Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Warspite Room, Council House
Contact: Hannah Chandler-Whiting Email: democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk
No. | Item | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
To note the appointment of Chair and Vice Chair for the Municipal Year 2024/25 To note the appointment of Councillor Ian Darcy as Chair, and Councillor Charlotte Holloway as Vice Chair, for the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel for 2024/25.
Minutes: The Panel agreed to note the appointment of Councillor Ian Darcy as Chair, and Councillor Charlotte Holloway as Vice Chair, of the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel for the municipal year 2024/25. |
|||||||||||||
Declarations of Interest Councillors will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on the agenda. Minutes:
|
|||||||||||||
Scrutiny Panel Responsibilities To note the responsiblities of the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel. Minutes: The Panel agreed to note its responsibilities. |
|||||||||||||
To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 14 February 2024, and to confirm the minutes of the Water Quality Select Committee held on 22 February 2024. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Raynsford asked if the following items’ responses, mentioned in the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2024, could be recirculated to panel members:
a)
The response to the letter sent to national Government regarding
increasing utility costs for organisations in the cultural
sector; b) A half page report with more detail on why there had been a continual decline in productivity from 2017 onwards.
The Panel agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2024, and those of the Water Quality Select Committee Review held on 22 February 2024, as accurate records.
|
|||||||||||||
Chair's Urgent Business To receive reports on business which in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration. Minutes: There were no items of Chair’s urgent business. |
|||||||||||||
Economic Intelligence and Insight Additional documents: Minutes: David Draffan (Service Director for Economic Development) and Toby Hall (Project Manager) introduced the item and highlighted:
a)
This standing item had been introduced by the Chair for 2023/24,
and it would remain a standing item, but reducing to every other
meeting due to a lag in data; b)
8,000 jobs had been created in Plymouth from 2018-2022, most of
which were full-time; c)
Wages had increased in both high-paying and lower-paying jobs in
Plymouth, since the COVID19 pandemic; d)
The gaps between the highest and lowest paid jobs in Plymouth,
compared to the UK averages, had been closing significantly since
2021; e)
Wages for full time jobs had increased more than those for
part-time work; f)
In 2022, Plymouth had 25% more business start-ups than in 2017
(higher than the national trend), with more of them surviving
longer than 5 years than before (higher than the South West
average); g)
The creative industry had had a 10% increase in jobs from 2019-2022
and this trend was expected to continue; h) A creative industries plan had been commissioned to better understand the opportunities and strengths Plymouth had in creative industries;
In response to questions, with support from Amanda Ratsey (Head of Economy and Investment), it was further explained:
i)
Business start-ups that networked and took advantage of
informational advice and guidance at the outset were more likely to
survive long-term; j)
Data was not available to show which sectors these new businesses
were in; k) Self-employment and part-time work would be looked at through a future update.
The Panel agreed to note the update report.
|
|||||||||||||
Plymouth City Centre Company BID (2025-30) Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:
a)
Plymouth was one of the few cities in the country to renew their
bids and vision;
b)
Plymouth had been the second city in the UK to adopt a business
improvement district when they had first been introduced in
2001;
c)
Importance of diversification of the city centre;
d)
The city had had a remarkable recovery from the COVID19
pandemic;
e)
The success of The Barcode and Theatre Royal Plymouth in driving
footfall in the city centre;
f)
The health hub at Colin Campbell Court was expected to bring in
990,000 people annually, some of whom would shop in the city
centre;
g)
Plymouth University drove forward diversity, food business and
ancillary and support services in the heart of the city, and had
invested significantly in the Brunel Plaza development;
h)
Investment in the Civic Centre was investment in blue and green
skills, but would also increase footfall in the city
centre;
i)
Investment in the Guildhall as a new music and entertainment venue
in the city centre;
j)
Investment in the public realm, including the Civic
Square;
k)
Investment in Plymouth Market and it’s diverse cooked food
offering;
l)
Several department store buildings which had been left empty were
now, retail, residential and hotels;
m)
5,500 homes were to be provided in and around the city centre in
partnership with Homes England; n) A 30% increase in visitor spend, and a 20% increase in number of visitors, was ambitious but achievable.
Nigel Godefroy (Chair, City Centre Company) and Steve Hughes (Chief Executive, City Centre Company) added:
o)
The partnership between the Plymouth City Centre Company and
Plymouth City Council had been formed 20 years ago;
p)
The City Centre Company represented over 500 companies, and worked
to provide a secure, safe and clean city centre and to ensure the
ongoing viability of individual businesses and the City Centre as a
whole;
q)
Diversification of Plymouth City Centre;
r)
A successful city centre was a sign of the confidence and success
of a city;
s)
Congratulated and thanked Plymouth City Council for its ongoing
commitment to the city centre;
t)
Lots of new businesses were opening up in the city
centre;
u)
Ambition to deliver a different kind of city centre that was
vibrant and alive, during the day and night, and all year
round;
v)
Partnership working was successful and key to the future of the
city centre;
w)
Important to change perceptions, increase visitor and local spend,
and create an experience for visitors to the area;
x)
The plan was in a consultation phase and any feedback from the
panel was welcome;
y)
Main aim was to position Plymouth city centre as the major retail,
visitor and leisure destination on the South West Peninsula and as
a great place to live, work and study;
z)
The new plan would be bold and ambitious and reflect the ambitions
of the Council; aa) Flavour ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
|||||||||||||
The Box Annual Performance Review Additional documents: Minutes: Jemima Laing (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’ Social Care, Culture and Communications) introduced the item and highlighted:
a)
Importance of demonstrating the positive impact and return on
investment of the cultural sector;
b)
In 2023, The Box welcomed 272,000 visitors, which was a 10%
increase on the previous year, and three times the number that had
visited the former Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery;
c)
The Box was developing a national and international reputation by
working with some of the very best artists and institutions in the
UK and beyond;
d)
Exhibitions such as planet ocean attracted school visits and there
was a family programme with over 50 free family events for 2024,
and The Box Café was a firmly established community
hub;
e)
The Box had been successful in generating over £2m in earned
and grant income in 2023/24;
f)
78% of Plymouth schools had formally visited The Box, with 27,000
family visits and 87,000 community participants;
g)
Positive Google and Trip Advisor reviews. Kate Farmery (Head of Business at The Box) and Victoria Pomery (CEO of the Box) added:
h)
The Box had opened in September 2020 amidst the COVID19 pandemic,
and expected to welcome it’s 1 millionth visitor in
2025;
i)
The Box had had a positive £13 million tourism impact on
Plymouth and a more comprehensive social and economic impact was
being embarked upon;
j)
In 2023/24 56% of The Box’s budget was generated from sources
other than the Council;
k)
In reviews people had spoken of real joy at having real life issues
contextualised at The Box and it being world class as a
result;
l)
The Box contributed to the city’s national and international
profiles and reputation and had been featured in iNews, ITV News
and Artists and Illustrators Magazine;
m)
The Box had a dynamic and connected programme, the likes of which
would be hard to find in any other British venue;
n)
The number of visits was increasing year on year, and a third of
visits were first-time visits, and 8% of visits were from people
who had never been to any kind of cultural venue before;
o)
Unusually high number of under 25s for a cultural venue;
p)
Visitors mostly gave their reasons for visiting as wanting to spend
time with family and friends, and being keen to learn;
q)
78% of Plymouth schools had visited The Box and the team were
always striving to engage with those who had not yet
visited;
r)
42% of school visits were from schools outside of the city
boundary;
s)
27,000 family visits in 2023/24;
t)
87,000 community participants;
u)
Important to interpret the city’s amazing collections in new
ways that were appropriate and current, and introducing visitors to
a world view;
v)
The monthly Saturday market on Tavistock Place was very popular and
worked with diverse businesses to celebrate some of
Plymouth’s fantastic artists, musicians and food
producers;
w)
The Box had received a TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award
for 2024; |
|||||||||||||
Minutes: Hannah Chandler-Whiting (Democratic Advisor) explained:
a)
The actions from the Water Quality Select Committee Review were
being tracked via this Panel’s tracking decisions, as it
fitted within its remit; i. Several of the Water Quality Select Committee Review actions had involved writing letters to Government Ministers, but a general election had been called in July causing a delay, and so the letters would be written in the coming weeks to be sent to the new relevant Government Ministers.
During discussion the following was raised:
b)
The Plymouth City Council’s Public Health team would be asked
if they could pick up winter pilots in Plymouth’s three
bathing areas as the Environment Agency did not have the directive
or remit to do so; c)
There had been a delay in the actions from the Water Quality Select
Committee Review that needed to be actioned by Environmental
Protection, because they had not been identified initially as the
correct department; d)
More information was requested on the improvements that had been
made ahead of the 2024 bathing season; e) A full report regarding for the aborted start to the Old Town Street and New George Street project would be able to be provided once the projects had completed, this was expected to be October 2024. |
|||||||||||||
Minutes: Hannah Chandler-Whiting (Democratic Advisor) explained:
a) Working with the Chair, the items that had not been looked at the year before, as well as the items already identified for consideration for 2024/25 and had populated the work programme.
Following a short discussion:
b)
Sustainable transport was added to the work programme; c) The possibility of an additional meeting in March/April 2025 was discussed as there wouldn’t be a pre-election period.
|