Councillors asked to vote on recommendation
- Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 3:28pm
A recommendation made by East Devon District Council’s scrutiny committee to the council’s cabinet caused confusion as nobody had any idea what it meant.But none of them knew what it meant!
The scrutiny committee, as part of the review of Economy & Regeneration Services, and the Growth Point Team service plans 2018/19, had recommended that ‘this Council should aim to boost resilience of the local economy and develop a self-sufficient economy as much as possible, whilst maintaining an international focus’.
But when the cabinet were due to vote on adopting the recommendation, nobody could understand what it meant.
Cllr Ian Thomas, leader of the council, asked Cllr Roger Giles, chairman of the scrutiny committee, what the recommendation meant and if he could explain it.
In response, Cllr Giles said: “No, I cannot.”
There was no-one in the room who could explain what the recommendation meant, although it was agreed that it did represent the outcome of a comprehensive discussion that had been held.
Cllr Thomas instead asked that the recommendation be sent back to the scrutiny committee so they could tell the cabinet what it actually meant.
Cllr Giles said: “I think that is probably for the best.”
Councillors asked to vote on recommendation - Radio Exe
The Cabinet has indeed asked the Committee to go back and reformulate the proposal:
RESOLVED (2) that the following recommendation be referred back to the Scrutiny Committee for further explanation:
Minute 26 Review of Economy & Regeneration Services and the Growth Point Team service plans 2018/19
2. that the Council should aim to boost resilience of the local economy and develop a self-sufficient economy as much as possible, whilst maintaining an international focus.
http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/2689635/311018-cabinet-mins.pdf
However, going to the Scrutiny Committee's minutes, the context makes things a little clearer...
Review of Economy & Regeneration Services, and the Growth Point Team service
plans 2018/19
The Chairman asked what impact Brexit will have on Service Plans. Officers
replied by confirming that whatever the outcomes were, EDDC would be seeking to
strengthen resilience and employment opportunities within East Devon. This could
be done at key sites in the Enterprise Zone and supporting local businesses.
Considering the availability of workforce skills and capability so that the area is able
to deal with a range of external variables. There are already staffing difficulties in the
construction industry with the flight of workers who came from the EU, so that EDDC
will be promoting local skills development. A National Review of skills called ‘The
Burning Platform’ outlined difficulties ahead. EDDC are working with Exeter College and looking at Construction Industry training in order to train local people on site and
retain them for the future
http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/2651266/041018-scrutiny-minutesx-final.pdf
[This, incidentally, has also been covered here:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and how prepared local authorities are]
The Committee did in fact cover a lot of other areas on the future of the economy in the District - and there is indeed a lot to unpack...
"MAINTAINING AN INTERNATIONAL FOCUS"
Yes, there needs to be a balance in the economy, but attracting Foreign Direct Investment can prove elusive and distracting:
Futures Forum: Foreign Direct Investment ... vs ... supporting locally-owned small businesses
Especially in the context of Brexit:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and challenging the so-twentieth-century model of “inward investment regeneration programmes, enterprise zones, the prioritisation of economic growth and reliance on trickle-down”
As a recent piece pointed out:
Plymouth Herald - Latest local news, sport & business from Plymouth
Futures Forum: Brexit: and doing business beyond the EU
"BOOST RESILIENCE OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND DEVELOP A SELF-SUFFICIENT ECONOMY"
It is very clear, on the other hand, that small in East Devon is beautiful:
Futures Forum: "Statistics show us that small and medium-size businesses (including those in tourism) are our life blood."
And there are some great ideas out there:
Futures Forum: "Small plus small plus small equals big" >>> 'There is a blind spot about economic regeneration in most local authorities'
If only the District Council would listen:
Futures Forum: "Regeneration and economic development" in East Devon >>> looking beyond the conventional, the ideological and the heavyhanded
LOCAL RESILIENCE
Because there are some great ideas out there:
Futures Forum: Preston: Post Brexit city - Co-operatives for an Age of Crisis > How the 'Preston Model' is boosting the local economy
Especially on 'resilience':
Resilience, impact, and learning - Resilience
Futures Forum: "Resilience, impact, and learning"...interview with Katrina Brown of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at Exeter University
Futures Forum: "Smart growth for conservatives" at Resilience
Which is what the Transition Town movement is all about:
Futures Forum: Building resilience in local communities and economies: the Transition Town movement today
The term is everywhere and perhaps overused - so that nobody knows what it means anymore - but it does have particular applications, for example:
Futures Forum: Making Coastal Communities Resilient >>> Green and Gray >>> Understanding the Shades of Resilient Infrastructure
Futures Forum: Resilience: "building a world of resilient communities"
Futures Forum: Coastal communities and building resilience
And there are many related ideas:
Futures Forum: Relocalisation
Futures Forum: Steady-state economy... Post-growth economy
Especially here:
Homepage - Resilience
Finally, the Transition Town movement is working with local authorities:
government.flv - YouTube
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