Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills
Minutes:
Decision – That the oral report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills giving an update on “Staffordshire Means Back to Business” activity including the following matters be noted:
· This month saw an increase of 910 claimants, which is at least partly likely to be due to continued seasonal effects and jobs created over the festive period coming to an end. The total number of claimants in the county now stands at 15,715 or 3%, one of the lowest rates in the West Midlands and lower than the average for England of 3.8% of the working age population. The youth claimant count in Staffordshire saw an increase of 165 claimants to a total of 2,920 young people. The proportion of young people in Staffordshire aged 18-24 that are claiming work-related Universal Credit has increased this month from 4.4% to 4.7%, although this remains lower than the national rate of 5%.
· Since 2010, around 42,000 additional new jobs have been created in the county. This has of course been one of the main reasons why we have seen record low levels of unemployment and remained resilient to the recent global economic events. One of our main growth sectors over the last couple of decades has been the logistics industry, with around 11,000 new jobs created in this sector alone and which now accounts for around 29,000 of jobs within the county.
· The new Pets at Home distribution centre in Stafford will open shortly, creating over 750 new jobs, whilst construction on the West Midlands Interchange site will progress this year and will ultimately create 8,500 new jobs in South Staffordshire.
· The recent Logistics Roundtable was attended by some of major players in the industry, including the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and was an opportunity for us to discuss how we can work together on some of main opportunities and challenges facing the sector, particularly existing and emerging skills needs and the shift to greater use of technology that will support the creation of more highly skilled, highly paid jobs within the sector.
· One of our local SMEs, CocoonFMS, based in Lichfield, has recently been successful in securing £129,000 from the first round of the Freight Innovation Fund in partnership with the major logistics employer Simarco. This will help to create a digital calculator to provide automated management of port costs and shipping expenses, providing more accurate invoice information to users, reducing delays and improving the planning of deliveries.
· Through our Economic Growth Programme, we also continue to support the development of employment sites across the county. i54 South Staffordshire is one of our flagship employment sites and work to develop two plots in preparation for new occupiers at the site is underway. One of these plots is on the existing site, with the other being on the Western Extension, which will support the creation of a further 1,000 jobs when fully occupied.
· Excellent progress is also being made at the Chatterley Valley West site in Newcastle-under-Lyme where the first development plots are nearing completion, highway access works are due to commence in May and a detailed planning application for the first 75,000 square foot speculative unit is being considered.
· At the Branston Locks site in Burton upon Trent, around 300 houses have now been built, alongside the completion of the first phase of industrial units, 2 of which are occupied by Werner ladders and Syncreon logistics.
The Shire Hall in Stafford, which opened last summer following an extensive £2 million refurbishment of the building, has already proved hugely successful and is now home to 15 companies across a range of sectors, with only a few of the units now remaining.