Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Lord Steve Bassam, Chair of the Business in the Community (BITC) Place Taskforce, and invited Esther Barrott, Adviser, to introduce the report.

Esther introduced the report which provided Board Members with a brief overview of the BITC Place Taskforce and the Board’s involvement to date to support a discussion with Lord Steve Bassam.

Lord Bassam set out the following points:

• Background information which related to the report and the work of the taskforce to date.
• The need to emphasise the importance of business engagement to ensure that resources were allocated to achieve the targets set out in the 12 missions that government had established for levelling-up.
• The 14 recommendations set out within the report, which focused on:

-        Collaboration

-        Business leadership driving successful partnership and place-based

-        The unique resources of each partner and the need for leveraging

-        Government’s approach to ensuring that businesses were involved in relation to levelling up.

Board Members made a number of comments and asked questions which related to the following points:

• The Chair welcomed government’s acknowledgement of local authorities being leaders of place and their role as convenors.
• The importance of appropriate access to resource was emphasised.
• A question was asked which related to BITC activity and projects.
• A question was asked which related to point 7.2 within the report.
• The Chair asked Lord Bassam for three key asks from BITC to local government.
• The Chair emphasised the importance of government recognising the present challenges within cities, specifically in relation to inequalities.

Lord Bassam responded to Board Members’ comments, setting out the following points:

• Lord Bassam provided some background information in relation to the BITC Place Taskforce.
• BITC worked with local authorities and other partners to deliver specific projects, focusing place activity on a number of communities.
• In response to a question which related to point 7.2 within the report, BITC established a Strategic Board within each area and worked closely with local authorities to create Business Connectors, Champions and Ambassador Roles to establish and maintain place-based partnerships. A Business Connector would typically be appointed if adequate funding was available. It was expected that once established, the Strategic Board would create a group of Ambassadors to work with businesses to ensure that they were engaged in advocation work within communities.
• The three key asks from BITC to local government were:

-        Ensuring that government recognised the value of strategic partnerships in place and within communities, working with levelling-up directors and recognising the value of funding connectors.

-        For Town Deal Boards to be further utilised to deliver levelling-up missions.

-        Levelling-up funding needed to be flexible, long-term, localised and aligned with the levelling-up missions to maximise the engagement of business and deliver transformative change.

• The Prince’s Seeing is Believing Programme, established in 1990 by HRH The Prince of Wales, had played a vital role in shaping the BITC’s place-based approach. The Seeing is Believing programme would take place again in 2022, offering a powerful experience for senior business leaders, showing the unique challenges faced by local communities.

Lord Bassam thanked both the LGA for their continued help and support also Cllrs Abi Brown and Simon Henig, for their invaluable contributions to the report.

Decision:

·       Board Members noted the report.

Action:

·       Officers to continue to work in partnership with BITC to make the case to government, particularly in relation to local government being place-based leaders.