|
SUMMARY MINUTES OF
THE FORTY THIRD MEETING OF SOUTH EAST ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
HELD ON THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2002 AT SEEDA HEADQUARTERS
Present
James Brathwaite CBE (Chairman), Professor Clive Booth (Deputy
Chairman), Cllr. Ken Bodfish OBE (Deputy Chairman), Cllr. Ken
Thornber CBE, Robert Douglas, Elizabeth Brighouse, Dr Peter Read
CBE, Barry Camfield, Mary McAnally, Cllr. Keith House, Terry Mills,
Cllr. Sarah Hohler, John Peel
Apologies for absence
Janis Kong OBE
Poul Christensen
In Attendance
Anthony Dunnett (Chief Executive), Jeff Alexander (Agency Secretary
and Director, Strategy and Corporate Services), Marianne Neville-Rolfe
(Director, Business and International), Paul Hudson (Director,
Infrastructure and Regeneration), John Parsonage (Director, Learning
and Skills), Phil Bailey (Head of Secretariat)
Welcome to new Members
1. The Chairman welcomed the new Members (Cllr. Keith House,
Terry Mills, Cllr. Sarah Hohler and John Peel) to their first
Board meeting and asked each Member to introduce themselves and
give some background highlighting what each Member brings to the
Board and SEEDA. The Chairman noted that the fifth new Member,
Poul Christensen, was unable to attend following a recent operation.
The Chairman reminded Members that all had been appointed, on
a regional basis, for the skills and experience they bring and
that it was critical that the focus should be on delivery of SEEDA's
objectives and priorities.
Approval of Previous Minutes
2. The Board approved the minutes of the previous meeting (21
November 2002).
Declaration of Interests
3. Jim Brathwaite declared an interest in this item because he
had a shareholding in a company that had applied to the Fund.
4. Clive Booth declared an interest in the Motorsport Academy
project because he retained residual linkages with Oxford Brookes
University and the Wheatley Managed Workspace Centre because of
the linkages between the project and Oxford Brookes University.
5. Mary McAnally declared an interest in the IT4all Marketing
Campaign because of her prior involvement with Meridian.
6. John Peel declared an interest in the contract awarded to
Wired Sussex (Brighton and Hove Enterprise Hub Consultancy) because
Wired Sussex was a subsidiary of Sussex Enterprise, a company
that he chaired.
7. Jeff Alexander reported that the SEEDA Secretariat would be
asking Members to review their Register of Interests form.
Chairman's Report
8. The Chairman asked Members for comments on his speech at the
Winchester GuildHall reception in which he presented a personal
view of the region's opportunities and the threats to the
economic success of the South East. His speech outlined the key
drivers to sustainable economic success in the region which he
called the six "Is" - Innovation, Investment,
Infrastructure, Integration, Inclusion and Implementation.
9. Members responded by noting that the speech had been well
received. Members welcomed the mechanism of the 'six Is'
as encapsulating a simple message which could be repeated and
embedded in the region. Members noted that the speech started
with 'Innovation' and thought that this was appropriate.
Innovation was the key to driving up productivity and was currently
at the forefront of DTI's thinking.
10. The emphasis on 'Inclusion' was endorsed, particularly
as this issue had been steadily rising up SEEDA's agenda
and noted that sustainable economic development, SEEDA's
key purpose, should embrace social and economic inclusion. Members
also welcomed 'Integration' because it emphasized
the need for the region to work together towards a common cause
allied with a coherent approach. Members felt that that 'Area
Investment Framework' initiative and Local Strategic Partnerships
would help the region to develop a common agenda. Members believed
that the points about the contribution made by immigrants to the
economic development of the region were well founded.
SEEDA Board Committees - Structure and Purpose
11. Members acknowledged that there were three main reasons why
it is now timely to review the structure and purpose of SEEDA's
Board Committees:
- The five changes in Board Membership had implications for
the membership of all Board Committees and in some cases leaves
the Chair role vacant;
- Most of the existing Committees had now been running for
at least 3 years. SEEDA is a very different organisation compared
with 3 years ago and regional fora and other partnership arrangements
have developed considerably since then;
- The need to look ahead and consider the best arrangements
to provide advisory support to the delivery of the new Regional
Economic Strategy.
12. Members agreed that the primary role of the Board Committees
was to provide advice on the strategic and policy direction for
the Agency and help the SEEDA Executive to deliver and implement
SEEDA's strategy and programmes. The Chairman added that
he did not intend to revise the Committee Structure immediately
but wished to review the Committees over the forthcoming period
and then present proposals.
SEEDA's Programmes for Competitive Businesses
13. The Board discussed SEEDA's proposed activities within
the new RES Competitive Businesses agenda. They noted that this
agenda spans all areas of SEEDA's activities and that SEEDA's
role was one of influence and leverage, building partnerships
and delivering highly focussed programmes. They discussed the
key drivers for competitiveness and believed it was crucial to
encourage innovation and investment in the workforce and business,
to lever up productivity in the supply chain and perhaps most
importantly bring together the worlds of education and business.
Members also noted that tackling the transport problems would
assist competitiveness and they stressed the importance of small
businesses.
Chief Executive's Report
14. The Chief Executive updated Members on events subsequent
to his written report.
Inner City 100
15. The scheme was designed to reward and promote successful
businesses in the inner cities areas. SEEDA has raised the issue
of establishing a broader South East specific scheme for deprived
and rural areas with Government.
Business of Culture Conference
16. SEEDA's key involvement in this Conference demonstrates
that the Agency has now taken on board the importance of the Culture
agenda.
Skills Summit
17. The Board noted that the South East Skills Summit was deemed
to have been one of the most successful summits held around the
regions.
Corporate Matters
18. The Board reviewed and noted the Finance and Contracts Report,
the second quarter outputs report and various SEEDA programme
investments including policy approval to provide an Enterprise
Hub in Eastbourne. All potential conflicts of interest were identified.
Science and Innovation
19. Members were provided with a collective RDA paper prepared
by SEEDA in its lead role for the Science agenda. The paper focussed
on the exploitation of Science and Technology in relation to innovation.
The paper recognised that the development and delivery of a comprehensive
programme to foster innovation to improve productivity and competitiveness
depends on enhancing the underlying skill base of the workforce.
The specific regional and sub regional needs are being brought
together within the FRESAs that have been co-ordinated, developed
and published by each RDAs for their own region. The paper proposed,
amongst other recommendations, that RDAs should coordinate the
implementation of regional aspects of innovation policy by coordinating
the foresight review exercises, establishing the regional science
and technology advisory councils and coordinating and advising
on all third leg funding.
20. Members welcomed and noted the paper.
Date of Next Meeting
21. The next meeting of the SEEDA Board will be on Thursday 23
January 2003, at SEEDA Headquarters
|
