Apologies for non-attendance were submitted on behalf of Cllrs Payal Bedi, John Rowley, Jonathan Yardley and John Reynolds.

There were no declarations of interest.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the previous meeting be approved and signed as a correct record.

There were no matters arising.

To update Stronger City Economy Scrutiny Panel on activities that support businesses and encourage enterprise

Jim Cunningham, Head of Enterprise and Skills and Tim Johnson, Strategic Director Place provided an update on activities that support business and encourage enterprise in the City of Wolverhampton.

Cllr Daniel Warren referred to the emerging news about the European Union (EU) and asked about the implications for Wolverhampton and how resilient initiatives funded by European funding (EDF) would be if there is a move to leave the EU.  The Strategic Director reassured the Panel that there would have to be a transition period and that the changes would not happen immediately. He advised that EU external funding was one part of the way we support business and enterprise initiatives he referred to the enterprise partners such as the Chamber of Commerce and the University and how they are all committed to sustaining the growth hub.  He advised that any reduction in funding would not necessarily mean that things stop, it would mean that there is a need to take another look at how we do our business.

The Panel welcomed that the Government department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) had identified additional funding for growth hubs in 2016/17 2017/18 in recognition of the importance of growth hub networks for businesses to access support locally. The panel acknowledged that the Government is committed to devolve responsibility through growth hubs of business support from 2017 onwards and to work with the Combined Authority (CA) to design a joint approach to enterprise start up activity. Cllr Martin Waite indicated that it was important to look at how we would be delivering economic information across the CA. 

Cllr Martin Waite referred to business and enterprise and how it ties into the skills agenda previously discussed by the panel. He asked how businesses that are experiencing skill shortages are being supported to appoint. The Head of Enterprise and Skills advised that when having dialogue and building a relationship with businesses intelligence is also being gathered about skills needed for the short term and the longer term.  He advised that intelligence gathered about skills needs could be used further down the line to work with employability officers for individuals to train in the right skills and be guaranteed an interview. The aim would be for individuals to move from unemployment to employment.

In response to questions about the Council becoming the honest broker to bring relevant bodies together in the City to develop skills, the Strategic Director advised that the Council work closely with business champions and education providers. He advised that as a Governor of the City of Wolverhampton College he can bring something into the discussion to influence some of the skills training back on the curriculum.  He advised that the University and the College collaborate to work on the skills needed for the future employment opportunity in the local economy.

He advised that as a City there is an appetite to inform and directly shape the curriculum; there is also an expectation that businesses will do that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Marc Fleetham, University of Wolverhampton will be in attendance to provide a presentation about the role of the University in supporting Business and Enterprise, including innovation and new technology.

Marc Fleetham, Director, Business Solutions (BS), University of Wolverhampton provided a report relating to the University of Wolverhampton Business Solutions Centres.

The Director of BS informed the panel that the University had secured in excess of £50 million in funding to support the business community, with funding bids for £7-8 million expected to be determined in the next few weeks. He advised that the University develops skills, acts as a knowledge transfer point, creates graduate jobs and is trying to create an incubator of young business in the City.

He explained that the University of Wolverhampton has business and economic growth as one of its core strategic objectives and that to support the objectives a network of business hubs known as Business Solutions Centres had been developed. He advised that there are three centres with a fourth due on stream late in 2016 and that as a result of the activities, there are now over 3300 client details on the Customer Relations Management (CRM) system creating over 2100 client engagements. The objective of the centres is to become the focal point for businesses to gain information and knowledge to support growth plans and create an open access business centre for all levels of business. The centres are aligned to the Government Growth Hub Programme.

The Director of BS advised that that number of business start-ups in Wolverhampton was rocketing and the trend was set to continue in 2016, he outlined the Business Solutions Centre offer to support those embarking on new ventures. In response to questions he advised that there are a range of programmes in development with varying durations to suit the individual and the range of businesses including monthly start-up seminars and quarterly mentoring programmes.  He advised that 600,000 people are supported and that many of the local business support tend to be lifestyle businesses.  

The Director informed the panel of Regional Growth Fund (RGF) Green shoot programmes which are projects that support Black Country (BC) business in order to create jobs and encourage real economic growth.  Green shoot plus (GSP) projects started in June 2015 and will run for two years to support the BC alongside Hereford, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Telford and Shropshire.

He advised that there has been a good interest shown in the programmes with a total of £3 million of grant assistance awarded across the two programmes to date and 241 new jobs with businesses as conditional outcomes of awarding the grants.

In response to questions he advised that many engineering businesses require equipment or larger premises to grow.  He confirmed that the Express and Star newspaper is working in partnership to promote the programme.

The Director outlined the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), he advised that over the last ten years the University has been in the top ten performers collaborating with over 30 companies within Wolverhampton and the Black Country region on KTP programmes. The programmes have varied between 18 months and three years and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.