Agenda item

To endorse the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy and recommend to the Executive Committee that the Strategy be adopted.

105.1         The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 78-95, outlined the progress of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Working Group.  Members were asked to endorse the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy and recommend it to the Executive Committee for adoption. 

105.2         The Head of Development Services explained that an update had been provided at the last meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the progress of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy and she was now delighted to be able to present the final strategy for endorsement.  The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that the previous Economic Development and Tourism Strategy ‘Regenerating and Growing the Economy’ had reached the end of its lifespan and the Council needed a new strategy to reflect the changing nature of the local economy and the impact on businesses.  In June 2015, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had established a Working Group to develop the new strategy.  The Working Group had been chaired by the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, Councillor R A Bird, and a number of meetings had been held to consider various issues and opportunities including the national focus on growth; the economic potential of Tewkesbury Borough through the M5 Growth Zone, Network Business Growth Hub etc.; analysis of tourism and economy data; and presentations from key partners, including the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).  The Working Group had also met at Gloucestershire Airport where it had received a presentation and tour from the Managing Director.  A key element for the Working Group was the commissioning and development of an employment land review, economic assessment and business survey; this work had been carried out by Bruton Knowles and funded through the Large Sites Infrastructure Fund.  The study had been fundamental in the development of the strategy and the formulation of key recommendations for the Borough Council to take forward.

105.3         The Economic and Community Development Manager went on to give a short presentation which covered the following key points

·      Tewkesbury Borough Economy – 43,000 jobs; unemployment 1% (approximately 500 people); value of goods and services produced £2.23 billion per year; 3,915 enterprises (including 3,445 micro-businesses); strong business survival rate; £125M annual tourism related spend in the borough; 1.8M day visits.

·      Context – location; transport links; demand for employment land; diverse economy; established centre for high quality manufacturing/world class high-tech aero-engineering; opportunity for growth; Cotswolds sixth most popular tourist destination; major tourist attractions e.g. Tewkesbury Abbey, Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway, FlyUp417, Jet Age Museum.

·      What the strategy will do – provide practical support for businesses in the borough; promote the area to attract investment and visitors; deliver effective strategic planning to facilitate economic prosperity; take the lead in influencing partner public sector organisations, and act as a key co-ordinator, to facilitate economic growth; be proactive in seeking external funding for the area.

·      Strategy – Four year strategy 2017-21; five priorities, each with a number of objectives: 1. Employment land planning, 2. Transport infrastructure improvement, 3. Business growth support, 4. Promoting Tewkesbury Borough, 5. Employability, education and training; annual delivery plan.

·      Selection of Key Objectives – 1b) Delivering sufficient employment land to meet the needs of the strategic plan; 2b) Air – Support Gloucestershire Airport business expansion and highway access improvements; 3c) Stimulate business start-ups and enterprise growth rates, incorporating the development of a growth hub; 4b) Promote Tewkesbury Borough to visitors, work with Cotswold Tourism and other partners, including neighbouring tourist destinations; 5a) Promote initiatives to improve education and training relevant to local employment.

105.4         Members were shown a promotional video regarding inward investment in Tewkesbury - it was noted that the video had been funded through external flood support money and, as such, was focused on Tewkesbury; however, it was intended to produce something similar which was borough-wide.

105.5         A Member expressed the view that this was a great piece of work but she raised concern about the amount of work involved and questioned how the strategy would be implemented.  The Community and Economic Development Manager confirmed that resources had been considered by the Working Group; it was recognised that the Economic Development and Tourism team was very small and the strategy should be seen as a corporate priority given the fundamental importance of economic development for the Council.  He stressed that it would not be possible to achieve everything that was included in the year one action plan as there were some extremely big projects which could not be delivered overnight, such as making Junction 10 of the M5 four-way.  A Member questioned what was meant by ‘supporting Gloucestershire Airport business expansion’ and whether this involved investment from the local authority.  In response, the Head of Development Services explained that this was more about the strategic promotion of the airport from an economic development point of view.  A Member expressed the view that the airport was a very important part of the borough and the Jet Age Museum was a significant tourist attraction.  Another Member drew attention to Page No. 93 of the strategy and queried what the acronym LEADER stood for.  The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that it was a French term which related to grass roots improvement and he undertook to circulate the full wording to Members following the meeting.

105.6         Having considered the information provided, it was

RESOLVED          That the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy be ENDORSED and that it be RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE that the strategy be ADOPTED.