There were no apologies received for this meeting.

The minutes of the Economic Development Committee Meeting held on 1^st July 2015 were approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The report outlined the different options and recommendation for the implementation of a 2015/16 Brentwood Apprenticeship Programme.

A motion was MOVED by Councillor Parker and SECONDED by Councillor Rowlands to agree the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY 

1.     That Option 5 be implemented and delegated authority be granted to do so to the Head of Service  for Planning and Development utilising the allocated corporate budget of £24,000 and £2,296 of the 2015/16 Economic Development budget.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION

To implement the 2015/16 Brentwood Borough Council Apprenticeship Programme to support the skills and employability agenda, Corporate Plan and ED Strategy priorities for the Council.

Option 5 is the preferred option as it provides a variety of approaches to support this agenda to a range of target beneficiaries.

The report outlined the different options researched and a recommendation for the procurement and launch of a new website to showcase the Borough as being an excellent location to visit, stay, live, Work and do business.

A motion was MOVED by Councillor Rowlands and SECONDED by Councillor Cloke to agree the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY

1.     To agree the commissioning and development of a Brentwood Visitor and Location Website utilizing the Visit Essex Partner Scheme option 2b

2.     To implement this under the delegated authority of the Head of Service for Planning and Development utilizing £10,000 of the 2015/16 Economic Development Budget.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION

The one over-riding request from the visitor economy businesses in the Borough following the successful workshop with Visit Essex  in March 2014 was for one co-ordinated offer for the visitor which could be provided by a visitor website (especially important given the demise of the Tourism Information Centre).

A Visitor and Location Website would provide the most effective vehicle to market the whole Borough including its attractions, eateries, commercial and retail offer, enterprise projects, living and work space, talented workforce and excellent transport links.  The site would cater for their different audiences and offer personal contact information for business enquiries.

The Website development and promotion supports the visitor economy, business support and investment objectives of the Economic Development Strategy.

The NVG options use economies of scale to build, host, monitor, provide support and maintenance for partner sites and so offer the most cost effective option.  This has been tried and tested having successfully designed the re-launched Visit Essex.

The report outlined the different options and a recommendation for the implementation of a 2015/16 Brentwood Business Showcase Event.

A motion was MOVED by Councillor Cloke and SECONDED by Councillor Tee to agree the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY 

1.            That Option 3 is implemented under the delegated authority of the Head of Service for Planning and Development utilizing up to £10,000 of the 2015/16 Economic Development budget.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION

To implement the first ever 2015/16 Brentwood Business Showcase Event to support the Business Support and development priority of the ED Strategy and Council Corporate Plan.

Option 3 is the preferred option as it provides a variety of approaches to support this agenda to a wider range number of target beneficiaries and works with a range of partners.

The report provided an update on the project proposal for ‘Opportunity Brentwood’

A motion was MOVED by Councillor Parker and SECONDED by Councillor Rowlands to agree the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY 

1.         That Option D be agreed, that the Economic Development Team hold further discussions with the Borough’s secondary schools in the Autumn 2015 to assess their desire to take part in ‘Opportunity Brentwood’ in 2016/17, and if this is positive then this event be facilitated working in partnership with our large employers and Thurrock Council/” Opportunity Thurrock”.

2.         That the implementation and necessary resourcing of this project be agreed and be undertaken with delegated authority to do so being granted to the Head of Planning and Development in consultation with the Chair of the Committee utilizing the 2016/17 Economic Development Budget.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION:

To progress the project proposal for ‘Opportunity Brentwood’ for 2016/17 in order to support the skills and employability priority of the Brentwood Economic Development Strategy.

There was no items of Urgent Business.

Meeting concluded at 20.25