Agenda and draft minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 21 March 2024 were signed as a true and accurate record.

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest.

Minute 6, An Economic Development Strategy for East Devon

Councillor Vicky Johns, Affects Non-registerable Interest, Director of Ottery Larder.

Information on public speaking is available online.

No members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting.

Information on matters of urgency is available online.

There were no matters of urgency.

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including press) have been excluded. There are no items that officers recommend should be dealt with in this way.

There were no confidential/exempt items.

The Economic Development Manager presented this report and asked members to consider the new five-year Economic Development Strategy (EDS) for East Devon and make recommendations, before it is presented to Cabinet for approval.

The EDS had been developed following an Economic Development Review (LDR) presented to Cabinet in October 2023, the findings from which highlighted the core issues and challenges facing the district’s economy.  The Strategy had been widely consulted on, addressed the core challenges highlighted by the LDR, supported delivery of the new Council Plan and set a clear vision for East Devon’s economy to 2029.  

Discussion and clarification included the following points:

·        Members commended the Economic Development team on carrying out the work in-house, remarking that Officers were therefore more likely to want to own it and deliver on it.

·        The EDS is deliverable from within the current in-house resource and existing devolved funding (UKSPF/REPF).  It does not propose delivery of any major new projects for which funding is not identified.

·        The Service Plan for the Economic Development service will be based on the EDS, once adopted, and actions will align with the priorities set out.

·        There are sites in the Enterprise Zone and Exeter Logistics Park which are suitable for large employers and particularly inward investors with good budgets, and this is beneficial for business rate income. It was noted however that logistics and warehousing have low job density relative to the size of the footprint.

·        Large employers struggle to recruit local staff, since the district has high levels of employment, and house prices mean that workers from elsewhere cannot afford to relocate to the area.  The Economic Development team recognise the impact of the housing difficulties on recruitment and are committed to exploring what best practice exists in other local authorities and what this Council can seek to emulate, to ease the pressures.

·        Average wages in the district have increased relative to the regional average and this might be related to the constrained local labour market, with employers having to pay more to attract workers in from greater distances who cannot afford to live locally.

·        In regard to strategic planning, delivery of employment land followed by development of houses will help to reduce the requirement for people to commute across and out of the district and reduce the carbon impact of this travel.

·        There are different types of demand for different areas of the district, with significant logistics demand in the west due to proximity to the transport infrastructure, but with rural centres in the east looking for smaller, more affordable B2 units to grow their businesses.

·        The EDS reflects a holistic view of what good economic growth looks like, with a focus on environmental impact and how this is mitigated, and with consideration to the quality of jobs proposed and how valuable they are to the district’s economy.

·        There are factors within the report which are outside of the Council’s remit including the cost of housing relative to wages, the cost and reliability of public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Committee received this briefing note and a full officer report is expected to a future meeting, outlining a business case for the introduction of an e-petition scheme for the Council. The Overview Committee will then consider if the proposed scheme is cost-effective.

To consider the Cabinet Forward Plan; would the Committee wish to receive a report on key decisions prior to Cabinet?

The Committee considered the Cabinet Forward Plan and noted the Work Programme for 2024-2025.