Growing Local Economies… Regeneration to create local employment opportunities Sandra Rothwell Cornwall Council Introduction (following video)

Cornwall in context Cornwall in context Location: Cornwall is a rural area, characterised by small towns and villages separated by large areas of countryside, much of which is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Many miles of coastline and beaches. Population: 535,300. This can rise to 750,000 during the busiest holiday periods with the influx of tourists. Size: 3560 square kilometres Major challenges: The number of older people is much higher than the national average. Low incomes and high house prices. Geographical dispersal of settlements present a challenge in service delivery. Key industries: Tourism, farming, agri-food, china clay extraction, SMEs. History: Following the decline of industries such as mining in the late nineteenth century our economy has struggled to adjust to the post industrial era.

Driving growth in Cornwall What have we done to drive growth in Cornwall? Combined Universities in Cornwall: Pioneering model for education provision. Infrastructure projects: Removal of bottlenecks on arterial transport routes i.e. dualling of A30 at Goss Moor, development of the main rail line through Cornwall (Truro to Penzance) and the development of Newquay Cornwall Airport. Superfast Broadband: 90% of Cornwall will have access to high speed internet connection over the next three years. The Environment and Sustainability Institute: £30 million project, due to open in March 2012, that will provide pioneering research into environmental change and the impact of its effects. The Academy for Innovation and Research: £9 million multi-disciplinary research and development laboratory, due to open in early 2012, which aims to support collaborative working between researchers and local businesses. Innovation Centres: (Pool, Tremough and Health and Wellbeing Centre): Combines purpose built accommodation with specialist business advice and mentoring services, which aim to support young businesses to grow. Wave hub and PRIMARE projects: Harnessing our potential to generate power from the waves. Support services for local businesses: Grow Cornwall Cornwall works: Helping people overcome barriers to employment through targeted intervention such as training and work experience opportunities. We have been recognised by the European Commission for our innovative use of funds and tangible results in stimulating economic output.

Achievements so far… http://www.cornwallworks.org.uk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huPVoSX-4ZM http://www.cornwall.ac.uk/ucp/index.php?page=_Business_Start_Up&id=2201 http://www.heartlandscornwall.com

The numbers… Tackling Barriers to Employment 38% Improving the Skills of the Local Workforce 60% Nearly 114,000 individuals taking part in a range of activities to assist them on their journey. Over 5,800 participants have now left the programme into employment against the overall target of 5,900 Participants engaged on programme activity have achieved over 17,000 qualifications to date – 5,300 gained basic skills, 8,400 a Level 2 qualification, 3,300 Level 3 (double the programme target) and 300 a Level 4. Overall programme expenditure stands at £98.2m, of which £73.6m is ESF. (The total ESF allocation of for the Convergence Areas is €196.4 million over 2007-13).

Our 2020 vision for achieving a high-value knowledge-based green economy with opportunities for all A vision for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 2020. Renewable energy: Cornwall has unrivalled sunlight in the U.K offering solar energy, deep geothermal potential and a long coastline offering extensive wind and wave energy. We aim to maximise this potential. Digital technology: We will support businesses and individuals to benefit from superfast broadband and a digital single market. We will pioneer new e-public service applications and build on local expertise in telehealth to promote independence and reduce care costs. Economy and infrastructure: We will improve essential infrastructure to better link Cornwall to the world. Skills and employment: We will support the continued growth of skills and employment provision to ensure improved productivity and higher wages linked to growth in key sectors, such as environmental technologies, design, digital media and agri-food. Education: We are addressing low participation in FE and HE by developing financial support packages for local students. Housing programme: We are designing an ambitious housing programme to deliver 30,000 well-designed and energy efficient homes, 10,000 of which will be affordable. We will look to create a multi-million pound housing bond and set up a package of support for first time buyers. Development of Innovative Finance for Business Programmes, supporting innovation, enterprise and business survival to maximise growth.

How will we achieve this How will we achieve this? A strong vision and leadership from Cornwall Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership. Clear vision and leadership The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership was one of the first to be established and has already secured an Enterprise Zone and significant investment from the Regional Growth Fund. With strong, focused leadership from Cornwall Council and close collaboration with our private and public sector partners we can create a legacy that will stimulate growth and lead to a vibrant local economy.

Lessons… We are best placed to understand our unique challenges and opportunities: Local Commissioning Moving away from a grant based model of Economic Development requires the pooling of resources: e.g. EMA and Bursary Using our unique funding position and strong partnerships we want to lead the way in a new approach to growth

Lessons… Plan, plan and plan again! Demand and supply A competitive environment Procurement We must have the flexibility to set our own objectives and align future investment with our own policies and programmes

One size does not fit ‘one and all’ Circulate: Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Post 2013 European Funding: Building on success. (This document formed the basis of Cllr Ridgers’ recent engagement in Brussels. It sets out the achievements of the Objective One and Convergence Programmes and our vision for Post 2013 European investment)