Performance and Investment Committee Meeting
Minutes of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership Performance and Investment
Committee Meeting
th
held on 19 October 2015 at Richmond House CW9 7TN
Present:
Ged Barlow (Chair)
Martin Ashcroft
Howard Hopwood
Paul Goodwin (obo Peter Bates) Aidan Manley
Susie Woodward-Moor (obo Alison Knight)
Apologies:
Alison Knight
Steven Broomhead
Peter Bates
In attendance:
Francis Lee
Kerry Hebron
Philip Leigh and Maud Duthie-van der Venne (AI 1 only)
Agenda Item 1: Presentation of the Thornton Intelligent Energy Systems Demonstrator (IESD) Project –
Philip Leigh and Maud Duthie-van der Venne
PL described the vision; project definition and scope and; key objectives of the project. In essence, this
project is about the transmission, demand, generation and storage of electricity. An Industry Advisory
Group has been established to help shape the project, including representatives from energy storage,
energy networks, energy technologies, asset management and decommissioning, skills and training.
An internal project delivery team has been established; Aecom have been appointed as the Project
Manager; a design team comprising, Ove Arup / Ryder / WYG has also been appointed. In addition,
Luneside Consultants have been appointed as the Technical Manager.
It is anticipated that the building will be completed in March 2017, ready for occupation in April 2017.
A draft business plan will be presented to an internal steering group in December 2015 and PL was
asked to make a further presenation to the P&I Committee in March 2016.
The Committee noted the following:
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20 SMEs plus a number of large corporates had already shown serious interest in using the
facility
A skills escalator will be an important part of the offer
It will be necessary to provide different models of cooperation for different sized companies
and the equipment they are using
It was acknowledged that the current vision is very broad and that the proposition lacks focus
and that this could impact the success of its offer if not addressed.
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Providing skills training could be an opportunity for income generation.
Action: a further presentation will be made to the committee in March 2016 with a focus on
the business plan, in particular the cost and revenue operating model.
Action: KH to raise the issue of asbestos removal and the associated cost uncertainty with PL
Agreed: the Committee still has considerable concerns, especially over the operating model
and will undertake a rigorous review of the business plan in March 2016.
Agenda Item 2: Welcome, Introductions and Apologies
Apologies were also received from Peter Bates, Alison Knight and Steven Broomhead.
Agenda item 3: Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest were declared.
Agenda Item 4: Minutes and Actions from the meeting on 8th June 2015
The Minutes and Actions from the Meeting on 22nd September 2015 were agreed as a true and accurate
record.
Agenda Item 5: Activity Log Review
The committee noted the completions made on the action log and in particular:
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The terms of reference review is still ongoing
Reaseheath College is still looking at different financial models to fund the Sports Complex
Action: FL to present a schedule comparing the original thematic objective applications to the
revised priority occasions to the November meeting
Action: PG to ask PB if CEC as the Accountable Body would sanction breaking the 2:1 FESC
gearing ratio
Action: The LEP Executive will submit a proposal to the November meeting of the Strategy
Committee on the potential options to use any headroom of the FESC Fund.
Agenda Item 6: Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub
AM confirmed that the legal documentation had been completed with Blue Orchid and that the Growth
Hubis now “up and running”. The “soft launch” including the launch of the website was undertaken on
19th October, with a series of formal local launches in w/c 2nd November.
KH confirmed that all the allocated budget would be defrayed on programme.
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Agenda Item 7 : Performance Monitoring
Performance risk Register:
The Committee noticed that two new risks have been included and that three risks had been closed
since the last report.
The Committee acknowledged that the apparently high number of amber risks was due to the
programme being in its infancy and that as it evolves the number of amber risks would diminish.
Local Growth Fund
KH confirmed that the Executive is confident of achieving the 2015/16 spend target. To avoid any
potential underspend of the 2016/17 target, plans are already underway to mitigate any shortfall.
It was confimed that Reaseheath College has approval to four projects with a total LGF value of
£8.243m. The College is currently unable to commit to the Sports Science Centre as there is a £4m
shortfall in the proceeds of land sales and therefore a shortage of match funding.
It was also confirmed that the potential clawback of £1.9m by the SFA is not now considered a risk by
the College, but formal confirmation of the position is still awaited.
Action:KH to include key project risks in future reports.
Action: CWAC to make a presentation to the February 2016 Committee meeting on the Northgate
Project.
Growing Places Fund
Two applications are now proceeding through due diligence.
Local Partnerships will present its findings on the future investment strategy for the fund to the
November meeting of the Strategy Committee.
European Structural and Investment Funds
It was noted that EAFRD funding is matched at source.
The committee noted that £5m had been allocated towards the further development of digital
connectivity in the sub region. It is proposed that a call is issued comprising support for small
businesses and the digital connection of science corridor and science park assets.
Agenda Item 8: Fund Updates
1) North West Fund 2
AM informed the Committee that three options had now been presented and that a detailed paper
would be prepared for the Strategy Committee at the earliest opportunity.
2) JESSICA Evergreen 2
FL informed the Committee that demand for a further programme will be determined by commissioning
further work on the ex-ante evaluation. This will be commissioned jointly with Lancashire CC.
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3) Greater Manchester-Cheshire Life Science Fund – The legal contracts have been completed
and the Fund has been successfully launched at the Biocpa Conference on 30 September 2015.
Date, time and venue of next meeting:
3.00 pm 23rd November at Richmond House, Gadbrook Park, Northwich CW9 7TN
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