Issue - meetings

Cabinet was asked to consider a proposal which had been developed to set out a Buckinghamshire Recovery and Growth Deal proposition for Government.

Comments by Cabinet were as follows:-

·         To check whether the map of Buckinghamshire could be superimposed on the map of the Country.

·         As and where there are social mobility issues it was important to focus on the local economy as local businesses know what is best for development, not just focusing at the top end of the skills set but also bringing in opportunities at the apprenticeship level as well as devolution of the apprenticeship fund, to cater for all aspects of the employment market.

·         Buckinghamshire was known for its high number of ‘start-ups’ and it was important to particularly provide assistance to young people because of the legacy of covid-19 and the need to generate new businesses.

·         It was important for the bid to address areas of improvement such as digital connectivity, skills matching job opportunities and traffic congestion whilst also recognising development areas such as Winslow, which was ideally placed with its new green business park with East – West rail connections, Buckingham University and proximity to Silverstone.

RESOLVED

Cabinet agreed to:-

·         Support the Buckinghamshire Recovery and Growth Deal Proposal

·         Delegate to the Leader of the Council the power to make & approve any minor amendments in light of any comments after Cabinet

·         Approve the submission of the Proposal to Government by the Buckinghamshire Growth Board

Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council, introduced the report which asked Cabinet to consider a proposal which had been developed to set out a Buckinghamshire Recovery and Growth Deal proposition for Government.

Buckinghamshire has robust and effective partnerships and leadership, ready to accelerate the UK recovery. As England’s newest unitary authority, Buckinghamshire has a uniquely integrated council, public service and business leadership with co-terminous Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Council, business support organisation (Bucks Business First),  Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Health Care Trust boundaries. Buckinghamshire can deliver a strong recovery programme bringing together all the various different departments of government into a much more integrated approach on a place basis. Buckinghamshire’s global USP is based on four super strength; space, creative and digital, high performance tech and medtech, linked to a set of world-renowned assets. Buckinghamshire also has an enormous amount of small and medium enterprises which makes Buckinghamshire the entrepreneurial  heart of Britain which can provide so much of that underlying growth that is needed for the recovery of this country. 

The proposition builds on the unique strengths, partnerships, and opportunities within the County and enables Buckinghamshire and the Government to support key ‘bounce back’ objectives including further increases in GVA in the context of a continuing and post COVID-19 environment, and further contributions to Treasury.  Investing in Buckinghamshire would also support and enable the ‘levelling-up’ agenda in other parts of the country.

Following partner engagement and formal support, the Buckinghamshire Growth Board would be asked to submit the final proposition to government in Mid-November.

Comments by Cabinet were as follows:-

·       To check whether the map of Buckinghamshire could be superimposed on the map of the Country.

·       As and where there are social mobility issues it was important to focus on the local economy as local businesses know what is best for development, not just focusing at the top end of the skills set but also bringing in opportunities at the apprenticeship level as well as devolution of the apprenticeship fund, to cater for all aspects of the employment market.

·       Buckinghamshire was known for its high number of ‘start-ups’ and it was important to particularly provide assistance to young people because of the legacy of covid-19 and the need to generate new businesses.

·       It was important for the bid to address areas of improvement such as digital connectivity, skills matching job opportunities and traffic congestion whilst also recognising development areas such as Winslow, which was ideally placed with its new green business park with East – West rail connections, Buckingham University and proximity to Silverstone.

RESOLVED

Cabinet agreed to:-

·       Support the Buckinghamshire Recovery and Growth Deal Proposal

·       Delegate to the Leader of the Council the power to make & approve any minor amendments in light of any comments after Cabinet

·       Approve the submission of the Proposal to Government by the Buckinghamshire Growth Board