This meeting will include a discussion about the council's plans to support town centres, including the Southwark Pioneers Fund and the Thriving High Street Fund. There will also be discussion of work that has been done on skills and employment, including apprenticeships, the Southwark Construction Skills Centre, and the Southwark Works programme.

Town Centres

The commission will receive a report from Councillor John Batteson, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs & Business, on the council’s plans for Town Centre Action Plans.

The council is developing a Town Centre Action Plan for each of the town centres identified in the Council Delivery Plan (CDP), which are: Peckham, Camberwell, Elephant and Castle / Walworth Road, Canada Water, and Bermondsey.

The report states that:

It is recognised that while existing town centre action plans are a helpful repository of all town centre activity, they are internally focused and are not easily accessible to communities and businesses. To facilitate community and business engagement, external-facing versions of the action plans are being developed. Example public-facing action plans have already been prepared for Camberwell and Peckham.

- Report Draft Town Centre Action Plan

The report will also provide an update on the Thriving High Street Fund (THSF), which has provided funding to 21 organisations across the borough. The report notes that all funding from the first two rounds of the THSF has now been allocated.

Local Economy Programmes

The commission will also receive a report from Councillor Batteson providing an overview of a number of programmes intended to support the local economy.

Southwark Pioneers Fund

The report will provide an update on the progress of the Southwark Pioneers Fund (SPF), a programme of support for local businesses.

The report explains that:

Since its original inception the economic climate has changed significantly (covid-19, Brexit, Climate Emergency, and Southwark Stands Together), making it particularly important that we support local enterprises to build resilience, sustain and grow. - Report Local Economy Programmes

The SPF is divided into four themes: a Start-Up programme; a Growth programme; a Green Programme; and a Social and Community programme. The report states that the Start-Up and Growth programmes have supported 269 businesses so far. The report also notes that the Green Programme will be delivered by ReLondon,¹ and will offer grant funding to 15 businesses to help them to develop circular economy business models.

Apprenticeships

The report will provide an update on the council’s progress toward its target of creating 2,000 new apprenticeships by 2026. As of the first quarter of 2023/24, the council has supported the creation of 1,270 apprenticeships.

The report describes the Passmore Centre,² an apprenticeship centre run in partnership with London South Bank University, which has helped to create 593 apprenticeships since it was opened.

Southwark Construction Skills Centre

The report will also discuss the Southwark Construction Skills Centre (SCSC). The SCSC was established by the council in 2016 and has since helped to train 6,939 Southwark residents and to create 2,000 jobs and apprenticeships.

Southwark Works

The report will provide an update on the Southwark Works programme, which supports residents into employment. So far, the programme has helped 1,904 residents from priority cohorts into work.

Work Programme 2024-25

The commission will consider its draft work programme for the 2024-25 municipal year. This will include discussion of items relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including: a presentation from a representative of the Parent Carer Forum; an update on the backlog of Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) assessments; and an update on the council’s Inclusion Charter, which is intended to reduce the number of school exclusions.