Agenda item

That the report be received. 

The Director of Environment introduced the report for Members to note and consider elements of the 2013/14 mid year improvement plan monitoring report relevant to this Committee for the period April to September 2013. 

Councillor Paul Shotton referred to Flintshire Business Week and the Dragons Den event and queried whether the number of enquiries had increased.  He also commented on the Wales Rally and the opportunity to provide the service park at Toyota on DeesideIndustrial Park.  He said that it was pleasing to see that secondary schools were able to participate.  In response, the Head of Regeneration said that it was about converting enquiries into decisions to invest and said that this now ran at 45 to 50%, well above the average for UK Trade Industry which classed 20% as a good figure so the level achieved in Flintshire was very good.  He said that the base for the rally had now been confirmed for three years.  Over 400 pupils were expected to attend the Industry Awareness Event whilst the support to new small business via Dragons Den had led to 50 small businesses being set up. 

Councillor Neville Phillips asked if Flintshire County Council were making a contribution to the Wales Rally event.  The Director of Environment said that the tented village service area was being held in Flintshire but the rally itself was not taking place in the County and therefore Flintshire County Council had not made a contribution to the event in monetary terms.  The Cabinet Member for Economic Development welcomed the rally being held in the area for three years.    

The Chairman welcomed the creation of jobs by existing companies in the county and asked if it was possible to provide data on how English enterprise zones were performing to allow Members to make comparisons with the Deeside enterprise zone.  He also referred to page 115 and strengthening links between schools, colleges and employers and asked if the scheme was to be expanded.  The Head of Regeneration agreed to provide comparative information in future reports and said that, where possible, the links would be improved.

The Chairman also referred to page 119 on the implementation of the 20mph advisory zones outside schools and asked whether an order for adoption of the zones had been agreed.  The Head of Assets and Transportation said that some zones would be based on accident statistics but advised Members that because the signs were non standard, approval from Welsh Government (WG) was needed; negotiations with WG were ongoing on how to take this forward. 

RESOLVED:

That the report be received.