The most significant topic scheduled to be discussed at this meeting of the Business Advisory Board was the East Midlands Combined County Authority’s (EMCCA) Investment Pipeline. This was followed by a presentation about the Inclusive Growth Commission, and an introduction to EMCCA and the Business Advisory Board.

Investment Pipeline

The Business Advisory Board was scheduled to receive a presentation about EMCCA's current investment strategy and pipeline. The report pack states that EMCCA's current investment priorities are “low carbon, connected places and innovation”. The report pack also included a breakdown of EMCCA’s planned investments for 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Inclusive Growth Commission

The Business Advisory Board was scheduled to receive a presentation about the Inclusive Growth Commission. The Inclusive Growth Commission is being run by the Royal Society of Arts. It was due to produce an interim report in Spring 2025 and its final report in Autumn 2025.

The four “exam questions” the Commission was tasked with answering are:

1. What does inclusive growth mean for the region? What will communities feel is different in ten years’ time from a successful inclusive growth strategy?
2. What are the region’s unique combination of strengths? How can it best leverage its economic assets across cities, towns and rural areas to grow these?
3. What are the root causes that sit behind the region’s well-established challenges in achieving inclusive growth? How can the region tackle these challenges to enable its full potential to be unleashed?
4. What role can EMCCA play to effect change, alone and with its partners, including as part of the systems of public services?

Introduction to EMCCA, the Business Advisory Board and the Governance Framework

The Business Advisory Board was scheduled to receive a presentation about EMCCA, its governance framework, and the role and remit of the Business Advisory Board. The presentation included a history of devolution in the East Midlands, EMCCA’s strategic framework, an overview of the Inclusive Growth Strategy, and the Terms of Reference for the Business Advisory Board.

Membership and Representation

The Board was scheduled to discuss the completeness of its current membership, identify representatives to sit on EMCCA’s three thematic committees, and discuss its approach to non-voting membership.

Work Programme

The Board was scheduled to approve its draft Work Programme for 2024/25.