Appendix 1

ISLE OF WIGHT ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP REPORT

January 2004 – May 2004

SUMMARY

During the 4^th quarter of 2003 the Board of the Partnership agreed to appoint a Managing Director to take the Company forward. An interview panel consisting of Cllr Peter Harris – IWC, Brian Friend – AMS, Ginnie Gledhill – IWC Human Resources and Danny Fisher, chair of the Partnership was established. The panel agreed to appoint Mike King to the role of MD and this was ratified by the full Board at their meeting on 13^th May. Mike’s role will now be to re-structure the Partnership to deliver the AIF and ensure the long term viability of the Island’s economic development agency.

The activities of the Partnership for the 4^th quarter of the 2003/04 year are set out below under the relevant functional headings:

AIF

Work has been carried out to establish clearer links between the AIF development and the LSP. A proposal will be put to the LSP to set up an Island Investment Support Group made up of the Chief Executives of the main delivery agencies together with representatives of the main regional funding bodies. This will replace the AIF sub-group that was originally proposed under the IWEP. It was felt that the group dealing with the AIF investment plans should have more equal representation across all themes and not be led by a single theme. The Island Investment Support Group will report directly to the LSP.

BRANDING STRATEGY

The document is now called ‘Inspire’ and includes an education programme to build self belief in the Island’s economic future. This programme will assist in raising the aspirations of Island people especially the young. The document will be put forward to SEEDA to access AIF funding for implementation starting in 2004/05.

BROADBAND

The main drive under this initiative will be to raise awareness of the benefits of Broadband access to local businesses and the community. There is no specific grant money available through SEEDA for Broadband Initiatives in 2004/05. The Island can only progress the Broadband Strategy if it is seen as a priority for spend under the AIF Performance Plan. This is currently being reviewed.

COWES WATERFRONT

The Project team has selected Landscape Design Associates (LDA) as the master-planners for the East Cowes project; a press release will be issued shortly. LDA will work with all aspects of the community to develop their master-plan and vision for the area. The plan will be submitted as an outline planning application.

Cowes Waterfront attended MIPIM, Europe’s largest property development exhibition as part of the South East and South West RDAs stand. In effect Cowes Waterfront was given its own stand, highlighting SEEDA’s commitment to the Isle of Wight. During the exhibition there were several opportunities for developers and investors to find out about our largest ever regeneration initiative. These events culminated in Jim Braithwaite, Chair of SEEDA and Pam Alexander, the new CEO of SEEDA hosting a visit to the stand, by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. This continues our strategy of raising the profile of the island at the highest level.

Plans are now being developed for Cowes Week.

FINANCIAL REPORT

The financial forecasts made for the Year 2003/04 were mostly on target and the Partnership finished the Year with a surplus of £20,000.

PSA TARGETS 3 + 11

It should be noted that the Partnership was only contracted to deliver these items in September 2003, some 6 months into the Year. On this basis I would consider our performance to be exceptional. We have provided the Council with a full monitoring report on both targets in April. The following are highlights of these reports:

Target 3

• 140 new jobs created
• 9 companies assisted
• 1 inward investment

Target 11

• 14 new jobs created
• Chamber of Commerce support with local businesses
• B & Q courses developed

Whilst target 11 got off to a slow start, achieving approximately 75% of the annual requirement in 6 months is an exceptional result by any standard. However, as the baseline research for this area was incomplete, the Partnership was asked to take the target on good faith. It is now apparent that the cohort is not that large and therefore we will need to be more inventive in how to achieve the right outcome. The Partnership is therefore arranging a meeting with the Council to put together a strategy to ensure we meet target 11, this will include better information on the cohort of over 50s that are unemployed.

REGENERATION PROGRAMMES

Quarterly returns for SRB V, SRB VI, RDP and MTI were completed and submitted to SEEDA at the end of the financial year, April 1^st 2003 – 31^st March 2004. All programmes met targets and profiles as set out in the Year’s Delivery Plans.

Quarterly returns for Leader+ and the Healthy Living Programmes were submitted to GOSE and NOF and also met targets and profiles set.

Key points or issues for each programme are set out below:

Healthy Living Programme

As set out in the previous report NOF has agreed to release most of the remaining grant, of nearly £200,000 up front to be spent in full in the financial year April 2004 – March 2005. The majority of NOF funding will therefore be spent over 3½ years rather than 5 years as originally intended.

It is intended to:

• Use the NOF funding to deliver a significant part of the current HLP. Projects continuing include
• those prioritised by the Primary Care Trust and Social Services as supporting their objectives;
• others which have demonstrated positive health outcomes or have the potential to do so.
• Develop a ‘Healthy Living Hub’ based on the community building managed by the North Medina Community Development Trust, serving East and West Cowes. NMCDT are seeking other sources of funding for this, including through the Cowes Waterfront Development and the Area Investment Framework.

This way forward will:

• Sustain for another year a range of projects (e.g. physical activity, arts, complementary therapies) which offer a comprehensive set of non-medical interventions. The Cowes/East Cowes healthy living hub will draw on them, but they will also be available elsewhere on the Island.
• Pilot in Cowes / East Cowes the development of a more geographically focused model for the Healthy Living Programme, which could potentially be replicated in other locations on the Island.
• Provide an additional year for projects to seek alternative sources of funding.

Leader+

As the majority of the spend of the Leader+ programme was already fully committed for 2004, our efforts have been directed towards developing projects which can address the outputs where the programme has been underachieving.

We have contracted with a further 8 projects since January, and are now funding the IW Chamber of Commerce to substantially tackle our high job creation target.

In addition, we are focussing on making links both nationally and trans-nationally, to develop the joint projects that the programme expects.

Many Leader+ areas under-spent in 2003, and the fact the Island managed to spend to target has enabled us to secure an extra £135,000. This will fund organisations that have already submitted project expressions of interest and will also enable us to revive the Small Grants Scheme.

Market Towns Initiative (MTI)

The MTI programmes for Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor were due to be completed by March 2005. However, due to funding issues with SEEDA we have been able to extend the period for a further year until March 2006. This is advantageous for the towns as it allows them to implement a more strategic approach and ensure that activity complements the Bay Area Strategy.

The new MTI programme has been launched by SEEDA and the Island is eligible to access £260,000 over the next 7 years. Although there are a number of towns on the Island that have been identified as Market Towns on the population size criteria, there are a number of other criteria that have to be met for eligibility to bid in this round of MTI. The qualifying towns must:

• fall within the targeted AIF areas;
• contain pockets of deprivation;
• have completed a health check.

Towns currently receiving MTI funding will not be eligible to bid for a further 3 years. i.e. Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor. The minimum size of single project that can be submitted is for a total spend of £80,000 (i.e. grant of £40,000). Projects must deliver economic outcomes and also SEEDA Tier 3 outputs i.e. job creation, learning opportunities, training, business development, brownfield site development, new and improved community facilities or services.

East Cowes is currently working up a bid as they are part of the Cowes Waterfront Programme and Brading and Wootton are also looking at submitting a project each under the improvement of the Public Realm in line with the work being carried out across the eastern corridor of the Island.

Rural Development Programme (RDP)

This programme ceased on 31^st March 2004. All targets and milestones were met and an evaluation will be carried out over the next year.

Significant achievements this year included:

• 33.7 jobs created (planned 16.5)
• 3,529 pupils have benefited from projects designed to improve and enhance attainment (planned 2,511)
• 8,933 local people have benefited from community initiatives (planned 130)
• 3,382 local people have been given access to new community sport opportunities / facilities (planned 1,300)
• 144 voluntary and community groups have been supported in part, or wholly, by RDP (planned 95)
• 583 individuals have been involved in voluntary work via the projects

Single Regeneration Budget (SRB)

SRB V – Island Inclusive was completed on 31^st March 2004. All targets and milestones were met and this programme will also be evaluated over the next year.

The programme had a total grant of £1,500,000 allocated to social inclusion projects. A total of £823,186 private match funding and £1,291,533 public match funding has been leveraged over the duration of the programme.

The programme has created a high level of outputs, for example:

• 124 jobs (against a planned figure of 19.5)
• 548 people have obtained qualifications (planned 159)
• 5,114 young people have benefited from personal and social development (planned 672)
• 5,223 people have benefited from community safety initiatives (planned 1,670)
• 3,235 local people have been given access to new community health opportunities / facilities (planned 331)

SRV VI Ryde

The programme is just entering Year 5 of its six year duration and the outcomes of the early work are now beginning to be apparent.

• The Economic Impact of the 2003 Carnival showed that £750,000 came into the Ryde economy as a result of the parades and events around the carnival. A copy of the Economic Impact Assessment can be accessed through the IWEP. There is a clear increase in visitor trade which results in an increase in spend within the town. Over the last four years there has been a reduction of the number in un-let shops from 16% (42 shops) in 2000 to 2% (8 shops) (winter figures). This shows that there are more people spending more in Ryde. The development of the Celebratory Arts calendar (Festival – Carnival – Lantern Parade etc) puts people in the town spending money. Given that on average retails outlets in Ryde employ between 2 and 4 people (as verified through the retail survey work carried out) there have been around 100 jobs created as a result of the reduction of un-let shops. Three new businesses have started as a result of the art development work there have been, at least, ten others as a result of the Ryde Into Business project.

• There have been a number of learning opportunities created through the participatory and celebratory arts work. Many of these are not seen by those who participate (particularly adult learners) as learning opportunities. However, there is a clear indication of the progression from these informal opportunities to more formal ones. Over the last four years there have been over 400 informal adult learners and over 50 of these have progressed to formal learning opportunities. In three years over 5,000 local people have been directly involved in the delivery of carnival and festival events and it is estimated that in three years over 250,000 people have experienced the carnival and new arts festival. These events have become tourist event / attractions in their own right supported through carnival and festival development.

• Through the Island Build Project there have been 56 jobs created in the construction industry to date. The Family Learning and Family Support Initiatives have delivered a range of different projects – including robot workshops, parenting classes etc. As a result within one school (Bishop Lovett) there has been a reduction in temporary and permanent exclusions by over 40).

• In considering the consultation Ryde Development Trust have carried out – they have spoken to over 2,000 local residents about Public Realm issues. (there are 18,000 residents in Ryde); over 52% of the retailers in Ryde; 34% of those living in the most deprived ward. In addition there have been over 7,000 local contacts through the RDT doors in the last two years. RDT also hosts Crossways Advice Centre, Ryde Womens’ Day, PALS (Promoting Adult Learning in the Community), Ryde Carnival Association, RNID, Housing Advice, Nurse health specialist, young people’s sexual health, careers, Sun Ryders and Cranston Drug Services.

• There are now very obvious improvements to the Public Realm and more work will be completed over this next year.