Decision details

The Chief Executive & Growth Director declared an interest as a Director for Exeter City Futures and left the meeting during consideration of the item.

The Chief Finance Officer presented the City Wide Transformation Programme report, which detailed the authorities continuing secondment arrangement that had been put in place for the Programme Director for Exeter City Futures (“ECF”).  Members were informed that the funding of the role, for the following two years, would be met from the Business Rates pilot fund, whose objectives were to be used to deliver economic benefits to the city.

In supporting the proposal, Members stated that ECF supported joint working with Exeter College, Exeter University, the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and Oxygen House to address congestion within the city and support small companies in delivering this.

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)        note what has been achieved to date working in partnership with ECF following the recruitment of the ECF Programme Director - City Transformation, in particular the expansion of the ECF Board to include directors from Devon County Council, Exeter College, the University of Exeter, and the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital; and £200,000 of One Public Estate Funding secured from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office, and the Local Government Association for the Exeter City Development Fund;

(2)        approve the funding of the ECF Programme Director - City Transformation post for a further period of 2 years; and

(3)        approve the setting aside of the sum of £99,364 for each year from the business rate windfall to pay for the Program Director- City Transformation post for a further two year period commencing from April 2019.