Work Programme
The themes within the Work Programme are being developed for their potential to increase the attraction and retention of investment and high value added knowledge workers through collaborative working that highlights the City Region’s strengths, and the policies being implemented to tackle its weaknesses.
The presumption is in favour of the connected, coordinated and cross border approach above individual working by each City Region partner organisation. Funding would be secured through the alignment of existing resources at the disposal of City Region partner organisations, aligning central government investment, and the identification of additional funding mechanisms.
City Region Strategic Options
The City Region is currently lobbying Government for the power to introduce Accelerated Development Zones (ADZs) as a new financial mechanism. The concept of ADZs was an important conclusion of a report commissioned by the Core Cities and produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers. An ADZ would be a defined physical area. Within it, local authorities would have the power to borrow in order to fund up front infrastructure investment, repaying the loan with the proceeds of the increased business rates generated by the resulting growth.
The Core Cities/PwC study developed a number of case studies to demonstrate the potential value of ADZs. One such is Eastside (Birmingham): there is currently a £90 million shortfall in funding to deliver the plans but the ADZ allows future growth in development to fund current infrastructure needs. By 2027 it is projected that the development will have generated £953 million in business rate revenues if the full infrastructure costs can be met upfront. The projected annual business rate of £50 million would easily support prudential borrowing of £90 million. The ADZ would capture enough business rate revenue to pay the loan back by year five.
No decisions have been taken on which projects could be the subject of ADZs in the City Region. For illustrative purposes only Midland Metro, and Cultural Facilities are being investigated as two potential projects that could benefit from City Region ADZs.
The partnership will also be lobbying funding agencies in support of key projects and programmes that will benefit the whole City Region.
Skills & Employment
The Board adopted the Skills & Employment JIP as a first year plan on the 18th April 2007. A review of the work of the JIP and a forward plan was taken to the Board on the 9th April 2008. The JIP focuses on three work streams;
- Secure sustainable employment for workless people
- Upskill those in work
- Build the foundations for a knowledge economy
The first work stream has led to the development of the integrated employment and skills model across 55 agreed wards, known as the City Strategy. The City Strategy is delivering outcomes against targets that have been agreed with the Department of Work and Pensions. Work will continue on the JIP to build on existing efforts and successes and further re-engineer how services work together to meet the needs and harness the opportunities presented in the City Region.
Inward Investment
In January 2008 a report was presented to the Board recommending a new collaborative City Region approach to inward investment. The report emphasised that by working together the City Region could increase the levels of investment that will deliver greater outcomes, impact and support a transformation of the City Region economy.
In addition, working together will also improve effectiveness and efficiency in attracting and sustaining investment to the region as a whole. The group is currently focusing on short-term actions, including:
- Information exchange by partners.
- A series of cluster working groups have been established in Business and Professional Services (Lead Birmingham), Construction and Environmental Technologies (Lead Black Country and Telford and Wrekin), ICT (Lead Solihull), Medical Technologies and Transport Technologies (Lead Coventry).
- Improving joint working within each cluster, including development of succinct CR sales proposition.
A review of the new way of working, known as the Three Stage Framework was taken to the Steering Board on the 9 July 2008.
- Stafford, Warwickshire and Worcestershire are to be invited to participate in relevant Cluster Working Groups.
The City Region secretariat also commenced in February 2008 a review of business support services and their delivery. The review will aim to identify where greater efficiency and effectiveness can be introduced to these services. The first phase of the review focuses on three case studies
- Support for new business start ups
- Recruitment services
- Regulatory services
Culture
A Culture Steering Group has been meeting since 2006, the Lead Chief Executive is Paul Sheehan from Walsall MBC.
Culture in its widest sense is seen as a cross cutting theme that runs through most of the City Region work streams. A report to the then shadow Board in April 2007 highlighted a variety of gaps in relation to quality of life and the city region and proposed a number of next steps to be undertaken including an audit to identify the cultural offer in the City Region and any gaps.
Culture West Midlands were commissioned to carry out a mapping and gapping exercise of the cultural services and provision within the City Region. The report was presented to the Steering Group on 9 July 2008. Its policy recommendations are now being tested for their financial, technical and governance feasibility.
Business Support
In February 2008 a first meeting of the City Region Business Support Alignment Group was held. The group’s objective was defined as initially investigating how there could be better alignment of business support between the various agencies that operate across the region and to ensure the delivery of the best business support service possible.
The overall aim of the group is to help the City Region acquire a reputation as the best place for businesses to access the support they need to prosper, through the development of a City Region Business Support Alignment Strategy.
The group is supporting the secretariat carrying out a mapping case study approach, which will detail the various services and agencies involved in the provision of business support across the region in three agreed areas:
• Support for new business start ups
• Recruitment services
• Regulatory services
The information from this exercise will be used to assess whether a full mapping exercise of all business support services across the City Region should be conducted.
Climate Change
Steve Wellings, Lead Chief Executive on Climate Change presented a report outlining proposals for the development of work in this area in March 2008. The paper builds on previous reports and proposed a way forward to establish what commitments and activity each partner authority is taking in relation to this agenda and identifying opportunities to work collaboratively and promote best practice.
Initial work which involved undertaking of an internal audit to establish the baseline position for each authority and the Region in relation to several key areas, has been completed. This audit included current and planned work on climate change, work with partners, national indicator position including targets and ideas regarding opportunities and added value through collaborative working.
As a result of this initial work, a Climate Change and Sustainability working group is now in place and meets on a bi-monthly basis. The group is now working on clear proposals for future joint work, added value and promoting best practice.Single Economic Assessment (SEA)
In November 2007 a report was submitted to Chief Executives seeking endorsement for the production of a single Economic Assessment for the City Region, following agreement by the Board in October to continue to develop a robust evidence base to inform City Region activities and interventions. The West Midlands Regional Observatory was commissioned to produce this assessment.
Findings of the SEA were given to the board in January 2008 and the final City Region SEA was submitted in March. Following this Jerry Blackett, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry was appointed from the Steering Group to Chair a working group of City Region and other officers to develop the policy implications of the SEA. The group will also direct, in the first instance, any further research that will be required to continue to develop the shared evidence base. Central to this work will be an assessment of the added value that City Region working can bring in the recommended policy areas.
City Region Heads of Communications
In January 2008 a report on the City Region Communications Strategy and Plan was presented to the Chief Executives following discussions that had taken place late in 2007.
The report proposed appointing the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop and deliver the City Region Communications Strategy and Plan to the end of March 2009.
A remit for this work included formulating a PR strategy, raising internal and external profile, developing a bespoke database to target all relevant media, developing a strategy for engaging with key opinion formers and influencers and targeting businesses to promote the benefits of a City Region.
A City Region Heads of Communication Group meets on a monthly basis. The Heads of Communications purpose is defined as:
"Ensuring a shared understanding and a consistent approach to messages about the City Region agenda to aid profile raising and success. To identify and collaborate on regional issues or current communications issues, thus adding value to the work of individual councils".
CR Heads of Communications Terms of Reference
