Agenda item

For Overview and Scrutiny to comment on the Draft Business Plan 2023-2024

Members considered the Draft Business Plan 2023/24 report presented by Councillor Boden.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows: 

1.    Councillor Tierney commented that officers have done an exemplary job as always on the Draft Business Plan and he found the report to be clear and written in plain English with no jargon.

2.    Councillor Mason commented that the Panel would review each section in turn, starting with Economy.

3.    Councillor Mason said in respect of staffing levels, he was of the understanding that a dedicated grant officer was going to be recruited this year which would relieve Phil Hughes of a very heavy workload. Paul Medd responded that there is a dedicated Economic Growth Team, and although it is fair to say that quite a bit of Phil Hughes’ work contributes within that priority, his role is not dedicated to the economic priority and does not sit within that team. At one time FDC did have a dedicated grant funding officer but due to austerity there was a change in emphasis in terms of how external funding is pursued. So, although we do not have the luxury of a dedicated grants officer, this is now a function embedded into officers’ roles in different teams. Since then, there has been a significant degree of success having embedded the pursuit of external funding into officers’ daily activities. Councillor Mason thanked Paul Medd and stated he was not making any criticism. He added that Phil Hughes has done a very good job under a lot of pressure in many directions but just thought that having a dedicated grants officer would have helped.  

4.    Councillor Booth referred to the number of empty properties in the district and said that page 24 of the report should show a net decrease in the number of empty properties to make it clearer. He added that with communities, in the past there was, quite appropriately, emphasis on vulnerable members of the community, but the point he has been trying to make is for community support as a whole. He asked that any advice given in support to any community group holding an event is proportionate and that we do not over burden them with red tape.

5.    Councillor Miscandlon said that he agreed with Councillor Booth regarding his comment on red tape, but equally we must be careful not to totally ignore it as potentially the Council could be open to legal action if something goes wrong. Councillor Booth said the key word is ‘proportionate’, making sure it is fit for purpose and not a one size fits all.

6.    Councillor Mason said he feels the leisure centres are deteriorating; there seems to be no proper maintenance programme in place and Freedom Leisure does not appear to have the resources to maintain the centres to a standard he would expect. On a visit with the Leader to the Manor Leisure Centre he found it to be a disgrace; there was a hole in the roof, with water dripping down which is totally unacceptable. Councillor Mason said that it is all very well supporting Freedom Leisure financially but what is being done about maintaining the building?

7.    Councillor Boden responded that he would trust the leak was reported and agreed the situation cannot be allowed to continue. Councillor Mason is correct that Freedom Leisure have faced financial difficulties, in part created by Covid. However, recovery has not been rapid and the increase in utility costs has not helped. However, Freedom Leisure must fulfil their contractual agreement and he agreed it is necessary to raise the matter with them as this cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely as FDC will potentially face liability.

8.    Councillor Booth said was it not part of the agreement that FDC would still undertake an amount of maintenance? Councillor Boden agreed that there is a division of responsibility between the two parties. Paul Medd said he agreed with Councillor Booth’s observation and will follow up with further information in respect of the differentiation in daily and bigger issues. Councillor Booth said this comes back to a point he previously raised; are we happy that we have a robust process to ensure items are dealt with in a timely manner? Paul Medd replied yes, there will always be ongoing repair and maintenance issues. Three of the leisure centres are old buildings already so inevitably there will be ongoing challenges with that, but swift reporting and corrective action is reasonable.

9.    Paul Medd added that these are highly relevant questions in terms of the operation of leisure management, but the essence of the meeting today is to deal with priorities in the business plan rather than operational matters.

10. Councillor Mason referred the Panel to the section on Environment within the Business Plan.

11. Councillor Mason asked how anti-social behaviour is being tackled. There is a problem locally in Whittlesey which he believes is due in part to a lack of youth provision by this council. Councillor Count agreed there are areas in the district highlighted for anti-social behaviour, but it is not fair to say there is no youth provision. The role of the Community Safety Partnership, when hearing about problematic areas, is to put together a problem-solving group, in which they engage with relevant partners. Youth workers and the police work together to give educational talks in schools on subjects such as county lines and knife crime. Sometimes it is not a matter of enforcement but one of perception, and the reality is not the same as fear is often a factor. Fenland crime rates and instances of anti-social behaviour are actually lower than perceived.

12. Councillor Mason said youth engagement is key. He does not feel that there is a youth policy currently; there was funding at one stage in Whittlesey of £125k for youth provision with match funding but that was withdrawn, and the money diverted elsewhere.

13. Councillor Miscandlon said he agreed with Councillor Count regarding the issue of perception, however we do need to encourage young people to join the groups on offer.

14. Councillor Purser said that there are plenty of youth facilities in the area, for example Young People March. West End Park has a great play area for children which is always in use. Facilities are available in the district and there is plenty available for young people to do if they look.

15. Councillor Mrs French agreed and added that the BMX park has recently been refurbished, rugby at Longhill Road has youth participation of all ages; kick boxing, table tennis and boxing are all available and we also have the new addition of the water splash park in Wisbech. There is much out there when you stop and think about it but perhaps parents are not aware.

16. Councillor Count said it would be good to arrange some sort of mapping exercise if it does not already exist to make people aware of the whole range of activities available for young people in the district.

17. Councillor Mrs French said the County Council are currently trying to assist the owner of a kickboxing club with funding and there could be other help on offer.

18. Councillor Wicks commented that there are a number of very successful youth clubs in Whittlesey so there is some provision, but it should not be neglected. If any youth groups need funding, we should be able to help point them in the right direction.

19. Councillor Miscandlon said that with all these activities going on across the towns it would be good to have officers collate all that information. It should then be put on the FDC website and sent to the town and parish councils. Councillor Boden responded that is a very helpful suggestion and it would be appropriate for the draft business plan to be amended to ensure FDC acts effectively to provide better information to residents throughout the whole of Fenland. It is a superb example of what can be done to improve the Business Plan.

20. Councillor Tierney responded that the only difficulty would be in keeping the information up to date. This is a major job; he is not saying it should not be done but we need to think about how it might work before committing ourselves to a big ongoing task such as this. Paul Medd said that this is something that officers can review and see how it can operate practically.

21. Councillor Booth said that Councillor Count made the point about crime statistics but that is about reported crime. The issue is one of public engagement, some people do not report incidents of crime or anti-social behaviour so that needs to be borne in mind. He would observe that this is an item that sits under the Environment portfolio, but he thinks it should come under Communities. Councillor Count said there is a community safety element hence it came to him.

22. Councillor Wicks said that more needs to be done to highlight the issues of crime committed in the rural areas that is not experienced in urban areas; this is something that is often overlooked or neglected. Councillor Count agreed and said that one of the things he has been doing in meetings with the Police and Crime Commissioner is arguing for a breakdown in datasets to cover rural areas. Whereas a regular police force may place tractor theft low on their list of priorities, when we had a rural taskforce they were aware of and placed higher priority on tractor theft, recognising the significance of their high value, as well as for example the knock-on effects crimes such as hare coursing and all the associated behaviours linked to that. He will continue to bring forward discussions on rural crime being different to urban crime and to have these data sets broken down. He thanked Councillor Wicks for his comments and said he will keep up the work on that.

23.  Councillor Boden said he was now able to provide an answer to the question regarding leisure centre maintenance. A CIPFA-planned preventative maintenance report was commissioned by FDC in late 2021 and this work replaces a prior report from 2018. FDC has set aside considerable sums in the capital budget over the coming two years to implement recommendations that are FDC’s responsibility within the report. It should be noted that Freedom Leisure are responsible for day-to-day works including any works that are under FDC’s capital threshold of £10k. Some of the extensive works are already completed, including roofing works at the Hudson Centre and George Campbell, and guttering works at the Manor. Replacement of the Hudson fire alarm is a project that is underway with other projects due to start in Spring 2023 including electrical wiring works at the Hudson and changing room works at the Manor and George Campbell. Grant funding is usually available for larger capital improvement or new build projects but not maintenance works. Where such projects take place within leisure centres, funders will be approached to reduce costs to FDC where possible. Councillor Mason thanked Councillor Boden and said that was very reassuring.

24. Councillor Miscandlon asked what is being done to attract more businesses to Fenland. There is one particular business he is aware of, and he would like to know how it is progressing and growing. Councillor Boden advised that in the absence of Councillor Benney he was unable to answer as he does not know the business being referred to and it would not be appropriate to single it out at a meeting such as this. However, the Economic Growth team was appointed in 2020 and works closely with Councillor Benney as Portfolio Holder for Growth. The team is wedded to achieving economic growth and prosperity in the area. It is widely acknowledged that economic growth is likely to result from businesses already in the area rather than because of new inward investment. The team has refreshed the economic growth strategy which has subsequently been endorsed by Cabinet and Council reflecting the context we now have post pandemic, ensuring that the focus of the team is business engagement.  We have also put in place various performance measures against the strategy which are reported via the portfolio holder update reports to Council to ensure the positive impact the team have is both measurable and quantifiable. The Economic Growth team have devised and implemented with member approval the discretionary business rate relief scheme, targeted at businesses considering moving into the Fenland area therefore providing an incentive to our area. In addition, the team have also launched a further business rate relief policy targeted at developers of industrial units to kick start developments in the district as we have a limited supply of these units locally, potentially limiting inward investment opportunities and expansion of existing businesses within the area. The Economic Growth team have worked with colleagues in Planning to devise and implement a fast-track planning application process for applications that will support employment in the area. The team has worked closely with the Combined Authority’s ‘Start Grow’ initiative which provides grants to start-up and micro businesses across Fenland. The scheme concluded in December 2022 and the total grant award figures are currently being finalised and will be shared with the O&S panel during the next meeting in February. The team has run an external workshop event at the Boat House in relation to skills and recruitment as this has been a recurring theme identified by local businesses that they are finding challenging. The team works closely with the CPCA Growth Works inward investment team responding to queries and engaging with businesses considering a move into Fenland. One of the key notable successes in this regard has been the Turmeric Company that moved into Fenland in 2022 from outside the area resulting in additional local employment opportunities. The team played a key part in the Covid Business Grant project team, ensuring businesses were sustainable during the pandemic. Furthermore, FDC has also recently been successful in relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund bid by the Combined Authority from central government and a key aspect of that bid is in relation to business grants. More generally, the team engage with businesses both new to the area and those which are more established to identify any support required, acting as a conduit for external funding, energy advice and support, as well as skills and recruitment and take a very proactive approach ensuring that businesses continue to regard Fenland as a vibrant and supportive environment in which to be located.

25. Councillor Mason said he has been approached by people in the hospitality sector who are very fearful about going forward in 2023 and perhaps they are looking for concrete support and he thanked Councillor Boden for his statement.

26. Councillor Wicks said that having worked with the Business Development Officer and pointing him in several directions, it is not only Wisbech that needs help. He is continually being told about the lack of small business units within the area and it is against that background where we have got to encourage employment within Fenland to stop it becoming a more dormitory area. He would like to know how much effort is going into making these small business units available.

27. Councillor Boden said that is a very valid and helpful question and Councillor Wicks has hit the nail on the head. There is a clear shortage in Fenland of small business units, particularly industrial units. There are only so many things we can do. Firstly, we can build more small industrial units ourselves. We had a plan to do so at Chatteris but unfortunately over the last 6-9 months, construction costs have soared so high that it is no longer economically viable for us to do this currently. As soon as the building industry returns to some degree of stability, we will come back to that. Secondly, we can give support to third parties who wish to build units. We have done several things in that respect. One is having the opportunity for any such development for business rates not to be levied upon any such development until the units are occupied. It takes some of the degree of risk away from the developers if they know that business rates will not be incurred until units are occupied. Thirdly, we can refer to our draft local plan where more opportunity is being given for business and industrial development to take place in all parts of the district to open areas so there is greater possibility for land use to be exercised in that way, whether brownfield or greenfield sites. Councillor Boden added that he is frustrated by the Council’s own inability to build. The costs to do so have skyrocketed but should they come down, then he is sure a business case for doing that will be revisited. 

28. Councillor Wicks thanked Councillor Boden for his answers which he found to be most valuable. He added that members will know he is passionate about the enhancement of infrastructure in this area, and in particular Ely north junction and the dualling of the A47. Members continually push this point, but now we as a council should be making representations to the higher parties of the effect on employment and prosperity of Fenland and the impact it is having.

29. Councillor Seaton agreed with Councillor Wicks. He stated that FDC is part of the A47 alliance, which is made up of several councils and business partners. A new task and finish group has recently been set up to coordinate a combined response and we are lobbying and having ministerial visits. National Highways have recently consulted on the section from Peterborough to Guyhirn, but unfortunately they have come back with a response to that consultation saying the business case does not stack up to dual the A47, one of the reasons being that there are not many accidents. In his view they are missing one of the fundamental points which is that dualling the A47 from Peterborough to Wisbech would open an economic corridor opportunity. We are still trying to open up business opportunities and housing growth within the Fenland area. The A47 Elm High Road roundabout is still in their plans, and it is hoped work there will ease congestion. In the meantime, we will continue to lobby for the dualling of the A47 and as he is on the transport committee of the CPCA will continue to push the case for it.

30. Councillor Miscandlon said equally we need to open a relief road around Whittlesey as growth there has been stifled. Councillor Seaton agreed and said there is a problem with heavy traffic running through the town, but this pressure would also be eased if we had the A47 dualling. This is not a problem exclusive to Whittlesey.

31. Councillor Booth said that at the last meeting there was a presentation by the Transport Officer from the Combined Authority, and we would be lucky to get a light railway between Wisbech and March in the next five to ten years, and from what he was saying about the A47 there is almost no chance of getting dualling, particularly if we are being told the business case does not stack up. Therefore, something needs to change at government level to be in with any chance. There is too much bureaucracy, red tape and wasted money on all these consultations when the work could have been getting done. People are fed up with all the delays.

32. Councillor Mason asked if there were any questions on the Quality Organisation section of draft Business Plan.

33. Councillor Booth said this section mentions Consultation and Engagement but what is missing is consultation engagement with parish and town councils and this should be added. Also, he would expect performance indicators to be on the first and not second page.

34. Councillor Miscandlon said that as many consultations are undertaken online he was pleased to see that the point he had raised previously about not everybody being online had been taken on board, and that people can still engage by other means. Councillor Tierney said of course we must be able to reach out to everyone until such time, if ever, that everyone can access services online, but we are certainly not there yet.

35. Councillor Booth referred to page 4 of the draft Business Plan and said as an observation there is mention of there being a fifth priority around Council for the Future but there is no section on that. Councillor Boden responded that it is a cross cutting priority that cuts across the other four, but he agreed it would be helpful to expand on that for clarification.

36. Councillor Booth said he had one final point and that was relating to the page regarding investment across Fenland. Yet again there is not enough being done for the rural areas, and he keeps making this point. With the lack of public transport and mobility in the villages, they are identified as an area of rural isolation as people cannot get to facilities. How we are looking after rural communities needs to be looked at.

37. Councillor Boden said he was very grateful for all the comments which will be fed back so the final version of the Business Plan will reflect many of the comments made today.

38. Councillor Booth said he would ask that the Leader and Cabinet are open to the fact that the panel may be coming back with additional KPIs as a result of the forthcoming Task and Finish Group, which will make the Business Plan a dynamic and living document that we can make changes to as and when required. Councillor Boden responded that he is open to suggestions but would rather have replacement than additional KPIs so they do not become meaningless for being too many.

39. Councillor Mrs French said she was of the understanding some questions had been raised at the pre-meeting relating to March High Street and she would be happy to provide an update. The question was how March businesses will be supported to ensure their survival during the disruption caused by the development plan. Councillor Mrs French said the redevelopment of the marketplace, Riverside and Broad Street will bring some unavoidable disruption but the plan changes. This is far from the emergency actions that took place just before Christmas that had a considerable impact. The planned development work will ensure that a lane remains open north and south throughout the works so disruption will be kept as low as possible, although some disruption is inevitable. As part of the contract work, a liaison officer from the contractors will be in touch with local business weekly ensuring they know what is planned. There are three elements to the works, firstly to bring the infrastructure up to standard, with March having recently suffered ruptured gas pipes and burst water mains. There is the March Area Transport Study which has been ongoing since 2017, which has been broken into different elements, being the quick wins, and medium-term and long-term works. Some of the quick wins have been completed and the medium-term works are being done now, i.e., new zebra crossings in St Peters Road and Station Road. There are speed reductions in Upwell Road and Norwood Road and longer-term plans include the upgrading of the roundabout at Peas Hill Road, works to improve the Hobbs Lot junction due to the number of accidents and the installation of a northern link road. Councillor Mrs French added that FDC is also working on a walking, cycling and mobility strategy. Councillor Mason thanked Councillor Mrs French.

The Draft Business Plan 2023-24 was noted for information.