Agenda item

Councillor R Sutton (Portfolio Holder for City Development) and Councillor R Denham (Portfolio Holder for Economy and Culture) will present their respective work programmes and take questions.

Councillors Sutton and Denham presented progress reports on priorities within the City Development and the Economy and Culture Portfolios respectively.

City Development 

Councillor Prowse declared a personal interest as a Member of Devon County Council.

Councillor Sutton as Portfolio Holder corrected one of the priorities relating to the concept of Exeter as a City Lab, pioneering technology and innovative use of data which should be removed from the City Development portfolio and included within the Economy and Culture Portfolio. 

• adequate infrastructure in south west Exeter was key to the whole city and should be in place in advance of any planned housing. She welcomed any opportunity to press for its delivery through robust engagement with Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council. She envisaged that groups such as Alphington Forum and others would make practical representations to Devon County Council over the proposed site of the footpath and cycle path on Loram Way.
• there was planning consent for IKEA, but no start date had been advised.
• she would speak to the Principal Project Manager Infrastructure Delivery about any funding possibilities to improve the surface of the cycle path at Duckes Marsh.
• the broader issues of how the city and university could work together in partnership particularly in relation student accommodation had been discussed.  The University had an accommodation policy, and the Council’s Article 4 Directive had started to redress the imbalance in the community, but in certain areas it remained a challenge. However, more accommodation was coming back into private ownership through the freeing up of HMO’s and family houses.

The Chair welcomed the opportunity to set up a University Task and Finish Group to further foster good relations.

Economy and Culture

Councillor Denham as Portfolio Holder highlighted the following:-

She confirmed that work to progress Exeter City Futures work with Andromeda and key partners would be added as a priority within her portfolio.

• there was genuine consensus that the authority was working in a more joined up way with East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge District Councils to progress the knowledge economy. They were also looking to develop a working relationship with Amdromeda Capital.

·         further work with the Exe Estuary Management Board was reassuring to utilise its expertise and she was pleased there had been an initial contact with the Canal and River Trust to consider a strategic vision for the river and canal.

• the pay on foot ticket system had freed up staff to better enforce and manage car parks.

·         Members’ views over future meetings of the Cost of Living Forum were sought and it was agreed that further debate on cost of living topics could always be brought forward through other task and finish groups. It was considered that the planned January meeting was not required. 

She made the following responses to Members:-

·         a number of Exeter businesses now paid the living wage, but were reticent in sharing their experience. It was good to see examples from the hospitality sector and it was hoped that other businesses could be persuaded to face the challenge.

• work continued with the organisers of events celebrating the Rugby World Cup 2015 at Exeter Castle particularly in respect of access and licensing issues. Success as a Host City for Rugby World Cup 2015 meant the event running smoothly, an increase in the number of visitors and support for local rugby, including the burgeoning woman’s rugby teams as part of identifiable legacy work.  The Rugby Empowering Employment Programme (REEP) targeted young people between 16 and 24, with a successful pilot and transition to Business Empowering Employment Partnership (BEEP) as part of a sustainable plan to foster and support this activity.

·         as a member of the Exeter BID Board she would ask her colleagues for the consideration of later trading hours and also revisit the City Centre Strategy. 

·         there had been a greater uptake of shops on South Street,  due, in part, to initiatives such as the pop-up shops and some businesses had gone on to trade elsewhere in the city.  In the longer term, there will be a report on the future of this part of the city. She welcomed the suggestion to survey visitor activity, including coach arrivals, particularly in the South Street area.

Scrutiny Committee – Economy noted the achievements and priorities presented for both City Development and the Economy and Culture Portfolios.