Agenda and minutes

There were no appeals.

There were no exemptions.

There were no late items.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies were received from Cllr Matthew Robinson.

Cllr Ryan Stephenson attended as a substitute.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2024.

RESOLVED: The minutes of the meeting of 25 September 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive an update from the Chief Officer (Economy and Skills) on the progress the city has made in delivering inclusive growth since the publication of the city’s second Inclusive Growth Strategy in September 2023.

Those in attendance for this item were:

·  Cllr Jonathan Pryor (Executive Member, Economy, Transport & Sustainable Development)

·  Fiona Bolam (Chief Officer, Economy and Skills)

The Chair introduced the paper, noting that it provides an update on progress in delivering Inclusive Growth in Leeds since the publication of the city’s second Inclusive Growth Strategy in September 2023.

She particularly welcomed the partnership approach to Inclusive Growth in Leeds, as was evident at the Inclusive Growth Partnership event she attended in July.

Cllr Bithell noted that the main measurement tool for inclusive growth is the Social Progress Index. She put on record the thanks of the Scrutiny Board to Fiona Bolam and Graham Ponton who delivered a training session on the SPI to scrutiny members last month.

Cllr Pryor described the update as an exciting piece of work that reflects a joint vision for economic growth amongst partners in Leeds. He highlighted that the Council became the first local authority to achieve an outstanding Ofsted judgement for its Adult Learning and Employer Provider Apprenticeship programmes. Other highlights from the last year include the expansion of Leeds PIPES network and the impact of an expanded UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF).

Fiona delivered a presentation on inclusive growth in Leeds, which covered the following areas:

-  National Policy Context

-  West Yorkshire local Growth Plan

-  Inclusive Growth Strategy

-  Leeds Anchors

-  Next steps

In response to member queries, it was noted that the paper was written prior to the Government’s very recent budget announcement and as such an assessment of the potential impact of local growth is not available. 

Fiona advised members that knowledge-based sectors in Leeds are a key feature of the regional economy. She highlighted digital, health, and tech sectors as significant drivers of local economic growth, along with finance and professional services.

Fiona was invited to provide further clarity about comparisons with equivalent European cities and a reduction in the overall Social Progress Index score between 2018 - 2022. She advised the Scrutiny Board that she would provide more information about the comparative with European cities outside of the meeting. However, she noted that European cities do tend to score better than their UK counterparts. Skills, productivity, and transport connectivity are all drivers of that disparity.

Members welcomed the positive activity set out in the report including work with the Anchor network, the delivery of careers fairs, the roll out of HomesFirst and progress in relation to the delivery of new homes.  Members also recognised the increased focus on education and employment opportunities for children within the SEND cohort. 

Further information was requested with regards to the options for post-16 education outside of the city centre. Fiona agreed to reflect member concerns in joint discussions with colleagues from Children and Families.

Fiona confirmed that the Council has worked with West Yorkshire Combined Authority to invest in digital infrastructure in the city with a view to encouraging further private sector investment in the network.

Members received  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

To receive a report from the Chief Officer (Economy and Skills) exploring the importance of tourism in Leeds and highlighting its impact on the local economy.

In her introductory remarks the Chair expressed her delight that members would have the opportunity to examine this topic following their previous requests. She thanked officers for the detailed report.

Those in attendance for this item were:

·  Cllr Jonathan Pryor (Executive Member, Economy, Transport & Sustainable Development)

·  Fiona Bolam (Chief Officer, Economy and Skills)

·  Belinda Eldridge (Head of Service, Destination Marketing and International Relations)

Following the Chair’s introductory remarks, Belinda Eldridge delivered a presentation that covered the following topics:

-  The economic impact of tourism in Leeds

-  The varied ways in which income from leisure tourism supports local economic growth.

-  The geographical centrality of Leeds.

-  An update on business tourism in 2023.

-  The role of Conference Leeds.

-  The impact and growth of UKREiiF.

-  National framework for Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) and Destination Development Partnerships (DDPs).

-  Governance structure for the West Yorkshire LVEP.

-  The West Yorkshire LVEP and the Destination Management Plan.

-  Opportunities and threats for the development of tourism in West Yorkshire.

The Scrutiny Board received an overview of the economic impact of international tourists as opposed to domestic tourists.

Members sought further information about the structure of the formal Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) for Leeds. Members received further details about the structure of the DMO and the interim LVEP board. Belinda set out the next steps to seek the final membership of a permanent LVEP board, with EDI values at the heart of the process.

Concern was raised about the growth of short term lets in the city and the negative impact this may start to have on some communities. Several members were keen to explore opportunities for greater proactive management of short-term lets in Leeds. Belinda Eldridge advised members that this has been raised in the House of Lords and via a private members bill in the House of Commons.

Belinda noted that there is an ambition to establish a public-private model of long-term funding for the visitor economy in Leeds. She confirmed that a wider commercial strategy may involve a membership model.

The Scrutiny Board sought information about comparative conferencing facilities in neighbouring authorities and core cities. It was noted that Leeds is the only core city without a dedicated convention centre, which results in a loss of business tourism for the city. Members were also advised that Leeds has the smallest visitor economy team of any core city both in terms of budget and resource.

Members discussed the ambition for the Royal Armouries to develop a conference centre with the capacity to seat approximately 1,800 delegates. In response to member queries about current capacity, Belinda advised the Scrutiny Board that the current facilities at the Royal Armouries are already completely booked for the next year. She confirmed that the team is confident of the capacity to grow business tourism further.

Members noted their in-principle support for the development of purpose built convention facilities in the city.

UKREiiF was cited as an example of how the city has  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2024/25 municipal year.

The Principal Scrutiny Advisor asked members to note the draft work schedule in the agenda pack.

She highlighted that a remote working groups will be taking place 1pm – 2.30pm on 9 December 2024 to consider the budget proposals that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Board (Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth).

The Chair reminded colleagues that she has asked for the work programme to be considered at the start of public meetings in future.

RESOLVED: The 2024/25 draft work programme was noted, along with the request to schedule the work programme as the first substantive item on future agendas.

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth) will take place on Wednesday 27 November 2024 at 10.15am. There will be a private pre-meeting for all members of the Scrutiny Board at 10.00am.

RESOLVED: The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board will take place on 27 November 2024 at 10.15am. There will be a pre-meeting for all Scrutiny Board members at 10am.