Agenda item - Chair's Communications

31.1      The Chair provided the following Communications:

“Many of you will be aware that John Peel is stepping down from the Coast to Capital Board.  This would, therefore, have been John’s last meeting with us but he is unable to attend today.  I’m sure all Board members will want to join me in placing on the record our thanks to John for his support and contributions; he has been instrumental to the success of the Board since its inception in 2014.  Steve Allen will join the Board as Coast to Capital’s representative.  Steve, who is Vice Chairman of the Coast to Capital Board, is here today and I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Steve.

I’m also sorry to report that this will be Thalia Liebig’s last meeting with us. Thalia has been the Business Manager for the Board since shortly after its inception and will be taking up a new position as Programme Manager for the One Public Estate Board.

On behalf of the Board, I would like to offer her our collective thanks for all and wish her well for the future.

This is Peter Webb’s first meeting as the Coastal West Sussex Partnership’s representative and so welcome Peter.

Welcome also to Cllr Peter Lamb, Leader of Crawley Borough Council (seated in the public gallery) who is joining us again today as an observer.  You will have seen that, as part of the Operational Arrangements item, we will be asked to agree that Crawley Borough Council and Gatwick Airport Limited be formally invited to join the Board as constituent members.  Extending our membership and geographical remit presents us with tremendous opportunities in relation to economic regeneration and growth.  It will allow us to focus on the London-Gatwick-Brighton Growth Corridor, identified by Grant Thornton’s High Growth Index of Places as one of nine corridors in England to have been at the heart of growth over the last decade and likely to maintain a pivotal role in shaping growth in the future.  This will strengthen both our voice to Government and our case for continued investment – both public and private.

The Greater Brighton Metropolitan College – or GB Met – was formally created on 01 April, through the merger of City College Brighton and Northbrook College Sussex.  There was a very positive celebration of the launch at the newly built – and Local Growth Fund funded – Construction Trades Centre on the 04April.  GB Met – which operates across five campuses in Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing – offers a comprehensive range of qualifications for 16 year olds leaving school, full and part time courses for adults, apprenticeships, professional qualifications and university degrees.  It teaches around 3,500 16-18 year olds, 7,500 adult learners, 1,000 undergraduates and 800 apprenticeships.  I’m sure that the Board will join me in congratulating Nick Juba, GB Met’s Chief Executive Officer and Sue Dare who is here as Nick’s substitute today.

I wanted to bring to the Board’s attention our recent success in securing new Local Growth Fund funding – totalling over £58m – for eleven regeneration and infrastructure projects located across Greater Brighton.  Our Investment Programme is growing and, more importantly, it is delivering – unlocking much needed new homes, employment floorspace and jobs for our City Region”.

31.2      Councillor Morgan expressed his thanks to Councillor Humphrey for his diligent chairmanship as of the Board for the past municipal year. Councillor Morgan noted some of the achievements and milestones achieved with Councillor Humphrey as Chair: the Board had continued to build and strengthen relationships both across and beyond the partnership, raising its profile and voice. Excellent progress had been made in delivering the City Region’s Investment Programme and securing over £58m in new Growth Deal funding to continue to grow the Programme - unlocking more new jobs, homes and employment floorspace across Greater Brighton. Ensuring that the Board was ready and able to quickly bid for new funding opportunities as and when these arise, by maintaining a live and prioritised project pipeline. Identifying, including through the development of the City Region’s devolution bid, priority projects and initiatives for Greater Brighton and taking steps to deliver these, including: Developing the City Region’s successful One Public Estate bid and creating the Greater Brighton Strategic Property Board; rolling-out the Greater Brighton Broadband Voucher Scheme, which installed over 1,000 vouchers; commencing work with the Department for International Trade, to develop a proactive Inward Investment Strategy for the City Region, and launching the Greater Brighton website. Furthermore, Councillor Morgan extended an invitation to all Board Members to attend a civic reception to celebrate the promotion of Brighton & Hove Albion on 14 May.