South West Regional Development Agency

MINUTES OF THE 26th BOARD MEETING 22 October 2001 
Portland Heights Hotel, Dorset 
 
 
 
Present:

• Sir Michael Lickiss Chairman
• Doris Ansari
• Peter Chalke
• Tudor Evans
• Helen Holland
• Mike Leece
• Alf Morris
• Stella Pirie
• Jeremy Pope Deputy Chair
• Jonathon Porritt
• Jill Barrow Chief Executive
• Suzanne Bond Director of Strategy and Communications
• Caroline Bull Director of Enterprise and Innovation
• Colin Molton Director of Development
• Guy Price Head of Strategy and Quality
• Simon Hodgson Head of Corporate Affairs
• Melanie Farrant Chairman's Office

Guest: 
Thos Shearer Government Office for the South West

Apologies Received: 
Nigel Costley 
Timothy Parker 
Cairns Boston  
Nick Lewis Director of Corporate Services 
 
 
 
1. Rural Action Plan 
 
Jonathon Porritt introduced the Rural Action Plan, which had been developed by the Board's Rural Sub Group. Dovetailing with the Corporate Plan 2002-05, the Plan included a number of organisations' views on the rural economy. The Rural Action Plan captured only some of the RDA's work on the rural economy and would evolve to address fully the rural dimension of the Corporate Plan

• Members made a number of comments and suggestions:
• References to planning and tourism should be strengthened.
• Encouragement of young people in Cornwall to pursue higher education should be clarified.
• New technology and alternative means of fish farming should be included in the food farming and fishing section.
• Common themes across regional activities should be linked at a high level.
• Business Links needed to be fully aware of the expertise offered by cooperative development agencies (Caroline Bull to action).

RDAs were responding to new spatial targeting issues of Rural Priority Areas. However, Rural Priority Areas would no longer exist after 2002, so the Board and the Rural Sub Group would be asked to identify priority rural areas. The RDA already had a number of initiatives targeting rural areas, such as the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative, but it needed to prioritise further and work within the new rural priority areas to achieve greater focus. 
 
Noting these modifications, the Board received and adopted the Rural Action Plan. 
 
 
2. Corporate Plan 
 
Jill Barrow (JB) reiterated the development process and timetable for the Corporate Plan. 
 
Suzanne Bond (SB) reported that consultation on the Plan had identified four key elements for the RDA's role: greater focus and prioritisation; lobbying and influencing; economic focus; and relationships with the Regional Assembly and Government Office. The Panel of Economists, which had also reviewed the draft Plan, agreed that RDAs had an ill-defined remit; and that RDAs should lead and co-ordinate, focussing on economic development. The key issues identified by the economists for the RDA concurred with those identified through the consultation. 
 
Mike Leece explained that the frontispiece was intended to be a high level summary of the Plan, providing a framework and focus for the RDA up to 2005. He hoped that today the Board could agree the focus of the RDA's activities; its delivery role; and criteria for allocation of the RDA's resources; all of which would provide a framework for corporate governance.

• Comments on the frontispiece included:
• There was no sense of the region's position or relationships internationally.
• The document did not correlate with the RDA's statutory requirements. SB advised that amendments would be made to reflect these better, but the intention was to give a regional flavour; and the RDA's role, and the contribution by and roles of other partners (ie LSPs and SRPs), in delivering the regional strategy would be included.
• Inclusion of outputs in the vision was confusing.
• Regarding the RDA's targets, JB explained that she had previously reflected the Board's dissatisfaction to the Department. However, now issued, the targets had to be accepted. It was still possible to create meaningful regional targets that supported national targets.
• The distinction between how the RDA exerted its influence and how it spent its money was not clear.

Jeremy Pope then set out the financial context of the Plan, illustrating the levels of committed and uncommitted funds.

• Comments regarding financial commitments included:
• The public should be made aware that £67m of the £93m budget was already legally committed, and that the RDA was limited in what it could choose to support (although, as legal commitments decreased, increased uncommitted funds would allow the RDA greater flexibility).
• Running costs and non-programme costs should be clearly explained and set against projects as far as possible.
• Outputs needed to be considered when agreeing priorities.
• Funding, or part funding, valid projects should be considered if funds from other sources or partners were not available.
• Details of moral commitments needed to be available to Members so that they could give a steer on what should be supported.

Fundamental regional issues and actions for the RDA were suggested to be:

• Comments regarding financial commitments included:
• The public should be made aware that £67m of the £93m budget was already legally committed, and that the RDA was limited in what it could choose to support (although, as legal commitments decreased, increased uncommitted funds would allow the RDA greater flexibility).
• Running costs and non-programme costs should be clearly explained and set against projects as far as possible.
• Outputs needed to be considered when agreeing priorities.
• Funding, or part funding, valid projects should be considered if funds from other sources or partners were not available.
• Details of moral commitments needed to be available to Members so that they could give a steer on what should be supported.
• Fundamental regional issues and actions for the RDA were suggested to be:
• Renewable energy and waste - funding significant research and action, to create an image of the region synonymous with renewable energy
• Sector groups - providing support if sectors continued to be considered as the most effective development route
• Technology - promoting the region as a technology region, increasing accessibility to computers and the internet within the region
• Regional image - promoting a coherent regional image
• Culture and tourism - funding to pull all relevant organisations and agencies together to work strategically
• Infrastructure - lobbying for connecting the region to London, the UK and Europe
• Rural economy/agricultural and land based industry - supporting restructure and change, working with the industry to adapt to and maximise the changes
• Voluntary sector - maximising its role and contribution
• Delegation of funds and responsibilities to SRPS - RDA to continue with its principles of subsidiarity, devolving budgets and targets to SRPs according to their capacity (JB to draw up proposals for the Board to consider on the role of, and devolvement to, SRPs)
• Regional Observatory - funding the facility to give businesses access to information allowing them to grow and increase competitiveness
• International trade and exports - looking outwards and providing funding to promote international trade
• Leadership - using the RDA's influence to achieve things that otherwise could or would not be achieved
• Brokerage - collecting and putting together ideas from the region, focussing on why markets and existing networks fail and addressing the problem

It was agreed that the work programme should be re-drafted to reflect the discussions, that resources then be allocated, and finally that moral commitments be reviewed alongside legal commitments so that the Board was in a position to set its priorities. The frontispiece would then be re-drafted to reflect the revised work programme. The sub group of Board Members working on the Corporate Plan would review these before they were circulated prior to the November Board Meeting. 
 
Thos Shearer suggested that the final document should describe how the RDA would meet its targets if delivery was through partners, and that consultation with the Regional Assembly should continue at all stages. 
 
 
3. Development of Royal William Yard 
 
Colin Molton reported that negotiations were almost concluded with Urban Splash in respect of the Clarence and Brewhouse buildings at Royal William Yard. A detailed report would be made to Members at the November Board Meeting. 
 
The Board then received a presentation from Urban Splash, showing the plans for the their part of the development. Key features were the provision of sustainable energy and the possibility of a borehole for water supply. These features would provide the Agency an opportunity to show the region taking a leading role in sustainable building.  
 
 
4. Any Other Business 
 
Caroline Bull circulated a matrix showing Board Members' connections with the region's top 40 companies. Meetings for Members with these companies were being arranged before Christmas. If this initiative were successful, similar meetings with other major organisations in the region would be arranged in the New Year. Caroline Bull asked Members to advise her of an additions to or inaccuracies in the list. 
 
 
5. Visit to Osprey Quay, Portland  
 
Members toured Osprey Quay and visited Luhrs Marine's yacht building facility and the Sailing Academy.