Agenda item

Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillors and Lead Officers

Minutes:

The Executive Councillor for Economy and Place welcomed the Committee to one of the Council's network of business centres and advised that occupancy levels at the centres were running at roughly 85% which was just about the right level.  There was an ideal occupancy level to ensure viability of a business centre, but as a council managed network, it was also possible to maintain some spare capacity to help businesses who needed premises at short notice.

 

It was noted that the Executive Councillor had circulated an Economic Development newsletter the previous week.

 

The peripheral nature of the coast was highlighted, as was the amount of time it could take to travel to the coast, however, despite the challenges of distance, the Executive Councillor was pleased to report that confidence and investment in the coast was strong.

 

It was highlighted that there were a number of thriving businesses on the business park, and plans to extend the business park were continuing.  The Council's economic development officers had met with two significant businesses who were considering purchasing substantial plots of land on the Countryside Business Park, and some smaller units which would give growing local businesses access to modern premises were also being designed.  A report about the business park would come to the scrutiny committee early in 2019.

 

The Committee was informed that neither of the two businesses were tourism business, and although the area was predominantly a tourist area there was growth in the manufacturing and service sectors.  However, tourism remained the heart of the economy on the coast, and the council had been working closely with tourism operators to extend the season, and support a shift towards higher quality tourism, including the sort of tourism which was often typified by the expression "green tourism".  This area was home to the Coastal Country Park which was becoming increasingly recognised, and it felt as though the centre of gravity of the Lincolnshire coast was changing, and the Coastal Country Park would soon be its centre.

 

The Executive Councillor noted that he had briefed the Committee before about the North Sea Observatory, and it was hoped that one of the future scrutiny meetings would be held there.  It was noted that visitor numbers continued to increase and it would be in the spotlight at the Architects' Journal awards where it was a finalist for Public Building of the Year and again when the deputy chairman of Natural England came to open the Lincolnshire leg of England's Coastal path in early February 2019.

 

It was queried whether there were plans to landscape the outside of the North Sea Observatory, and members were advised that the banking had been designed to be natural and wild, but there would be further work carried out.  It was also noted that significant work was underway at Anderby Creek.

 

Disappointment was expressed that the number of apprenticeships nationally had dropped by 20% and it was queried whether this was an issue in Lincolnshire.  It was not thought that Lincolnshire was significantly below the trend in terms of apprenticeships, and work was ongoing with the government in relation to training models for seasonal work so people can train during winter months, rather than summer months when they may find it more difficult to be away from the workplace, particularly for smaller businesses.  It was also noted that there was less of a spike in unemployment figures in October, as a lot more people were now on annual contracts.

 

 

 

 
 
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