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Cabinet Meeting on 18 March 2015
Delivering Economic Growth in Town and
Country
Phillip Atkins, Leader of the Council said
“We have been very clear as a county council that one of our top priorities is to grow
and diversify Staffordshire’s economy, to bring in new good jobs for local people and
to ensure that existing jobs are protected. This is crucial if we are going to deliver
prosperity, health and happiness for everyone in the county.
“Staffordshire and its neighbours in Stoke-on-Trent stand at the threshold of
developing one of the most important economies in the country outside London.
“Building on our heritage for big ideas, innovative technology and making the things
that the people of the world need, we now have business investors beating a path to
our door and a great position at the heart of the UK’s road, rail and air network. The
recent City Deal and public investment in major transport projects include the A50 in
Uttoxeter show we have the confidence and respect of Government.
”We are not prepared, however, to stop here. The Local Enterprise Partnership’s
strategic economic plan and the potential funding it will unlock will take the county
and city to the next level and further accelerate our work on supporting business and
creating high numbers of skilled, better paid jobs.
“This is a true partnership between all local councils in the area, the business world
and the education sector. We are all ready, able and keen to get on with the job”.
Report Summary:
Securing economic growth for Staffordshire is a top priority, and if we are to enable
people to be able to access more good jobs and feel the benefits of economic
growth, then it is important we continue to engage and work with a range of partners
through our Local Enterprise Partnership.
In July I shared the news that we had secured a Growth Deal for Stoke-on-Trent and
Staffordshire worth £82.3m to support growth in our economy. I am pleased to
announce that through the Local Enterprise Partnership we have been able to
negotiate an additional £15.4m Growth Deal funding for Town and City Centre
development, and we have secured a £2.2m European Funding programme for rural
enterprise.
Recommendations
I recommend that:
a. The positive work being done to promote Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to
investors be noted and welcomed
b. The delivery of the Staffordshire LEADER programme to help deliver jobs and
growth to our rural areas be noted and welcomed
Local Members Interest
N/A
Cabinet – 18 March 2015
Delivering Economic Growth in Town and Country
Recommendations of the Leader of the Council:
a. The positive work being done to promote Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to
investors be noted and welcomed
b. The delivery of the Staffordshire LEADER programme to help deliver jobs and
growth to our rural areas be noted and welcomed
Report of the Director of Place
Reasons for Recommendations:
1. In July 2014 the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership
(SSLEP) negotiated a Growth Deal with Government that secured £82.3m of
funding to invest in economic growth and job creation projects in the county and
city. The SSLEP has since negotiated an expansion of the Growth Deal, bringing
in a further £15.4m of funding to invest in town and city centre developments in
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent – a grand total of £97.7m of Government
funding secured in just six months.
2. On 1 March 2015, the County Council received confirmation that Staffordshire
was successful in bidding for a £2.2m European Funding programme to invest in
rural enterprises.
Background:
3. The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Deal is part of a long term plan to
devolve at least £12 billion from central government to local economies. The
plan aims for every part of the country to be a motor of growth for the national
economy – building on the strength of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent area.
Over the lifetime of the SSLEP Growth Deal (2015-2021) it is estimated that up
to 7,000 new jobs could be created,1,000 new homes built and that it has the
potential to generate £70m public and private investment.
4. The additional proposed projects to be funded by the £15.4m investment include:
a. The creation of an ‘enterprise quarter’ in Tamworth
b. The refurbishment of London Mill in Leek for employment and housing
c. Improvements to Rugeley Town Centre
d. Regeneration of Friarsgate, Lichfield, for retail and leisure
e. Construction of new highway infrastructure to improve access to business and
employment sites in Stoke City Centre
5. The £2.2m EU Funding Programme secured for rural enterprises in Staffordshire
is known as LEADER and is part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development. It is delivered through the Rural Development Programme for
England and aims to encourage strong economic growth and improve the
productivity and competitiveness of businesses in rural areas.
6. The new Staffordshire programme has 6 priority objectives –
a. Support for micro and small enterprises,
b. Support for rural tourism
c. Support for increasing farm productivity
d. Support for increasing forestry provision
e. Provision of rural services
f. Support for cultural and heritage activities
7. LEADER is managed through a Local Action Group (LAG) with Staffordshire
County Council acting as accountable body.
8. The Staffordshire LAG submitted a new Local Development Strategy to
Government last year to deliver a LEADER programme between 2014 and 2020.
The strategy was approved in November 2014 and following completion of a
national appeals process, the Staffordshire programme has been awarded a
total allocation of €2.811m (£2.249m*). This is one of the larger LEADER
programmes approved in England.
9. The 2014-2020 programme has a strong economic agenda around creating new
jobs and supporting growth in rural areas, and links with the priorities of the
Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership. This could involve
support for agricultural businesses including farm diversification. The programme
will be launched after the general election in May when rural enterprises will be
invited to submit bids for funding during the summer.
10. LEADER programmes are usually limited to areas with a maximum population of
150,000. However due to Staffordshire’s rural nature, the area covered by the
local programme has a population of over 191,000, enabling large parts of our
rural county to benefit from the programme.
Report Commissioner: Steve Burrows
Job Title: Interim Head of Economic Planning
Telephone No: 01785 277204
Email: steve.burrows@staffordshire.gov.uk