Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Huw Bowen (CBC), Cllr Kevin Buttery (AVBC), Simon Gladwin (AVBC), Jeremy Jaroszek (EBC) and Andrew Stokes (HPBC).

No declarations of interest were received.

Report to follow

The Managing Director of Derbyshire County Council proposed that a light touch review of Vision Derbyshire be undertaken. It had been three years since the introduction of the collaborative model and significant progress had been made during that time.

It was important to ensure that Vision Derbyshire continued to evolve and be fit for purpose. An independent person would be appointed to undertake the review. The original five key principles of Vision Derbyshire would be revisited to determine whether these still resonate, particularly given the major changes in relation to the East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority.

RESOLVED –

1.  That the proposals to undertake a light touch review of the Vision Derbyshire approach and arrangements three years on be noted.

2.   That the plans to appoint an independent third-party organisation to undertake the review be approved.

3.   That the Vision Derbyshire Steering Group be tasked with coordinating the review process and reporting back to the next meeting of the Joint Committee in November 2022.

4.   That the proposals to review the current temporary hosting arrangements in light of key challenges in recruiting to the Vision Derbyshire programme team be approved.

The Policy Manager of Derbyshire County Council presented an update on the Building Proactive Communities theme. The joint committee heard that five projects had been identified and each authority had been asked for nominations to join the working groups. A strategic group of officers was required to assist with the scoping of this substantial area of work and the focus would be on insight and intelligence sharing.

The Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council presented an update to the Joint Committee on the Vision Derbyshire Business Start Up Support Programme. It was noted that an expected decrease in the number of enquiries over the summer period had not materialised and the programme was performing well.

Guidance on the provision of discretionary micro-grants was under revision to ensure the most efficient use of funds. A collection of positive feedback continued to grow and it was hoped that the scheme would continue beyond the termination of funding in 2023.

The Leader of Derbyshire County Council introduced a report to the committee following the success of last year’s Festival of Business proposing a second festival on behalf of Vision Derbyshire. An application for funding from the Retain Business Rates Fund was recommended, to be allocated by the D2 Joint Committee.

The Chief Executive of Derbyshire Dales District Council outlined the key activities proposed as follows;

·        Showcasing Derbyshire’s business community

·        Educational engagement programme

·        Online and face to face masterclasses

·        The Derbyshire Business Expo

The importance of supporting this effective event was highlighted and reinforced by the event evaluation provided in appendix 1 of the report.

The Head of Business Engagement and Employability at the University of Derby advised the committee that the University was in the process of creating a sustainable funding stream in order to make the event self-sustaining.

The Leader of Derbyshire Dales District Council advised the joint committee that two officers’ groups had been established to develop, coordinate and oversee the Planning and Climate Change work. The joint committee heard that there had been representation from the county council and all district and borough councils on both groups and genuine enthusiasm from the participants.

The Assistant Director of Regulatory Services from Derbyshire County Council confirmed that the Vision Derbyshire Climate Change Strategy had been approved, supported or endorsed by all individual councils and the Action Plan being developed would be presented to the Vision Derbyshire Climate Change Lead Members and Portfolio Holders for endorsement.

The Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document had been implemented by individual authorities to support their Local Plans. It had been agreed that Vision Derbyshire would fund the development of the supporting metric, however, a software company had not yet been identified to undertake the work.

A review of renewable energy had been undertaken, supported by grant funding from the Midlands Net Zero Hub, D2 Energy Board and Business Rate Funding. The study would help authorities to strategically assess sites and applications as part of both the Local Plan and Development Management process respectively. The study would also highlight opportunities for different typologies of renewable energy development in the most appropriate locations across Derbyshire.

Two potential work areas had been identified to progress phase four of this workstream;

1)     Creation of a Climate Change Design Code to achieve high quality places whilst supporting the delivery of clean and green growth in Derbyshire.

2)     Development of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Guidance to

ensure a consistent approach to BNG across the county and retain the benefits within Derbyshire.

The Chief Executive of North East Derbyshire District Council advised that a number of authorities had been successful in securing external funding to decarbonise buildings which was a good illustration of where Vision Derbyshire could lead by example.

Accelerated retrofitting had been successful with social housing stock but it was acknowledged that this was a more difficult prospect in the private sector and Green Homes Grants had suffered from a lack of awareness.

The proposed co-ordinated approach was deemed to be the best route to help to deliver the net zero agenda. The intention was to produce an action plan to be presented at a future joint committee meeting.

RESOLVED –

1.   That Vision Derbyshire Leaders note the progress on the Climate Change and Planning workstream.

2.   That the two further proposed workstreams namely a Climate Change Design Guide and a Biodiversity Net Gain planning guidance be agreed.

The Policy Manager, Derbyshire County Council recommended that the achievements of Vision Derbyshire be recorded in a formal structure and data collected to evidence its successes.

The Managing Director of Derbyshire County Council reminded the joint committee that the East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority had been chosen by the Government to be a pathfinder authority and that the Vision Derbyshire structure had been crucial in supporting the development of the county deal.

Report to follow

The Managing Director of Derbyshire County Council outlined the current position in respect of the development of a Devolution/County Deal for Derbyshire and Derby and Nottinghamshire and Nottingham and the establishment of an East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority (EMMCCA) for the area.

Significant progress had been made since the last joint committee meeting in July 2022. In early August 2022 the negotiations with Government had been accelerated and a deal was formally announced 30 August 2022. It was expected that Mayoral elections would take place in May 2024. The deal represented a historic opportunity as the first Mayoral Combined County Authority under the new legislation.

The key focus was on the core economic infrastructure with potential to build on and enhance the deal over time. The financial benefits of the deal were listed including;

•    An East Midlands Investment Fund

•    Devolved capital funding to support the building of new homes

•    Capacity funding to support the MCCA in its early stages

•    Capacity funding to support the pipeline of housing sites

•    Further capital to support the delivery of shorter-term housing

and net zero priorities

•    Capacity funding to support the preparation of the Local Transport Plan

An overview was given of the new Mayor’s functions and also the powers that would be granted to the MCCA. It was clarified that no district authority functions would be removed. The joint committee was also informed of the functions that would be devolved from Government to the MCCA. A detailed constitutional and governance framework would be drawn up.

The next stage would be to develop a proposal document to support public consultation and to establish a template report and alignment of timescales for upper tier Council sign off in early November 2022.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the Vision Derbyshire Committee on 11 July, 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.