The Economic Development, Transport and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission met to discuss the Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership, the Get LLR Working Plan, and workspace capital funding. The commission requested more information on the revenue costs to operate the market place, adult skills devolution, the makeup of the Leicester and Leicestershire Business Board, and funding for the Dock and Canopy workspaces.

Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Economy submitted a report updating the Scrutiny Commission on the development and delivery of the Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership (LLBSP).

The LLBSP's role, along with its Business Board, is to collaborate with businesses and stakeholders to stimulate economic growth and provide relevant business support initiatives at a regional level, working across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This is achieved by:

• Supporting the designated Enterprise Zones, which include sites in the County at MIRA Technology Park (MIRA) near Hinckley and at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) and Charnwood Campus in Loughborough;
• Delivering skills and apprenticeship support, including the work of the Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub;
• Delivering the government funded business support service (Growth Hub) and locally, the Create Growth programme;
• Local economic growth planning.

The LLBSP will also work with the Business Growth Service to simplify the landscape of business support, making it easier for SMEs¹ to access the tools and expertise they need to overcome barriers to growth, create jobs, and contribute significantly to the UK economy.

Following the launch of the Industrial Strategy² and the Small Business Plan, strategic authorities are required to work with their business boards to develop a Local Growth Plan.

The Leicester and Leicestershire Business Board is in development. According to the report, guidance issued from government stated that Business boards should:

engage business representative organisations such as the local Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and should include a diverse range of businesses reflecting local economic strengths and priorities, ensuring representation across different sectors, sizes and geographic areas, including urban, and rural to promote a diversity of voices.

Three posts are being held vacant, with the plan to recruit after the launch of the Industrial Strategy to ensure alignment with identified key sectors. There is also a vacancy retained for a Rutland based business.

To ensure that the board is fully representative of Leicester and Leicestershire business community, and to support the board to focus on priority delivery areas, the board has approved the establishment of three sub-groups: Innovation, Employment and Skills, and Business Support.

The council retains revenue reserves from the LLEP³ to underwrite the transition costs and on-going activity of the Business and Skills Partnership. The £3,506,000 balance as at 1 April 2024 is committed for this purpose, of which £344,000 was drawn down to cover the net operating costs during 2024/25.

The commission requested that future updates include information on adult skills devolution, timelines from the government, information on the rural and urban makeup of the board, and money in reserves at the end of the financial year.

Get LLR Working Plan

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Economy submitted a report providing an overview of the development of a Get Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Working Plan.

Local areas have been invited by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to develop detailed plans that address the challenges related to labour force participation (employment, unemployment and economic inactivity) and progression in work. The DWP intend that these plans set out the ambition for the next 10 years alongside more immediate goals and actions.

The DWP has tasked Leicester City Council as the responsible lead for leading the development of a local Get Britain Working plan for Leicester, Leicestershire, & Rutland, working with Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council, Jobcentre Plus and the Integrated Care Board.

The local Get Britain Working plans are intended to tackle the six key issues identified in the government's Get Britain Working White Paper:

• Too many people are excluded from the labour market, especially those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or lower skill levels.
• Too many young people leave school without essential skills or access to high-quality further learning, an apprenticeship or support to work so that they can thrive at the start of their career.
• Too many people are stuck in insecure, poor quality and often low-paying work, which contributes to a weaker economy and also affects their health and wellbeing.
• Too many women who care for their families still experience challenges staying in and progressing in work.
• Too many employers cannot fill their vacancies due to labour and skills shortages, holding back economic growth, driving up reliance on overseas labour, and undermining living standards.
• There is too great a disparity in labour market outcomes between different places and for different groups of people.

Local areas have been asked to prioritise focusing on addressing economic inactivity at the local level.

The development of local Get Britain Working plans is being overseen by a formal partnership of key local stakeholders from: Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council, District Councils, Integrated Care Board, and Jobcentre Plus.

The commission were invited to comment on the report and the actions being undertaken, and in particular to comment on the six key issues referenced in section 3.7 of the Get LLR Working Plan report.

Workspaces Capital Funding

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Economy gave a presentation to update the commission on Workspaces and Capital Funding. The commission requested information on how the Dock and Canopy workspaces are funded.

Market Place Verbal Update

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Economy gave a verbal update on the Market Place. The commission requested that future updates include information on the revenue costs to operate the market.