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How Advantage West Midlands is helping Herefordshire build a stronger economy

Matt Smith RRZ Partnerships Manager Advantage West Midlands. How Advantage West Midlands is helping Herefordshire build a stronger economy . What the session covers. Who are AWM and what do they do? Issues facing rural areas

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How Advantage West Midlands is helping Herefordshire build a stronger economy

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  1. Matt Smith RRZ Partnerships Manager Advantage West Midlands How Advantage West Midlands is helping Herefordshire build a stronger economy

  2. What the session covers • Who are AWM and what do they do? • Issues facing rural areas • Projects & Programmes available in Herefordshire developed to address those issues • Challenges on the Horizon • Continuing Opportunities • Anything Else?

  3. Who are AWM & what do they do? • Regional Development Agency • Lead responsibility for developing the Regional Economic Strategy • RES aims to reduce the £10bn output gap in the regional economy by focusing investment on People, Place & Business • Our commitment to the RES is outlined in our Corporate Plan and ultimately delivered through the programmes and projects we fund like those in Herefordshire • The Agency’s contribution to delivering the RES in rural areas is primarily through allocation of ‘Single Pot’ & RDPE funding • 3 vehicles for delivering the funding through Zones, Corridors and Clusters

  4. Single Pot & RDPE • Single pot • includes contributions from BIS, DEFRA and DCLG focused on economic regeneration • Traditionally c£300mpa • RDPE • EU Funding for socio economic rural development devolved through DEFRA to the RDAs • Beneficiaries Land-based Sector, SME’s and the community • Axis 1 & 3 of RDPE funding is delivered by the Agency • These cover the socio economic elements of the Programme • Roughly relate to community projects, tourism and micro enterprise as well as non-standard agricultural practice and diversification • Axis 2 delivered by Natural England • More focused on the Land based sector, standard agricultural practice and woodland management • £50-70m [dependent on settlements & exchange rates] available for Axis 1 & 3 to 2013

  5. Delivery Vehicles Corridors Zones Clusters • Environmental Technologies • Food & Drink • Tourism & Leisure • Screen Image & Sound • Medical Technologies • High value added consumer products • Building Technologies • Business & professional services • Manufacturing • ICT

  6. RRZ • Part of the Agency • Independent board with multiple LSP & Private Sector reps • Annual Business Plan • Budget c£12mpa • 4 Strategic Objectives • Frameworks and Projects funded and delivered in partnership with Local Authorities and the Private and 3rd sector

  7. Scene Setting – The Rural Region • Enterprise • Overall performance is good • High Proportion of SMEs • Need to diversify and increase the productivity of the business base • Growth in Home Working • Low private sector appetite to invest in basic infrastructure of sites for speculative developments • GVA is lower than the regional average need for investment in encouraging value added sectors

  8. Access to Services & Economic Inclusion • Growing disparity between residence and workplace incomes • Increased cost of living • Ever reducing access to services • Rural Transport is poor • Sections of the population becoming ever more marginalised • Loss of young people threatens the sustainability of local communities

  9. Environmental Performance • Poor environmental performance of specific communities particularly those close to urban areas • Poor environmental performance of businesses / potential for efficiency gains • Environmental Technologies a growth sector with a massive potential for rural areas • Natural Assets not being maximised • Skills • Highly Skilled population • Still disparity with many with low or no qualifications • Skilled workforce key to the success of rural businesses

  10. So what is the Agency doing about it…

  11. Enterprise • Mainstream Activity • Business Link West Midlands • Approx 800pa Pre starts supported • Approx 3200pa businesses supported • Strategic Business Engagement • 70 in Hereford & Worcester • Access to Finance • £1.2m grants to Herefordshire SMEs • 20% intervention rate £10k> • Retail Location Model • Leominster & Ross

  12. Enterprise • Employment Land • Edgar St Grid c£20m • 900 jobs & 142,000sqm retail & leisure floor space • Rotherwas Industrial Estate c£4m • 40 acres • Rotherwas Relief Rd c£5m • Leominster Enterprise Park c£6m • 30 acres • 3 Elms • Purchased c£2.1m & working on investment plan to deliver 57,000sqft of new space

  13. Enterprise • Enterprise Centres • In partnership with the private sector • Hub & Spoke Model • c£1.5m • Rotherwas - Hub • Leominster – Spoke • Planned spoke in Ross

  14. Enterprise • Redundant Building Grant • Former RDC project • Running since 2003 • Brings buildings back into economic use • Typically £500k pa • Up to £62kpp • Over 20 projects in Herefordshire to date

  15. Enterprise • Rural Enterprise Grant Scheme • 2009-2013 • Up to £62kpp • Farm Businesses or micro enterprises • Focus on food & drink, tourism and the environmental technologies • Can buy plant, equipment and visitor facilities • 30 projects to date in Herefordshire

  16. Access & Economic Inclusion • Multi Use Facilities • 2007 Strategic Study for Herefordshire • Peterchurch Phase 1 c£100k • Peterchurch Phase 2 c£500k TBC • Leominster Grange Court £750k TBC • Bromyard Hope Centre £1,080kTBC • Leintwardine Community Centre £300kTBC

  17. Access & Economic Inclusion • NEXUS • 2006-2010 • £525k • Improve access to services which impact on those economically excluded • 35 projects in Herefordshire to date

  18. Access & Economic Inclusion • Rural Access to Services Partnership • £961k • 2006-2009 • Taking people to services • Taking services to people • ICT/Technology solutions • Infrastructure solutions • 15-20 projects pa • Wheels to Work £75kpa • Travel Planning, bike and moped loan service to continue

  19. Access & Economic Inclusion • Vital Herefordshire • LEADER Programme • Whole of Herefordshire except City • £2.5m • 2009-2013 • Local Action Group decision making responsibility • Funds all types of bottom up community projects looking to improve engagement, build capacity and generate community spirit

  20. Access & Economic Inclusion • Care Farming West Midlands • 2009-2012 • £400k • Delivering economic inclusion and supports Farmers wishing to diversify into Care Farming • Brokerage between Referral Agencies and Care Farms • County Worker for Herefordshire

  21. Access & Economic Inclusion • Connections to Opportunities • £280k TBC • 3rd Sector activities to re engage the long term workless • Lone Parents • IB claimants • South Wye • Leominster

  22. Environmental Performance • Rethink • 2008-2010 • c£900k Zone Project • Assists business address their productivity through investment in renewable solutions to their energy needs • Indicative limit of £30kpp • 50% intervention • Successfully rolled out to a regional £6m programme

  23. Environmental Performance • Competitiveness through Collaboration • £350k • 2009-2012 • Network for environmental technology businesses in the rural west • Raising awareness of business support and market opportunities • Boosting the growth potential of the sector

  24. Environmental Excellence • Sharenergy • £700k • 2009-2012 • Support to establish community owned renewable energy generation • RIF should lead to sustainable funding model • Local projects • LEAD • RRZ Hydro

  25. Environmental Performance • Natural Assets Programme • Regional Programme • £2m Capital Funding • 15 projects looking to maximise the economic value of the regions natural assets • Focus on conserved landscapes

  26. Skills • Hereford Learning Village £3.2m • Combination of FE & HE to help the colleges work together • Point 4 RNC £1M • Mainstream activities e.g. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Graduate Placement Schemes &Train to Gain

  27. Market Towns Initiative • £2m to the market towns of Herefordshire • Leominster • Ross • Bromyard • Ledbury • Kington • 2002-2007 • Continuation at £1mpa

  28. Challenging Times • Strategic Change • Integrated strategies for economic development, spatial planning and skills, should bring priorities in line • Sub National Review • Financial Change • Budget Reductions • Tighter appraisal process • Prioritising business interventions and focused on RFA priorities • Move away from the traditional vehicles • Political Change?

  29. Continuing Opportunities • LEADER contact Dawn Turner Herefordshire Council • REG contact Dorothy Coleman Herefordshire Council • RDPE contact Cathy Meredith Rural Hub • NEXUS contact Sophie Mead Community First • MTI watch this space! • ReThink contact Kate Millbank Marches Energy Agency • Sharenergy contact Jon Halle Energy 4 All • Wheels to Work contact Tom Blumer Herefordshire Voluntary Action • Connections to Opportunities contact Peter Ding Herefordshire Council • Natural Assets contact Ruth Metcalf Natural England • C2C contact Delia Yapp Shropshire Council • CFWM contact Jon Dover Care Farming West Midlands

  30. Thank you for listening Questions?

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