Agenda item

Consider report by Executive Director.  (Copy attached.)

5.1     With reference to paragraph 7 of the Minute of Scottish Borders Council dated 31 May 2018, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Executive Director to update Members on the progress being made by the South of ScotlandEconomic Partnership in consulting across the South of Scotland and delivering its Work Plan.  The report also provided an update on the development of the new South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.  In order to prepare for the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency, the Scottish Government had set up the South of Scotland Economic Partnership (SoSEP) as an interim solution to ensure that the South of Scotland benefitted from a new approach to economic development as soon as possible.  The South of Scotland Enterprise Bill had been introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 October 2018 with the aim of ensuring that the new Agency is operational by 1 April 2020, subject to Parliamentary approval.  The Partnership had been working towards fulfilling its three purposes: to develop and deliver a clear and prioritised work programme, piloting new approaches to benefit the South; delivering a strong programme of engagement with stakeholders across the South of Scotland, to influence and inform the proposals for the new Agency; and finally influencing the designof the new Agency, offering views to the Scottish Government on options for the structure and functions of the new Agency, ensuring the Agency was responsive to, and informed by, the needs of the region.  Good progress had been made across all of these activities.

5.2     The shape of the initial work plan had been considered in March this year and focussed on the public sector partners to date.  The Partnership had established a process and clear criteria for assessing the development of proposals and Appendix 1 of the report summarised the projects supported. A lot of activity had taken place to deliver a strong programme of engagement with stakeholders across South of Scotland by holding a series of events across the Region.  Twenty six engagement events took place during the period from April to June 2018.  A formal report recording and assessing the outcome of the events had been published and was publicly available on line http://www.sosep.co.uk/stakeholder.html. This was a valuable supplement to the analysis of the Scottish Government’s written consultation with a copy of the consultation attached as Appendix 2 to the report.  This highlighted the key messages and strengths that needed to be captured on an ongoing basis. Government focussed on the number of stages in the legislative process for the Bill and Scottish Parliament was to begin at Stage 1, where a lead Committee would be appointed to scrutinise the Bill.  Councillor Rowley, along with relevant officers, would attend the Committee.  Mr Dickson reported that a discussion took place on 24 August 2018 and the outcome from the consultation had been positive.  In view of the significant amount of activity under way Members agreed that Professor Russel Griggs attend the next Economic Development themed Executive Committee.  Members welcomed the wide range of projects that included all sizes of business and agreed that community ownership of the agency was vital to future success.  In response to a question on the involvement of Community Planning Partners it was noted that this would form part of the legislation.

DECISION

(a)       NOTED:-

(i)      the progress made in securing funding for key South of Scotland and Scottish Borders projects, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report; and

(ii)     the findings of the Scottish Government’s South of Scotland Enterprise Agency consultation, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

(b)       AGREED:-

(i)        that officers continue to work jointly with Dumfries & Galloway Council, and other partners, to deliver key actions in the SoSEP Work Plan;

(ii)       that Councillor Rowley, Executive Member for Business and Economic Development, should represent the Council at Parliamentary Committees relating to the South of Scotland Enterprise Bill, as appropriate;

(iii)      to invite Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of the South of Scotland Economic Partnership, to update the Committee in January 2019; and

(iv)      to receive further reports on the South of Scotland Economic Partnership and the new Agency as work progressed.