Report of Director of Economic Development and Planning enclosed.
Minutes:
The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating members on the Shared Prosperity Fund.
She reminded committee that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities had launched the fund in April 2022 for £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025. Ribble Valley’s conditional allocation was £1,967,754 over a three-year funding period.
At it’s meeting on 6 June 2022 the Emergency committee had resolved to agree to targeting interventions to deliver local projects including capital schemes; agreed the partnership group attendees and to appoint consultants to undertake the initial work and engagement work in preparation of the Investment Plan.
The Director of Economic Development and Planning outlined the interventions the Emergency committee had agreed to focus on, and the changes now proposed with the removal of E18 and the inclusion of E29 and E31.
The report outlined the partnership group attendees, how the workshop event had been conducted and included the notes from the discussions.
The MP had also been briefed at a meeting with the Director of Economic Development and Planning and his comments noted. Other comments had also been received from Primrose Community Trust and Clitheroe Civic Society.
The Director of Economic Development and Planning circulated a draft expenditure profile which, along with an initiative deliverable spreadsheet, is required to support the investment plan.
As the first year’s allocation of £238,805 must be spent within the 2022/23 financial year five schemes had been identified at this stage to ensure progression. Members were asked to consider these schemes. A further report would be submitted to Policy and Finance committee to identify more schemes for members to consider for the rest of the funding.
The UKSPF Expenditure Profile spreadsheet required to accompany the Plan also requires the allocation of funding to be split between each intervention identified and then split between capital and revenue over the three years of the fund. Flexibility can be requested in this regard, however a financial spilt needed to be detailed at submission stage. The Director of Economic Development and Planning detailed the suggested funding split in respect of each of the identified interventions.
Councillors T Austin, S Brunskill, M Hindle, B Holden, K Horkin, G Mirfin and R Newmark were all given permission to speak on this item.
There was a consensus that this item of business was too important to only be considered by the Emergency committee and that all councillors should be able to have some input.
Members set out their views on the initial schemes put forward for the current financial year and on other schemes that they felt should be included. It was noted that the villages did not feature in any of the schemes put forward as these concentrated on the three main service centres. It was suggested that the needs of the communities should also be considered and not just the schemes the Council already had in its capital programme. Members appreciated the offer of a special meeting to discuss and consider more schemes to be put forward as a bid for the funding.
RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:
1. Agree to include the following projects within the Council’s Investment Plan
· Rail feasibility study
· Additional CCTV provision (pilot project) Whalley
· Refurbishment of Mardale Playing Field Changing Rooms, Longridge
· Clitheroe Market feasibility study
· Business support for net zero transition and decarbonisation
2. Agree the refined interventions as set out in the report;
3. Agree the suggested funding split against identified interventions as set out in the expenditure profile spreadsheet, and
4. Instruct officers to submit the Investment Plan based upon the draft included in the report by 3 August 2022.