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Waverley Borough Council Committee System - Committee Document

Meeting of the Executive held on 06/02/2007
ANNEXE 1B - ECONOMIC STRATEGY REVIEW - NOTES FROM MEMBERS WORKSHOP


Annexe 1b
Economic Strategy Review
Notes from Members Workshop
Thursday 14th September 2006

The workshop was attended by around twenty councillors. After an initial discussion, flipcharts were used to record comments after which each person could indicate their top three priority areas from the list. The number of ‘votes’ recorded are listed at the end of the statements.

This information is not scientific but gives a feeling for views on the day

Sub Regional

· Local Government Review – how will we co-ordinate the response to the Economic section of the White Paper?
· Connection with SEEDA not well developed and yet we are helping with their growth target in the South East. 1

Leadership

· Help better links between business & community (Ancer SPA report pg. 29) and also volunteers – local partnership working 2
· Establish what the area is for, e.g. a home for high earners?
· Partnership should be more with “doers” than “ngos” etc.
· Develop visionary leadership among the small business community 3

Market Towns

· Encourage closer linkages among retailers to achieve stronger “Town-Branding” (like Haslemere) via town initiatives or Chambers of Commerce. 7
· The displacement of small High Street businesses by larger multiples & the impact of larger multiples on High Street rents. 4
· Concentrate assistance to those towns (Godalming) which are behind in the race to develop
· How can weaker Chambers of Commerce be encouraged to become involved in improving the local retail sector beyond their immediate businesses
· Increase involvement of small businesses in Chambers of Commerce etc.
· Build on successes of Market Town Initiatives
· Any chance of mini initiatives in some villages – related to Parish plans?
· Local Chambers of Trade seem quite variable – help the smaller ones to re-focus & expand. 1
· Help retail to improve its product 1
· Partnership with Chambers of Commerce etc., with emphasis on Small Business Start Ups and Rescues
· Retail viability of Godalming;- too close to Guildford, too many charity shops – unfair competition as no business rates. 2


Planning

· Strengthen LDF protection of commercial sites
· Provision of “affordable “ housing in the “right” place for employees 1
· Stop more supermarkets – they stop small shops in towns and villages
· Rather than adding to High Street clutter with parking metres, could we exercise some control on on-street parking by providing machines to issue short term parking tickets and so deter the all-day parkers.
· Seek improvements in water supply, drainage and refuse collection 1
· Encourage road improvements
· How can public transport evolve to move people effectively before home and work?
· Ensure that Borough is the best “home”, i.e. infrastructure
· Infrastructure: transport routes
· Use garden brown field sites for low costs housing by strict planning control.
· Control garden development for extending housing 9
· Support and encourage transport in rural areas to encourage employment 10
· Infrastructure strain; roads, rail/bus, health/PCT, schools, water 1

Sustainability

· As per Ancer SPA report page 29/30 – helping small businesses overcome barriers to recycling – Paper Save Initiative (and other things) 4
· Matching business/work opportunities with sustainable communities 2
· Encourage real green projects for housing 1
· Study production of biomass/veg-diesel

Village Shops and Businesses


· Support for village community; village shops, small businesses – help to expand, home working 5
· Support for small rural businesses i.e. accommodation for businesses such as blacksmiths
· Support for rural retailer, i.e. village shops help with actually running the business
· Lobby for village post offices 3
· Keep village support for shops, post offices and transport 2
· Ask Parish Councils what they would like help to do for themselves
· Good-communication between Parish/Towns on healthchecks/parish plans etc. – develop this 1
· Continue ‘saving’ village shops/pubs/other facilities.

Home Work

· Encourage home working; reduce transport strain, increase small business start-up. 7
· Encourage Waverley’s home workers to offer volunteer support not for profit but for economically useful activities.

Dunsfold

· Dunsfold Park – Communication with SEERA, SEEDA, GOSE for credits – if it does go ahead. 2
· Double outline proposal for work places and homes at Dunsfold Park


Resources

· Consider increasing Waverley resources to make a greater impact on increasing economic activity in the Borough also to speed up the process 1
· Develop a strong alternate for Iain Lynch (for when he has holidays/secondments) 1

Skills

· More investment in training courses for improvement of the management of small businesses 3
· Waverley should persuade “professionals” to offer pro bono or “cheap” mentoring and support to small/new business people
· Training in basic business skills – financial management and HR (law and good practice) especially
· Review of business rates to help start-ups?
· Retain key employers and encourage others to come to the area