Chief Executives' Group - North Yorkshire and York
4 November 2021
Report of the YNYERH Directors of Development Group
1.0 Purpose of the report
1.1 To update members of the Chief Executives’ Group as to the work and progress of the YNYERH Directors of Development.
2.0 Background
2.1 This report updates the Chief Executives’ Group on the work of the YNYERH Directors of Development (DoDs). This report covers the DODs meeting that took place virtually on 1 October 2021
2.2 There were four main items on the agenda for the October meeting plus the group’s standing reports from the Heads of Planning group and Economic Development Officers group and the covid-19 public health update.
1. YNY LEP Skills Paper
2. Route map to Carbon Negative
3. North Yorkshire Cultural Framework
4. Destination Management Organisation Report.
3.0 LEP Skills Update Paper
3.1 Senior Skills Manager and Social Inclusion Lead, YNY LEP attended the meeting to present the report to Directors.
3.2 Key points of information provided were:
a. An overview of current activity including:
- Investment programmes;
- Data and Intelligence;
- The Skills Strategy;
- Careers Hub; and
- Skills Capital.
b. Discussion on the Community Renewal Fund submitted by NYCC which included seven skills agenda related bids.
c. Investment Pipeline for Skills ensuring York and North Yorkshire are well placed to take advantage of the Shared Prosperity Fund.
d. Update on current Government Policy (outlined below 3.9 – 3.12)
3.3 Other key points brought out in discussion with Directors were:
3.4 European Social fund programmes are delivering on aims despite being hit by Covid for example where businesses were closing or concentrating on things other than training.
Future Skills Funding
3.5 A Revenue Investment Pipeline is being developed to assist when funding applications have a quick turnaround. There are currently 50-60 projects that were put forward by skills stakeholders. Mapping work to identify any gaps is now being undertaken.
3.6 Skills Accelerator funds have been set up to allow colleges to respond to skills improvement plans. Three colleges from our area were successful with collaboration led by colleges out of the area.
Colleges Merging
3.7 It was noted that Selby College is merging with Wakefield College and a lot of York and North Yorkshire colleges are being led by headquarters outside of the area. There is a risk that strategic priorities will not be set by York and North Yorkshire so colleges in the area need to ensure that skills needs in York and North Yorkshire are included.
Government Policy
3.8 In January 21 the Government issued the White Paper ‘Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunities and Growth. The Skills and Post 16 Education Bill followed this in May.
3.9 The Skills Bill aims to increase momentum in the delivery of skills by:
- increasing employer involvement in skills courses and better tailoring provision to local needs,
- improving higher technical qualifications,
- introducing a Lifelong Loan Entitlement,
- reforming accountability and funding systems and supporting FE recruitment.
3.10 In June, the government released its prospectus for Skills Accelerators with Local Skills Improvement Plan trailblazers (LSIPs) and Strategic Development Fund Pilots (SDFs).
3.11 In a significant change to the place-based strategic leadership of the skills agenda, LSIPs could not be led by Local Enterprise Partnerships. Rather they were to be led by employer representative bodies such as Chambers of Commerce.
HGV Driver Shortage
3.12 Directors asked what was being done in York and North Yorkshire to assist the issues. Answer: The Government are setting up HGV driver ‘boot camps’ and whilst none are in York and North Yorkshire the LEP are promoting the initiative. It was noted that recruitment was a much wider issue than just HGV drivers, driven partly by the increase in young people going into higher education.
4.0 Route map to Carbon Negative
4.1 Low Carbon and Circular Economy Lead YNY LEP attended the meeting to provide an update on the Route map to Carbon Negative and proposals for joint working to take the agenda forward.
4.2 There are three pillars to get the area to Net Zero target by 2034 including:
- Energy and decarbonising the grid;
- Moving to a circular economy; and
- Enhancing our natural capital.
4.3 The Carbon Abatement Pathways Study showed that most of our emissions are from transport, land use and agriculture followed by buildings and industry. There is still a long way to go to net zero and using existing policies would only reduce yearly carbon emissions by 30% by the late 2030s. It was explained that this shows the importance of having a local regional plan around climate action.
4.4 Some of the things that needed to be done by 2038 included;
- increasing walking and cycling, reduce dairy and meat consumption;
- retrofit of 250,000 homes to reach EPC C or better and
- Investment in electricity infrastructure to enable 102% higher annual demand.
4.5 Directors discussed the opportunities afforded by LGR and stressed the importance of targets being strategic and deliverable. 4.6 Directors gave updates on changes to policies and targets locally and discussed the importance of managing expectations.
5.0 North Yorkshire Cultural Framework
5.1 Senior Policy Officer (Economic Development) NYCC attended the meeting to provide an update on the work that has been undertaken by the Framework’s Steering Group.
The Aim and Activity to Date
5.2 The aim was to produce a document that supported local strategic activity in North Yorkshire but also supported those Districts and parts of the County that do not have a strategy. It focussed on art and heritage sectors.
5.3 A key finding around cultural provision is that there is a lot of activity in North Yorkshire but generally speaking they are quite small and community based activities.
5.4 A series of cultural conversations were undertaken with a variety of stakeholders to listen to people’s experiences, what matters to them and their perception of culture in North Yorkshire. From this, a series of key issues were identified; health and wellbeing, regeneration, skills and education and participation and awareness.
Outcomes
5.5 Consultation findings were presented for each area.
5.6 The framework looks at what the region has, what are the opportunities and how the sector can be supported and engaged with. The purpose of engagement is to enable a better life and outcomes for communities and to support the core activities of local authorities, in particular health and wellbeing and regeneration.
5.7 There are a number of aspirations included in the framework:
- Improve wellbeing for those at risk of social isolation or mental ill-health by widening the reach and brokering new cross sector partnerships;
- Engage audiences, strengthen identity and breathe new life into vacant and under-utilised spaces;
- North Yorkshire to be a place where a creative career is possible, with people in all stages of their working life invested in the success of the County’s cultural industries.
6.0 Destination Management Organisation Report
6.1 Senior Policy Officer (Economic Development) NYCC provided a brief overview of the Nick du Bois Independent Review of Destination Management Organisations, commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The review considers the structures of tourism, destination management and marketing organisations and consider options for future development. The review also outlines international comparisons and makes recommendations to Government in respect of the future funding and structure of DMOs in the UK.
6.2 The proposal centres on a multi-tiered structure including Visit Britain, regional (or as a minimum county or city region) destination development partnerships that receive core funding from government, via Visit Britain and a lower tier of local destination management organisations funded via the regional partnership (or tourist board). It was stressed that these are draft recommendations only at this stage and the implications for Yorkshire will become clearer when DCMS responds to the recommendations of the review.
6.3 Directors noted that this work be reflected in the Devolution Asks but that there were no specific actions.
7.0 Recommendations
7.1 The Chief Executives note the recent and on-going work of the YNYERH Directors of Development Group
Karl Battersby
Corporate Director - Business and Environmental Service, NYCC in the capacity of Chair of the YNYERH Directors of Development Group.
