1. Coastal Communities Working Group (CCWG)
Presentation and meeting notes from 9th February 2018 meeting
Acting Chair of CCWG
Tom Gardiner
Strategy Manager, SELEP
Georgina Button

2. Today’s working group AGENDA SEP progress update
Sector Support Funding
Discussion: Coastal Communities Team Consultation Responses and Essex Coastal Districts Report
Coastal Communities Fund update from MHCLG
CCWG Terms of Reference

3. Additionality – Action – Productivity
Maximising benefit of LTC
Rural / natural capital
Thames Estuary as area for investment
Digital infrastructure
Principal economic assets
Supporting growth in coastal areas
Role of Visitor Economy in supporting growth
Innovation agenda and universities
Capital of social enterprise
Tools afforded by Government – Enterprise Zones
Iteration of the business support offer through the Growth Hub
Energy
Creative freelance hotspot
Conditions to help our ports thrive
Accelerate housing

4. SEP Strategic Ambitions – Pre Industrial Strategy
A business infrastructure fit to drive UK plc
A digital DNA connecting and energising communities
Resilient places embracing inclusive growth
An influential collective voice leading change
Increased productivity driven by innovative businesses and people skilled for the future

5. Ideas: the world’s most innovative economy
People: good jobs and greater earning potential for all
Infrastructure: a major upgrade to the UK’s infrastructure
Business environment: the best place to start and grow a business
Places: prosperous communities across the UK

6. Alignment A business infrastructure fit to drive UK plc
A digital DNA connecting and energising communities
Resilient places embracing inclusive growth
An influential collective voice leading change
Increased productivity driven by innovative businesses and people skilled for the future
Ideas: the world’s most innovative economy
People: good jobs and greater earning potential for all
Infrastructure: a major upgrade to the UK’s infrastructure
Business environment: the best place to start & grow a business
Places: prosperous communities across the UK
A digital DNA connecting and energising communities
Increased productivity driven by innovative businesses and people skilled for the future
A business infrastructure fit to drive UK plc
An influential collective voice leading change
Resilient places embracing inclusive growth

7. Today’s working group AGENDA SEP progress update
Sector Support Funding
Discussion: Coastal Communities Team Consultation Responses and Essex Coastal Districts Report
Coastal Communities Fund update from MHCLG
CCWG Terms of Reference

8. Notes from CCWG meeting
Sector support funding (SSF): The group were advised that both a SSF template and guidelines documents are in draft format. These will be put to the SELEP Strategic Board for approval either in March or the following meeting.
CCWG’s potential request for SELEP Sector Support Funding (SSF)
There is a the potential to use the EEC Coastal Districts Report along with similar evidence/reports from Kent and East Sussex to produce a LEP wide coastal evidence base along with the CCTs strategic economic plan responses. Our request for SSF would ask to commission a piece of work which brings together all of the LEP area coastal related evidence to generate a coastal action plan, including a funding heat map for the various funding streams, potential sector deals for coastal communities to work together on and opportunities for joint bidding. The ultimate aim is document how the LEP can use the strength of its collective voice to help close the gap between coastal economies and the regional economy. This piece of work would also support the delivery of the SEP and improving the value of coastal communities is a priority in the current draft Strategic Economic Plan. Once applications for SSF can be made, a selected group from the CCWG can begin to fulfil the application and share with the group for comments before submission.

9. Notes from CCWG meeting
Coastal Communities Teams (CCTs) from across the SELEP area submitted responses to the SELEP Strategic Economic Plan refresh; contributing their priorities and project ideas.
Please find all of the CCT responses (available in attached folder) submitted via MHCLG and directly to SELEP.
Summary of comments and ideas:
.CCTs would like an asset base assessment of all coastal assets to explore possible utilisation opportunities.
CCTs expressed the need for funding to be more easily accessible and potentially award smaller amounts. Many responses talked about the issue of competing with and losing out to larger regional developments and that the Coastal Communities Fund is not the only answer.
CCTs need help with identifying employment and housing growth locations.
There needs to be a joined up approach to improving and increasing the visitor economy.
There is an obvious physical restraint of having a 180 degree catchment area.
There is a need for more and simplified support from Growth Hubs.
Need to encourage CCT cluster working on sector deals.
A suggested idea would be to have a LEP area branded app/website positioning the South East coastline as a golden coast/ as keepers of the coast, or similar to promote culture, heritage and tourism.

10. Notes from CCWG meeting
Coastal Communities Teams (CCTs) from across the SELEP area submitted responses to the SELEP Strategic Economic Plan refresh; contributing their priorities and project ideas.
Further summary of CCT comments and ideas:
We should learn from Margate’s Blue New Deal – it’s a nice example.
Research is needed to explore the change of the coastal experience and high street experience, from one of high street shopping and necessity to social experiences.
In terms of housing, it would be good to explore the capability of local supply of modular housing.
It would be good to explore Coastal Enterprise Zones/Parks, different from the Port centric ones.
Need to explore further how we use historic sites to aid growth.
There is a need for coastal communities to support skills in fishing, boat building and related areas.
Support coastal footpaths and general coastal quality of life to commuting and garden communities.
Need to support skills in all coastal related sectors, tourism, renewable energy and med-tech.
Can we revitalise waterfronts through dredging schemes.
In terms of housing we need to support SME confidence and capability by aggregating local builders and link them to tender opportunities and developer groups.

11. Notes from CCWG meeting
CCWG discussion also included:
The CCWG discussed the CCTs responses highlighting further the need for LEP area coastal action plan setting out the role of coastal and how it becomes a valuable contributor to the economy, positioning itself with an important and impacting role.
There is a desire to lift parts of the region that are underperforming to enable them to become closer the regional economy.
A coastal action plan needs to make strategic links to larger developments such as the Lower Thames Crossing development, the Thames Gateway and Garden Communities.
The CCWG agreed to nominate Simon Hubbard as the Coastal rep for the upcoming Strategic Economic Plan two-day writing session to ensure the economic history and ongoing challenges are included in the sessions’ thinking.
It was agreed that a representation from the Torbay Development Agency could invited to the next CCWG to share its Coastal Enterprise Zone proposition.
Terms of reference of the group were shared. All members were asked to read the Whistleblowing Policy and provide any amends to the SELEP secretariat within 7 working days.
Tom Gardiner made it known that he is the stand-in Chair for the group and that this position is open to any of the CCWG members or a senior coastal representative.
There is still a desire to have a coastal rep in the SELEP strategic board.