To receive feedback from the Economic Growth Rapid Action Growth and discuss any key areas of work that may merit further scrutiny.

Councillor Charlotte Barnes, Lead Member for the Economic Growth Rapid Action Group, reported on the experiences and findings of the Group. 

There had been initial difficulties identifying the remit of the Group, particularly as Economic Growth covered such a wide area.  Working with the Head of Business Growth and Prosperity, and Service Manager for Business and Enterprise, the Group had focused on the area of Business and Enterprise.  As the re-design had been in an early phase during the time of the Group’s scrutiny, the members had decided to look at whether the re-design proposals might work.  

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee acknowledged that the remit and focus for each Rapid Action Group had taken some time to establish and this process would be improved in future.

The Committee also agreed that it had been right for the RAG to have focused on one particular issue and that it was for the Enterprise and Growth Scrutiny Committee to look at the whole picture.

The RAG had looked at proposed savings and challenges and the Service Manager reported that from an officer perspective the RAG group had asked helpful and challenging questions.  RAG members had felt that it would be beneficial for future scrutiny activity to work alongside the re-design process, adding extra challenge and providing a Member perspective each step of the way, rather than waiting to comment at the end of the process.  This was more likely to lead to an overall consensus at the end of the Programme.  The Group had also felt that officer support was essential, for example, in arranging meetings and drafting reports.

The Service Manager explained that the Economic Growth Re-design had only just started and was being led by the Chief Executive.  A clear purpose for Economic Growth had been established, and that was ‘To Create Resilient Wealth’.  All activity undertaken in future must align with this purpose, any activity that did not contribute to this purpose would not be undertaken.  The Scope of the re-design was broad and would touch areas including highways, planning, housing, economic development, business rates and skills issues. 

The Local Member for Cleobury Mortimer raised the issue of joined up thinking, citing an example in her electoral division related to a business wishing to expand but being restricted by planning constraints.  The Chairman asked the Member to share these details with him and the Service Manager who commented that this this sort of scenario should not be allowed to happen again. 

Another Member referred to matters regarding a substantial residential site in their electoral division and felt that there were communication issues between planning officers and officers involved with management of assets and lack of a clear timescale.  The Lead Member of the RAG commented that other members had examples of similar situations in their electoral divisions and felt that one point of contact for different areas would help address this.

It was felt that in future small scrutiny member groups could be set up but that their remits should be agreed by the Enterprise and Growth Scrutiny Committee and that they should always be required to report back to the full Committee which would retain a central focus.   Small Group working would be just one way of conducting scrutiny with other approaches used as appropriate. 

It was also suggested that the Committee could be involved in the re-design process in the same way as it had been with the development of the Economic Growth Strategy.  This would mean involvement at key objectives, and perhaps each milestone could be scrutinised by a small group of members. 

In the first instance, it was agreed that a small Group be formed to develop a work programme containing proposals for discussion at the next meeting of the Committee.  It was agreed that Nick Bardsley, Charlotte Barnes, Steve Davenport and John Hurst-Knight take this work forward.

The Portfolio Holder for Business Growth went on to refer to empty shops in some of Shropshire’s market towns due to high rateable value.  Although this was not in the control of Shropshire Council he suggested that this merited scrutiny attention in an attempt to influence Central Government to try and help town centre businesses.  He also referred to support given to some large businesses by the Council but emphasised the need for them to help themselves too.

The Lead Member of the RAG Group recommended that the Committee visit the Review of Project North and Oswestry Economic Growth Commissioning ‘Beautiful Minds Room’ which illustrated well the many different entry points into the Council.

The Committee thanked the members of the RAG for their hard work.