Agenda and decisions

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor John Cotton (Birmingham), Councillor George Duggins (Coventry) and Corin Crane (West Midlands Chambers of Commerce).

Agreed as a correct record, subject to an amended to minute no. 22 to better reflect the comments made by Councillor Ian Courts.

The current economic conditions for the West Midlands were noted.

(1)     The contents of the report, following a deep dive into what worked in tackling youth unemployment, was noted.

(2)     The comments made by members of the board were noted

(3)     A future report on tackling youth unemployment in the WMCA area would be submitted to a future meeting of the board.

-       Low Carbon Economy Cluster

-       Industrial Energy Task Force Outcomes

-       Business Energy Advice Service & Decarbonisation Programme

-       Circular Economy

-       Future Homes Standard

-       Innovation- CleanTech

(1)      The presentation delivered to board was noted.

(2)      The contents of the report were noted.

(3)      An item on hydrogen opportunities would be submitted to a future meeting of the board.

The presentation was noted.

The contents of the performance report from the West Midlands Growth Company against its adopted Business Plan was noted.

The updated work programme was approved.

[in accordance with s100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they are likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as specified in the paragraphs of the Act.]

The public and press were excluded from the remainder of the meeting.

(1)       The West Midlands International Strategy Green Paper and consultation approach was noted.

(2)       The Executive Director for Strategy, Economy & Net Zero was given delegated authority to finalise the green paper.

(3)       The geographical focus of work to date on the seven Metropolitan authorities was noted.

(4)       The consultation period was to be for a period of no fewer than 10 weeks.

(5)       The final strategy, through consultation, reflecting the wider West Midlands geography would be submitted to a future meeting of the board for approval in March 2024.

(1)    The £6m Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund approved for the Major Events Fund by the Investment Board in July 2023, and the £3m that had been allocated to Sport Accord, was noted.

(2)    It was noted that, at its meeting on 24 July 2023, Investment Board had agreed to delegate authority to the Interim Director of Employment, Skills, Health & Communities, in consultation with the Executive Director for Strategy, Economy & Net Zero, the Section 151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer, to award onward funding in line with the Economic Growth Board’s approach on the shortlisted major events opportunities.

(3)    The allocation of the remaining £3m in the Major Events Fund to the events recommended by the Major Events Advisory Group was approved,  noting that the list of events was based on the highest scoring applications evaluated through the framework agreed by the Economic Growth Board at its meeting in September 2023.

(4)    It was agreed that the proposal for alternative opportunities to fund unsuccessful applications should be explored by all partners, including local authorities, the WMCA, West Midlands Growth Company and Government agencies to realise the economic and regional impact of the event.

(5)    The proposal for the Major Events Advisory Group to meet quarterly to monitor and evaluate progress on successful events funded to ensure the outcomes and economic impact for the region was achieved, and that monitoring reports be provided to the Economic Growth Board on quarterly bases, was agreed.

(6)    The planned approach for communication to all parties and next steps was noted.

(7)    Further clarification would be sought to confirm that, where potential funding within the programme that could be reallocated was identified, the Economic Growth Board would determine its reallocation, based on the recommendations made to it by the Major Events Advisory Group.