Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Tyler Hawkins, Cllr Harry McCarthy, Cllr John Taylor and Jonathan Milner.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 14^th August 2023.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 25^th September 2023.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2023, be approved subject to the following corrections:

That the term REBA be a corrected to RIBA, (Royal Institute of British Architects). That the term DELUC be corrected to DLUHC (Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities).

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interest were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No questions were asked.

The panel will receive a presentation on the Inclusive Economy Strategy.

Contact: Edward Highfield, Service Director, Skills and Regeneration

Cllr Graham Turner introduced the item, advising that it was recognised that the Economic Strategy needed revisiting, and a decision was taken that rather than a wholesale rewrite, the strategy would be refreshed.  Many of the principles and aims of the strategy is based on an inclusive economy and attracting inward investment to create a strong vibrant local economy. Since the strategy was created, there have been changes both nationally and internationally, and therefore a refresh was overdue. The revised strategy will be brought before Cabinet and Council in early 2024.

Edward Highfield, Service Director, Skills and Regeneration, referencing the presentation, highlighted key points in terms of drivers for change. In summary, the Panel was informed that the macroeconomic factors of Covid, the cost of living crisis, the impact of the war in Ukraine, energy prices and inflation would have a greater impact on the Kirklees economy than factors that could be controlled locally. The Panel was further informed that it is not possible to control the economy, however, where possible, the aim is to influence the local economy whilst being cognisant of the bigger economic factors. It is important to accentuate the positive opportunities, by influencing and being aware of macroeconomic factors using proactive resources with partners.

Timing is crucial whilst refreshing the strategy, as economic factors change, therefore it becomes dated very quickly, however, it is important that there is a local articulation of priorities that can be used for multiple audiences. The Panel was advised that Kirklees economic outlook, lags behind the regional and national average, despite recent growth with factors including, gross value added (gva), earnings, productivity and average wages. These are long term priorities which take a number of years to see a positive trend.

Edward Highfield advised that gva and productivity is essential as it drives earnings, quality of life, choices and inclusion in the district. The impact of Covid was less severe than first predicted, for example, the high numbers of unemployment expected never came to fruition. The impact of covid was more entrenched, nuanced and differential to different communities. Kirklees has a relatively high level of employment, however; this masks low wage and insecure employment that impacts on people, and there is significant economic inactivity.

By pulling together data from a number of sources, it gives an overall picture and there are significant headwinds around automation, artificial intelligence, inflation, input costs, energy and climate change that affect the global economy, which also impacts Kirklees. Whilst it is recognised that these factors are global, it is still important to have local articulation and a placed based narrative with an ambition to develop and stimulate the type of economy Kirklees requires.  Therefore, it is important to identify opportunities and develop a response to the major headlines.

In refreshing the strategy, the aim is to reach multiple audiences, is concise, speaks to its democratic accountability and political leadership and is readable. It is important that the strategy is not just a Council document, but is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To provide an update to the panel on activity related to Post 16 Employment and Skills activity in the district.

Contact: Gillian Wallace, Head of Employment and Skills

Gillian Wallace, Head of Employment and Skills provided the panel with an update on activities related to Post 16 employment and skills in Kirklees, and an overview of programmes being delivered directly by the Council.

In summary, the panel was informed that employment skills is a broad area and is growing in scope and importance. The aim of the update today is to give a top line overview of the approach, the reasons, partners and the projects and programmes being undertaken. The focus of the information is based on adult provision and less information on provision taking place with school aged children.

The Panel was provided with the following information:

·       Unemployment claimant rate remained steady at 4.3% (August 2023)

·       Kirklees employment rate is the lowest in the region at 73%

·       Economic inactivity rate, which is where people are actively removing themselves from the labour market, is the highest at 27%

The Employment Skills Team, works to address some of the challenges, however this is only part of the solution. The employment and skills infrastructure is complex and is a mix of national, regional, and local provisions that the Council can only deliver a part of. A key part of the role is influencing the delivery that is taking place nationally and regionally and bringing partners together to address this, through the Employment Skills Partnership.

The panel was informed that the Local Skills Improvement Plan is now published, and focus is on a Local Skills Improvement Fund which has the potential to make a real difference to some of the skills provisions on offer in Kirklees.

The Panel was directed to key statistics in the presentation, which outlined a number of graphs, showing that the unemployment claimant rate has remained steady at 4.3%, however, the estimated claimant rate amongst young people (18 – 24) in Kirklees was 6.2% and increasing. Intervention is required as unemployed adults can often remain unemployed for their life cycle; therefore a great deal of attention is required to address this. Comparing Kirklees to the regional and national averages, it is evident that Kirklees has the lowest employment rate and the highest inactivity rate. There is also evidence to show that the economic inactivity rate does vary across selected disadvantaged groups such as disabled people, people with low skills and ethnic minority groups. This needs to be the area of focus in order to influence the figures.

The panel was informed that there has been year on year growth in job postings across all sectors, for all five local authorities in West Yorkshire. In order to address productivity issues, there needs to be a focus on people that are not in the labour market, and match them to available vacancies.

Low skills can often be a barrier to people entering the labour market, however it is recognised that not having a proportion of people with higher skills can also be a barrier to productivity. It is generally accepted that a Level 2 qualification is required to enter  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.