Issue - meetings

The Committee is asked to:

1.    Note the report and the COVID 19 impact on business report attached at Appendix 1.

2.    Agree the draft Economic Development Recovery Action Plan (Appendix 2) at which sits within the wider draft Corporate Recovery Plan due to be considered by the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 5 July 2021.

3.    Recommend to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee any further actions the committee would want included in the Recovery Action Plan (if required).

4.    Agree that a regular report comes to each Committee meeting setting out how the team is delivering on the economic development elements of the Corporate Recovery Action Plan (Appendix 2).

5.    Agree that a report comes to the next Committee to agree the Councils policy on spending the £2.2m Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).  

The Senior Economic Development Officer detailed the economic impact of Covid-19 on Spelthorne business and employment. She explained that the Economic Development Team were identifying where the most support was required and implementing strategies to assist local businesses with recovery.

The Economic Development Manager explained the Economic Development Recovery Action Plan, outlining the measures the Council would be taking to assist its communities (both residential and business) to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. He clarified that there was £1.6m remaining to be allocated from the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) by 31 March 2022. He advised that the team had undertaken a survey with local businesses on how the money can best be spent to support them and would like to discuss the results of this with a task group of members from the Committee.

In response to a member’s comment on the importance of including targets in the Recovery Action Plan (RAP) against which success could be measured, the Group Head for Regeneration and Growth confirmed that general targets on outcomes would be included in the RAP before the wider Corporate Recovery Plan was considered by the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee on 15 July 2021.

The Chair proposed that a Task and Finish Group, comprising Councillor Leighton and two other members of the Committee, be set up to consider the Council’s policy on distribution of the ARG funds. Councillor Nichols proposed Councillor Fidler as this was a topic of interest to him. Councillors Buttar and Gibson also volunteered.

Resolved to:

1.    Note the impact of Covid-19 on the local economy report and the associated impact on business report, attached at Appendix 1.

2.    Agree the draft Economic Development Recovery Action Plan, which sits within the wider draft Corporate Recovery Plan, as attached at Appendix 2.

3.    Agree that a regular report comes to each Committee meeting setting out how the team is delivering on the economic development elements of the Corporate Recovery Action Plan.

4.    Set up a Task and Finish Group with membership comprising Councillors S. Buttar, T. Fidler and V.J. Leighton, to discuss the Council’s policy on spending the £1.6m Additional Restrictions Grant.

After the Economic Development Committee meeting on 22 June 2021, with the agreement of the Chair, Cllr Buttar would be replaced by Cllr Gibson at the Task and Finish Group meetings.