Agenda and minutes

None

Approved as an accurate record of the previous meeting.

The Chairperson and Leader of Staffordshire County Council gave a verbal update to the Leaders’ Board. The update informed the Board on Business Start Ups, Asylum Seekers, the Armed Forces Community Covenant, Staffordshire Day and the King’s Coronation.

The Board received an update and considered the Economic Vision & Priorities document.

The Staffordshire Leaders’ Board agreed:

·       That the final version of the Economic Vision & Priorities be approved.

·       That a supporting delivery plan to be developed by the Economic Growth Directors Group over the coming months, to be considered by the Leaders’ Board in the summer.

The Board received an overview of the work undertaken by the Leaders’ Board and supporting officer groups over the past year, projects and programmes that are currently ongoing, as well as providing a look to the year ahead.

The Board:

·       Agreed to note the work already undertaken by the Leaders’ Board and supporting officer groups, including successes in helping to secure investment in the county.

·       Considered and commented upon the progress being made on the many shared projects and programmes outlined within the report that are being progressed jointly by the Staffordshire local authorities.

The Board received the draft Employment and Skills Strategy which has been developed to support the delivery of the economic vision and priorities. The Employment and Skills strategy can be used to guide future employment and skills work programmes, to support external funding bids, to enable effective communication of Staffordshire’s shared employment and skills goals, and to inform the development of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

The Board:

·       Considered and commented upon the draft Employment and Skills Strategy vision and priorities set out within the report.

·       Agreed that the Economic Growth Directors Group develop the vision and priorities into a succinct document to guide future work programmes and enable effective communication of Staffordshire’s shared employment and skills goals.

·       Agreed that the final draft of the document be circulated electronically to Leaders for comment and agreement prior to the Summer 2023 Leaders’ Board meeting.

·       Agreed that they consider for sign-off the final version of the Employment and Skills Strategy at the Summer 2023 Leaders’ Board meeting.

·       Agreed that the appointed representatives of the Economic Growth Directors Group lead on the dialogue with Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Employer Representative Body in the development of its LSIP with the aim of ensuring that the LSIP contributes to the delivery of Staffordshire’s Employment and Skills vision and priorities.

The Board considered the revised Code of Joint Working Arrangements (Joint Code) with District and Borough Councils for Health Scrutiny.

The Code has been reviewed and refreshed to develop the health scrutiny function across Staffordshire and to foster good relationships with District and Borough Council scrutiny committees and Health Partners.

The Board:

·       Considered and approved the revised Code of Joint Working Arrangements (Joint Code) with District and Borough Councils for Health Scrutiny.

·       Agreed that the Leaders of each District and Borough Council would take the Joint Code back to their respective Local Authorities for adoption.

The Chairman to move:-

“That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business which involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 indicated below”.