Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report from the Executive Director – Environment and Regeneration, which provided an update on Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) Employment and Skills matters.

The report outlined a range of topics being worked through by the LCR and Officers as follows:

·       Proposition for Employment and Skills – as part of the preparations for the new Government a proposition was being developed setting out what could be delivered by the area and which reflected the Metro Mayor’s manifesto;

·       A Long Term Skills Plan – the 10 year plan would set out the long term skills for the LCR and would be used as a basis to commission future work around skills and employment;

·       Early Years Sector Workforce and Provision – to support the Early Years and Childcare sectors to sustain, develop and scale up;

·       Construction Sector Priorities – to support the delivery of 80,000 new homes through a local workforce in the sector;

·       Department for Work and Pensions Updates – a new national jobs and careers service would be created; and

·       Economies for Healthy Lives – one of only four programmes in the UK to be approved for funding from the Health Foundation.

The following was discussed after the presentation:

·       Young people training to work in the construction industry and the fact that the numbers moving to work in the sector were declining.  Some who started a construction training programme often did not finish or chose not to go into employment in this sector afterwards;

·       Some schemes had been successful in terms of creating apprenticeship opportunities in the construction sector and this included The Mersey Gateway construction project;

·       The ‘social value’ of projects and large contracts, in relation to jobs for local people and businesses and was this element incorporated in the Council’s procurement stage as a condition of bidding;

·       The Employment, Learning and Skills team did work with contractors during construction of the Mersey Gateway.  Sometimes however, they were not aware of other large contracts going to tender, so it was felt that the team needed to be included in the notice of these; 

·       From a planning perspective, were conditions being implemented to ensure that S106 agreements included social value elements in an application;

·       It was felt that it was important that developers understood they must contribute to the communities of Halton if they want to build houses here for example; and

·       Server farms – one Member gave an example of these being installed by  a Council in the South of England; could this be looked into by Halton.

RESOLVED: That the report and comments made be noted.