Agenda item

Committee will receive a presentation which will provide an update on the regeneration within the County.

Councillor Wojciech Ploszaj, Portfolio Holder for Business is requested to attend for this item.

CouncillorPloszaj introduced the presentation to committee. J. Rose, interim director of regenerations, presented the PowerPoint to committee. It outlined the role of the regeneration service. The service tried to maintain a steady flow of work so there was always projects in the pipeline. External funding was instrumental to many projects and during differing economic times that funding varied. It was highlighted that investment into the County was not mutually exclusive. The service provided the Council with an accountable body for externally funded projects and programmes to manage performance and ensure compliance. 

There were several areas of investment. Town regeneration investment included the Energising Blyth Programme, which consisted of capital investment in 11 significant projects funded by Towns Fund and Future High Street Fund. It was hoped a similar investment would take place in Ashington Town centre however Levelling Up Fund was awaited. There were also investments in more rural town centres such as Alnwick, Hexham and Berwick. 

Community regeneration was important to maintain a strategic relationship with Town and Parish Councils. This investment also covered the community chest which funded community-based projects. The Cultural investment looked at developing new cultural attractions such Ad Gefrin in Wooler and Blyth Cultural Hub. Hadrian’s Wall was an international asset in the County and the service was looking at unlocking the economic potential of the iconic World Heritage Site. Rural Stewardship focused on rural business development and helping businesses access funding.  

Pathways to work looked at employability pathways in the County. It was important that the employability programmes met the needs of the businesses in the area and the programmes were tailored to meet the needs. Strategic sites was where the service worked with Advance Northumberland to attract business on to the County’s enterprise zones. It also looked at the economic corridor created by the Northumberland Line and how to unlock its potential. The strategic transport investment focused on programs around the County’s transport. The Northumberland Line and walking and cycling infrastructure programmes were reliant on external funding. The service also managed the Council’s concessionary travel scheme.  

The following comments were made in response to members questions:- 

• It was confirmed that funding cross-pollinates, and it was hoped that investment into one area such as a town centre would ripple out to local communities. The service tried to package projects together to get the optimum funding for that area.  
• The definition of cultural investment was highlighted as important as only certain projects would receive external funding.  
• Investments had to resonate with the area it was important that they married into the assets that were already available. The service recognized where the market was failing and where investment could be used effectively.  
• It was acknowledged that it was challenging to receive funding for existing businesses. Members were advised that Advance Northumberland worked with existing businesses and would be the first port of call. It was also highlighted that in exceptional circumstances the Council would help businesses with rate relief but a stringent criteria would have to be met. There was also the potential for external funding dependent on the business and its circumstances. 
• It was acknowledged that accessing external funding could be complex. The service was trying to build capacity for this within communities and Town & Parish councils to help more people access external funding. 

• The Community Chest would be more widely advertised to ensure more people were aware of the funding and more applications would be received.  
• It was confirmed that a Bus Improvement Plan was taking place. The package and funding had been confirmed from Government. The plans for how the funding was going to be used had been submitted and the service was awaiting confirmation of this plan from the Government. It was hoped the improvement in public transport would help the investments in Town Centres ripple out to the wider community.  
• There was a North of Tyne shared prosperity fund, which was a pilot programme where all major businesses had been encouraged to upskill their workers, which had received positive feedback. However it was acknowledged that the County had a lot of microbusinesses who could access funding through alternative avenues. 

RESOLVED that Committee noted the presentation.