Cabinet received the report of the Director – Place and Climate which outlined progress and next steps of the Council’s Economic Recovery Action Plan.  In November 2020, Cabinet approved the Council’s Economic Recovery Action Plan (ERAP), setting out the actions that the Council would take to support local economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic; this was subsequently adopted by the Council in December 2020.

A copy of the ERAP was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  The ERAP set out six broad ambitions:  thinking local, acting local; building skills, creating jobs; fast-forwarding business; better places, fuller lives; cleaner energy, greener transport; and the future is digital.  The main additional points were noted:

·         Rye Fisheries: a feasibility study had been commissioned by the Council to create a developmental kitchen at Chapman’s in Rye to support local fisherman; this had been completed.  The project would safeguard and create jobs supporting the local business economy.

·         Business Alerts: The Council, in partnership with Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Locate East Sussex and Federation of Small Businesses, would be launching a new Business Alerts information platform direct to businesses.

·         Rural Grants: The Council was the Local Government Association and Urban Foresight to establish a rural economy strategy to support rural businesses across the district.

·         Supporting Events: Welcome Back funding supported new events during and after social distancing periods e.g. ‘Bexhill After Dark Festival’ held in January 2022.

·         Supporting Skills: The Council worked with Bexhill College on an application to Arts Council England to support six graduate artists in the transition from education to work by creating a workspace, providing support and relevant engagement.  The students had been using the workspace since June 2022.  Support was also given to the Jobs Fair in March 2022 from the Welcome Back fund.

·         Supporting Tourism: 1066 Country Marketing commissioned a report to review the impacts of the pandemic on the tourism industry; a summary of the infographic was attached at Appendix 2.

·         New Funding: Since April 2022, the Council applied for £1m UKSPF grant over three years.  A partnership group would be overseeing the spend.  A Round 2 Levelling Up Fund application for £19,192,000 was made to expand on the Council’s Round 1 application to include a community and leisure hub in Sidley; results were awaited.

Members paid tribute to the work of the Revenues and Benefits Manager and his team for processing the various Government funding schemes that had supported businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in a timely and efficient way.  It was noted that, despite Government funding, it had cost the Council in the region of £485,000 from its own reserves to support this work.   

Cabinet noted that the ERAP had served its purpose and agreed that work commenced on a new Economic Regeneration Strategy for the Council.   

RESOLVED: That:

1)    the report be noted; and

2)    work commence on a new Economic Regeneration Strategy for the Council, be approved.