Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Executive and Growth Director.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that Executive note: -

(1)        the work undertaken by the seven recovery groups in developing a place based and sector-specific action plan, with associated ‘asks’, to counter the effects of Covid-19 upon the city;

(2)        the endorsement of the draft recovery plan document by the Liveable Exeter Place Board, on behalf of key stakeholders within the city; and

(3)        that the resources required to progress the various initiatives within the Recovery Plan will be a blend of funding sources ranging from asks of central Government, regional funding pots, a variety of local and national funding, city council and private sector funding.

RECOMMENDED that Council adopt the Exeter Covid-19 Recovery Plan.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report on the Exeter Covid-19 recovery plan submitted following the approval in June 2020 of a place-based recovery plan to support the city’s recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The work would be led and co-ordinated by Council officers, with input from other key city stakeholders, with the plan to be adopted by the Liveable Exeter Place Board.

The Project Director Liveable Exeter reported the following seven areas of focus for recovery:-

·         Business Support;

·         The City Centre;

·         Community and Wellbeing;

·         Construction and Development;

·         Education;

·         Transport; and

·         Visitor Economy (Culture and Tourism).

Particular reference was made to the six guiding recovery principles as set out in the report, the intention to work with other recovery plans in the region, the need to support the 2030 zero carbon objectives and the following three priority areas:-

·         investment in the city centre;

·         investment in digital skills and training; and

·         continued investment in wellbeing.

The Leader thanked the large number of partners, stakeholders and businesses across the city as well as regional bodies who had contributed significantly to the plan.

During the discussion the following points were made:-

·         significant recommendations for the City Centre made by the City Centre Recovery Group which were also based around the need to reduce the carbon impact on the city and the Council’s Net Zero 2030 target such as creating a zero-waste zone;

·         the complexity of the plan with a number of overlapping areas and city wide issues;

·         specific initiatives in support of sustainable development including Co-Cars, Electric Bikes and the investment bid already submitted in respect of an electric bus fleet;

·         welcome support for digital training and skills for Exeter and the five year funding package to support continued community activity through Wellbeing Exeter; and

·         welcome the involvement of the University and Exeter College with schools in supporting on line training and home schooling.

The Chief Executive & Growth Director emphasised the following:-

·         immense range of stakeholders and people who have contributed to the plan across all sectors in the city;

·         the alignment of sectors in providing immediate support through emergency measures to businesses after the initial lockdown, such as support for the aviation sector and the transport providers, Stagecoach and Great Western Railway, working with Exeter College to ensure students across Devon could get to the College;

·         with all aspects of city life touched, the flexible approach of the Council itself working within regulatory frameworks to support local businesses;

·         the Plan provides the evidence base to work with the Local Enterprise Partnership and through the Great South West brand in promoting the region to maximize the chance of submitting winning bids to Government. The city’s Liveable Exeter strategy and its Net Zero agenda, which are twenty year visions, are central to the approach to tap into the potential funding pipeline to Government as part of the Region for Clean Growth vision;

·         the plan builds on opportunities emerging from structural changes in response to the pandemic as well as recent significant investment in the city centre such as the Royal Clarence, re-development of the Harlequins and the Council’s own investment in the Bus Station site; and

·         the plan sets out a foundation to work in both the short and long term to ensure Exeter recovers from the pandemic.

RESOLVED that Executive note: -

(1)        the work undertaken by the seven recovery groups in developing a place based and sector-specific action plan, with associated ‘asks’, to counter the effects of Covid-19 upon the city;

(2)        the endorsement of the draft recovery plan document by the Liveable Exeter Place Board, on behalf of key stakeholders within the city; and

(3)        that the resources required to progress the various initiatives within the Recovery Plan will be a blend of funding sources ranging from asks of central Government, regional funding pots, a variety of local and national funding, city council and private sector funding; and

RECOMMENDED that Council adopt the Exeter Covid-19 Recovery Plan.