 1 and 2 programmes. DA reported on a presentation she had made on European programmes in the SW. She felt that the SW was ahead in a number of areas such as strategic thinking and the management of programmes.

4. Chief Executives Report 
 
Jill Barrow introduced the report and explained the new performance reporting structure. 
 
Points Raised:

• There was a B feeling that the Board needed a relatively small number of measures by which it could monitor the work of the RDA, perhaps no more than six to ten. There was an acknowledgment that the RDA still had to report on a much greater number of measures for departmental programmes.
• It was important that the RDA developed measures that reflected a more integrated and sustainable approach to its work.
• The importance of having measures that reflect what the RDA is trying to achieve through the Regional Strategy was emphasised. There was also a need to have measures which could catch public attention such as the level of funding attracted to the SW by the RDA.

Chairman summarised the discussion noting that while the RDA had to report to government it needed to move to measuring it was helping to achieve the Regional Strategy. There was general agreement that Appendix III (report for 2001/2002) should have around 10 output measures and more on qualitative assessment and outcomes. These points would be taken into account in preparing the 2001/2004 Corporate Plan and future Performance Reports. 
 
5. Financial Report 
 
Nick Lewis reported on the end of year spend, income and expenditure accounts and the balance sheet.. It was noted that the Audit Committee would review Annual Accounts at its 23rd June meeting. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board accepted the financial reports. 
 
 
6. Budget 2000/01  
 
Nick Lewis explained the revised budget and the additional allocation to the budgets for Rural Building Grants and the Innovative Cluster Fund.  
 
Jill Barrow noted that there are concerns at the way government allocates administration budgets to the between RDAs, the process appears to rather arbitrary and we have not been able to get a satisfactory explanation as to how the figures are determined. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board accepted the proposed interim budget. 
 
 
7. Financial Delegations  
 
Nick Lewis reported on the changes and the discussion at the Audit Committee who had benchmarked our delegations against other RDAs. He noted that there were some increases in the proposed delegations. 
 
Board Decision 
The proposed changes to the delegations were agreed in addition it was agreed that the 'write-off' delegations be increased to the CEO to the maximum level of £25k and to the Director of Corporate Services to £10k. 
 
 
8. Sustainability Appraisal  
 
Jill Barrow introduced the paper setting out the proposals to contract-out some of the work on sustainability appraisals of the RDA's work.. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board accepted two separate pieces of work; Appendix A, the tender specification for independent appraisal of the Frameworks for Action and Appendix B (Alternate Version 2) the proposal that Sustainability SW be offered the work as lead contractor for the development of sustainability appraisal mechanisms.  
 
9. New Regeneration Initiatives  
 
Colin Molton introduced the paper setting out proposals for a series new regeneration intitiatives to be worked up as part of the RDAs bid under the Comprehensive Spending Review and a separate proposal to vire SRB funding into capacity building programmes.during this financial year. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board agreed the paper  
 
10. Falmouth Maritime 
 
Colin Molton introduced the paper and explained the need for the additional funding.  
 
Nick Lewis explained that with this additional funding the project would now be over the delegation level for the RDA, however the original funding was approved by English Partnerships so the RDA itself had not gone over its delegated approval level as set out in the Financial Memorandum. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board agreed with proposal to put in additional funding of £1.5m subject to a favourable assessment of the tourism proposal for the scheme and detailed breakdown of the fitting out costs for the project by CB. 
 
11. Frameworks for Actions  
 
Jill Barrow introduced the paper and proposed an extension to the deadline for the consultation with Board members to the June 25th.

• Business Development - JP reported that he was content with this FfA.
• Innovation and Technology - JP reported that the FfA needed to be edited and that this was now being done.
• Infrastructure - HH was content with this FfA as long as it represented a reasonable spread of interests from across the region.
• Regeneration - HH wanted a little more time to review the FfA.
• Skills - AM reported that the Board members (AM/SP/NC) would respond as quickly as possible.
• Inward Investment - DA and TE were content with the FfA.

12. South West Sector Development Fund 2000/2001 
 
Caroline Bull introduced the paper setting out proposals for the implementation of the Sector Development Fund for 2000/01.  
 
Board Decision 
The Board agreed the proposals in the paper. 
 
 
13. SRB Round 6 Procedures  
 
Colin Molton introduced the paper setting out the procedures for managing SRB Round 6. 
 
Helen Holland and Tudor Evans registered a non-pecuniary interest in SRB Round 6 bids relating to Bristol and Plymouth respectively. 
 
Board Decision 
The Board agreed the procedures proposed in the paper. 
 
 
14. Sustainable Framework for the South West Region  
 
Presentation by Katherine Bryan of the Environment Agency, a Board Member of Sustainability SW. Board members were invited to comment on the presentation and complete the prepared question sheet. 
 
Chairman noted the tight timetable for response. Board members were asked to respond to Simon Hooton who will prepare composite response. This will be circulated to Board members before being submitted by the end of June. 
 
 
15. Exeter Airport and East of Exeter Development  
 
Presentations were made by Miles Butler/David Andrew of Devon County Council and Geoff Myers of Exeter Airport. 
 
Chairman summarised the discussion highlighting the way in which the proposal brings together a number of issues with which the RDA is concerned. 
 
16. ICT Development  
 
Raj Chauhan of Cap Gemini introduced the proposals for the development of the RDA's ITC structure. 
 
Chairman summarised the discussion and noted that there would be more work on the project before it was presented to government.

Next Meeting 
September 4th 2000 Sterling House, Dix's Field, Exeter