Scottish Borders Council

Agenda item

Scottish Government Enterprise and Skills Review - Phase 2 Programme

Consider report by Corporate Transformation and Services Director on the progress of Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Review.    (Copy attached.)

Minutes:

With reference to paragraph 14 of the Minute of Scottish Borders Council of 22 December 2016, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Corporate Transformation and Services Director on the progress of Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Review.  The report outlined officer current views on the proposed South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Vehicle.  The report sought Member agreement for this position, and its further development, to ensure that the Council was able to formally respond to the Phase 2 Review.  Scottish Government confirmed that a Phase 2 report would be progressed to develop detail on the establishment of a new Enterprise and Skills Vehicle for the South of Scotland and had encouraged Councils, and relevant agencies and stakeholders, to engage in this process.  Scottish Government had asked the Council (and other stakeholders) to consider a response to four key issues related to the proposed new ‘Vehicle’.  These were: Geographic boundary; Role and remit; Governance framework; and Resources.  The geographic area for the new ‘Vehicle’ should be the administrative boundary of Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.  The role and remit of South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Vehicle needed to recognise the scale of the challenges facing the area.  The ‘Vehicle’ needed to be able to increase the economic capacity of the region and to tackle its structural economic weaknesses in an inclusive and sustainable way.  Officers believed that the fundamental imperative for the remit of the new ‘Vehicle’ would be to have a Relentless Emphasis on Geography and Place.  This recognised that inclusive economic growth could only be generated within the towns and rural communities of the South of Scotland through a new approach.  The opportunity to establish a specific South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Vehicle was a once in a generation opportunity to improve the level of investment in economic growth, enterprise, skills and innovation.  Building on the Scottish Government’s position in the Phase 1 Report, the governance framework to be put in place to underpin the new ‘Vehicle’ should demonstrate clear accountability at local and national level.  It also must facilitate the step change required for the new ‘Vehicle’ to be established on a bespoke basis that met the ambitions of the South of Scotland stakeholders.  The currently preferred governance framework was also described in the report.  It was recognised that the ambition to transform the economy of the South of Scotland would not be achieved without a significant uplift in resources and investment. South of Scotland met on Friday 3 March 2017.  They considered in detail the Enterprise and Skill review, the work undertaken by officers to date, the outcome of the stakeholder meeting on 17 February 2017 and the proposed way forward following a wide ranging discussion they fully endorsed the proposed way forward.  Councillor Bell proposed to add an additional recommendation as (e) in the following terms “notwithstanding recommendations (c) and (d) emphasise that this Council would be ambitious and flexible in all its discussions and would seek to achieve the maximum potential of the new South of Scotland Vehicle”.  Recommendations (e) and (f) would be renumbered (f) and (g) respectively.   Councillor Bell’s additional recommendation was unanimously accepted.

 

DECISION

AGREED:-

 

(a)        to note the progress made in developing Phase 2 of the Scottish Government Enterprise and Skills Reviews;

 

(b)       to note that South of Scotland Alliance considered the content of the report at its meeting on 3 March 2017 and fully endorsed the progress and way forward;

 

(c)        the Council’s position as set out in the report, which had been developed in collaboration with Dumfries & Galloway Council;

 

(d)       to submit the Council’s position to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Works as a working proposal from the Council;

 

(e)        not withstanding (c) and (d) above, to emphasise that this Council would be ambitious and flexible in all its discussions and would  seek to achieve the maximum potential of the new South of Scotland Vehicle;

 

(f)        to note that the Chief Executive would continue to engage with the Scottish Government and stakeholders in order to develop a detailed proposal for a South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Vehicle in line with recommendation (c); and

 

(g)       to receive a future report as proposals developed further.

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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