Agenda item

To authorise the Deputy Chief Executive and the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to make amendments to the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-2021.

That authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive and the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to make amendments to the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-21.  

30.1           The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 34-58, outlined progress to date on the year two action plan in respect of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-21, as well as outlining the actions for 2019/20. The progress and actions had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 June 2019 and that Committee had made a recommendation to the Executive Committee which Members were asked to consider.

30.2           The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that the Strategy had originally been written in 2017 and had been due to be reviewed in 2021 in line with the new Council Plan; however, there were some amendments that were required now and the Executive Committee was asked to authorise the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to make such amendments.

30.3           The Economic Development and Tourism Strategy covered five key priorities: employment land planning; transport infrastructure improvement; business growth support; promoting Tewkesbury Borough; and employability, education and training. Under each of those headings were a number of objectives and annual actions were outlined under those objectives. Over the last 12 months, several key actions had been fulfilled including: the launch and operation of Tewkesbury Growth Hub; the launch of Hub surgery sessions for businesses with a planning champion; a successful bid to establish a Countywide Inward Investment Service with local authority partners and GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP); launch of the ‘Uncover the Cotswolds’ project to attract more visitors from European markets; successful business engagement events; ongoing delivery of the Small Business Grant Scheme; LEADER funds allocated to businesses within Tewkesbury Borough; and the submission of the future High Streets fund expression of interest. The action plan for 2019/20 set out positive interventions to facilitate and encourage economic growth including: delivery of year two Growth Hub support; exploration of Growth Hub extension plans; delivery of annual business engagement, courses and training; delivery of the countywide Inward Investment Service working with key partners; establishing a J9 Business Group to support delivery of the masterplan and Garden Town; working with GFirst LEP to develop and shape the Local Industrial Strategy; and increasing the heritage offer of Tewkesbury Battlefield. In terms of amendments, the Committee was advised that, due to a focus on growth and a number of changes in the economic development field, the Strategy would benefit from updates in respect of initiatives and policies such as the Garden Town, the High Street Fund, potential airport growth and the Local Industrial Strategy.

30.4           During the brief discussion which ensued, a Member noted that tourism was vital for the Borough, as it supplied jobs and strengthened the economy, and he questioned what was being done in that regard as he did not see it mentioned within the Strategy. In response, the Economic and Community Development Manager offered reassurance that tourism was reflected throughout the Strategy. It was acknowledged that the way people accessed tourism had changed, for example, people rarely booked accommodation through the local Tourist Information Centres anymore. Officers had been researching digital options with the understanding that there was still a place for more traditional options as well. Officers were also looking at funding opportunities for people accessing information through electronic devices, such as consoles, in addition to all the existing access visitors could currently make through social media, apps and websites. The Member felt that planning for the future needed to commence now to ensure the Borough was not left behind and that tourist areas needed to be engaged and encouraged to invest in new technology.

30.5           A Member drew attention to Paragraph 2.1 of the report and felt that it needed to be acknowledged within the Strategy that the  Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Board was involved/consulted. In response, the Economic and Community Development Manager confirmed that Cotswold Tourism included the AONB Board so the Council did work with the organisation and met with it regularly. The Member felt that a link needed to be included in the Strategy to the Cotswolds AONB website as it enabled people to download walks etc. meaning they did not need to pay for Ordnance Survey (OS) maps.

30.6           Accordingly, it was