Agenda and minutes

Apologies for Absence had been received from Councillor Carl Etholen.

Councillor Sarah James was in attendance substituting for Councillor Tom Hunter Watts.

The Chairman of the Communities and Localism Select Committee confirmed their appointment of Councillor Ashley Waite as Vice-chairman of the Communities and Localism Select Committee.

RESOLVED: that Councillor Ashley Waite be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Communities and Localism Select Committee for the ensuing year.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the Communities & Localism Select Committee meetings held on 26th April 2022 and 18^th May 2022 as a correct record.

The minutes of the Communities & Localism Select Committee meetings held on 26th April 2022 and 18th May 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in Buckinghamshire to put a question to a Select Committee. The Committee will hear from members of the public who have submitted questions in advance relating to items on the agenda. The Cabinet Member, relevant key partners and responsible officers will be invited to respond.

Further information on how to register can be found here: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/your-council/getinvolved-with-council-decisions/select-committees/

No public questions had been received.

The Joint Committee will receive a report and presentation on the Visitor Economy. This will examine how the Visitor Economy fits into the Council’s broader approach to economic development and ways to develop it further. As the Council looks to develop a Visitor Economy strategy, members will be able to review opportunities and potential areas of development and investigate how the Council can work effectively with partners to attract more visitors to Buckinghamshire.

Contributors:

Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council

Lisa Michelson, Service Director, Economic Growth and Regeneration

Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport & Leisure

Matthew Broadbent, Senior Economic Development Officer

Philippa Batting, Managing Director for Buckinghamshire Business First

Lucy Dowson, Tourism Development Manager for Visit Buckinghamshire

Bill Morris, Co-Chair for Buckinghamshire Culture

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council, Philippa Batting, Managing Director for Buckinghamshire Business First, Lucy Dowson, Tourism Development Manager for Visit Buckinghamshire, Bill Morris, Co-Chair for Buckinghamshire Culture, Lisa Michelson, Service Director, Economic Growth and Regeneration, Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport & Leisure and Shabnam Ali, Head of Economic Growth, to the meeting.

The following points were highlighted during the presentations:

• Buckinghamshire had a wide variety of attractions for Visitors, placed in an ideal location with 20 million people living 90 minutes from Aylesbury. These included well known Historical and National Trust properties, as well as film and television locations and beautiful natural environments.  In 2019, the Visitor Economy in Bucks was worth £900million.
• Covid had affected the Tourism industry heavily, Buckinghamshire Council had been relatively quick to provide support to affected businesses compared to other Local Authorities. The perception of the sector had shifted with the stability of working in the tourism sector along with long working hours now perceived more negatively.
• Staff retention was challenging for those employed in the Visitor Economy. Some village based businesses were closing on alternating days of the week due to shortages in staff. High cost of living in Buckinghamshire was a contributing factor to this.
• The positive impact on the local area was just not just economic. There were large social benefits and increases to quality of life. Cultural programs promoted education and the employment opportunities which allowed a wide range of skills to be developed.
• For the top 10 attractions for the Visitor Economy in Buckinghamshire, it was noted that the most popular were National Trust properties (i.e. Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor).
• The visitor economy was more concentrated in the South of the county, with the majority of this in the Beaconsfield Constituency.
• 9% of Bucks workforce was in the Visitor Economy (compared to 10% in England). There was a £1.2 billion contribution to Bucks GVA (Gross Value Added). This accounted for 9.8% of Bucks total GVA (higher compared to surrounding LEP areas. Herts 9.5%; Oxon 9.2%; Berks 7.4%).
• The accommodation supply for the Visitor Economy was focused around the Chiltern Hills for leisure use. For business use, it was concentrated around the Milton Keynes area. The accommodation capacity was split 72% non-serviced and 28% serviced accommodation. Notably 85% of the non-serviced accommodation were AirBnB properties.
• Visit Bucks was the DMO (Destination Management Organisation) for Buckinghamshire. It supported the promotion of the geography and its key constituents, including accommodation, restaurants, attractions, events, transportation, guided tours and any other retailers catering to travellers.
• The Visitbuckinghamshire.org website received 30,000 visits per month, and had wide reach on Social media. The organisation worked in partnership with over 300 tourism businesses.
• As well as promoting the visitor economy via newsletters to subscribers and weekly themed content on the website, Visit Bucks also attend industry events and encourage businesses to collaborate and develop their offer. They also help businesses to identify possible funding opportunities and support them with grant applications.
• The Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

An opportunity for members of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee to suggest possible items for the future work programme.

The Work Programme for 2022-23 was agreed. Members were advised to contact the Scrutiny Officer for the committee with any additional topics they wished to be included in the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing work programme.

An opportunity for members of the Communities and Localism Select Committee to suggest possible items for the future work programme.

The Work Programme for 2022-23 was agreed. Members were advised to contact the Scrutiny Officer for the committee with any additional topics they wished to be included in the Communities and Localism work programme.

The next meeting will take place on 6^th October 2022 at 10.00 a.m.

The next meeting of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee would be on 6th October 2022 at 10am.

The next meeting will take place on 5^th October 2022 at 10.00 a.m.

The next meeting of the Communities and Localism Select Committee would be on 5th October 2022 at 10am.