Agenda item

To update Members in respect of the progress of the Gloucestershire Vision 2050 Boards established by Leadership Gloucestershire and to confirm the Council’s representation on the Boards

1.      That the progress of the establishment of the Gloucestershire Vision 2050 Boards and the Council’s membership of, and participation in, the City Region and Rural Ambitions Boards be NOTED.  

2.      That the Council’s representatives at the City Region Board are the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive and at the Rural Ambitions Board the Deputy Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council and that, in the event of those nominated representatives being unable to attend, they may make arrangements for an alternative representative to attend the meetings.

3.      That a seminar is held for all Members to explain the inter-relationships and impact of the new regional bodies connected with growth and infrastructure.

98.1          The report of the Chief Executive, circulated at Pages No. 45-58, updated Members in respect of the progress of the Gloucestershire Vision 2050 Boards established by Leadership Gloucestershire and confirmed the Council’s representation on the Boards.

98.2          The Chief Executive advised that this was an important partnership for the authority. He explained that Leadership Gloucestershire was a partnership made up of Leaders and Chief Executives of the public sector in Gloucestershire which worked on issues affecting Gloucestershire generally but was not a decision-making body. The Council’s appointed representatives to Leadership Gloucestershire were the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive. It had held quite a few discussions in the past about Vision 2050 which was a consultation exercise across the county to get a view of what people wanted the county to look like in 2050. This had resulted in a concordat with priorities and three Boards being set up to look at growth: the Gloucestershire City Region Board would create a vision and guiding masterplan for the future development and economic success of the central area of the county; the Severn Vale Board would consider infrastructure and connectivity in the south of the county, including the potential for a third Severn Crossing and responding to growth pressures arising south of Gloucestershire; and the Rural Ambitions Board would develop and work towards a vision for a vibrant rural economy which protected, enhanced and built upon the Gloucestershire rural assets and addressed issues such as rural transport, green space provision and connectivity. Tewkesbury Borough Council was not currently included in the membership of the Severn Vale Board as its business was growth in the south of Gloucestershire and exploration of a Severn Crossing between Stroud and the Forest of Dean district. It was included in the membership of the City Region and Rural Ambitions Boards and, given the potential importance of those Boards to the future development of the Borough and their relationship to Gloucestershire, attendance at the meetings was proposed to be the Leader and Chief Executive for the City Region Board and the Leader and Deputy Chief Executive for the Rural Ambitions Board.

98.3          The City Region Board covered the areas of Cheltenham Borough, Gloucester City and Tewkesbury Borough Councils; it was important to note that the term ‘city region’ was not about creating a new city or urban area but was a government term that referred to an urban area and its surrounding rural hinterland which were linked and operated together for employment and business, infrastructure, green space and housing. Currently, the government was keen to support economic growth and success of city regions and it was recognised that the use of the term would attract more attention and support from government departments and agencies to the advantage of the area and its communities. The Rural Ambitions Board covered the rural districts of Gloucestershire but excluded Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City; its work would focus on issues and projects which were important to the rural communities of the County which required coordinated partnership actions. At its meeting on 19 December 2019, Leadership Gloucestershire had recommended to the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Joint Committee that £750,000 be set aside within the Strategic Economic Development Fund for the Vision 2050 Boards.

98.4          In addition to the report, the Chief Executive advised that Leadership Gloucestershire would shortly be discussing the Boards and their future structure and when he knew the outcome he would report to Members. In addition, there were a lot of things happening around the Borough on a major strategic platform with new bodies being formed that could have influence and offer opportunities for government funding e.g. strategic transport bodies to get regional funding for transport such as Midlands Connect. Also, in recent months a similar body had been established called the Western Gateway Strategic Transport Board which included Tewkesbury. Representatives from both bodies had come to Tewkesbury the previous week and interesting conversations had been held around links in Tewkesbury to other places. Of late another body had been established called the Western Gateway Powerhouse which was similar to the Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse – it was felt to be helpful to let Members know about them and how the Council might influence their future work and, with that in mind, the report proposed a seminar for all Members to provide that information.

98.5          A Member questioned what was being done regarding the Glover Review which looked to reassign the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a National Park. The Deputy Chief Executive advised that this needed consideration as it was a very large project with a lot of different connotations; however, part of the work of the Rural Ambitions Board was about championing partnerships without creating extra layers of democracy and the Glover Review would be considered as part of that work plan. The aim of the National Park was to have its own planning authority and this would have consequences for the Borough. The Chief Executive agreed that there would be differences of opinion on the plans and that the Council would have to pick those up as well as considering its own position and that of its partners. In terms of the Council’s position on the City Region Board, the Leader indicated that he was the Council’s representative on the Board and would be doing all he could to ensure the interests of the Borough were at the forefront of discussions. In addition, the Chief Executive advised that Tewkesbury Borough was the growth engine of the county and so was in a strong position of influence in the city region; the Council had to take that on and help shape the future of the Borough and Gloucestershire.

98.6          A Member understood the need to focus on bigger projects but felt there also needed to be care given to the smaller projects like Grange Field in Bishop’s Cleeve; he was of the view that it was actually those detailed things that really mattered to residents. The Chief Executive agreed and indicated that the Council operated on all levels - strategic, tactical and operational - and the local level decisions and projects were extremely important.

98.7          Having considered the information provided, it was