The Yorkshire and Humber Assembly

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15 February 2007

Below is a summary of issues discussed and decisions taken at the meeting of the full Assembly on 15 February 2007. You can download the papers from this meeting from the link at the bottom of the page. Formal minutes will be available following the next Assembly meeting. For more information on any of the issues discussed, contact the Assembly on 01924 331555.

Julian Cummins

Assembly Chair Peter Box led a minute’s silence in memory of former Assembly member Julian Cummins. Julian, the faiths representative until last year, also chaired the Assembly’s Quality of Life Commission and Scrutiny Review into Skills. Members supported a proposal to hold an annual Julian Cummins lecture in his memory.

Jonathan Porritt - Chair, UK Sustainable Development Commission

Prior to members discussing the Integrated Regional Framework, Jonathan Porritt presented his views on how regional work could contribute to national and international sustainability targets. Issues addressed included low and zero carbon challenges, approaches to housing, energy, climate change, city regional development programmes, transport and industry needs.

Integrated Regional Framework (IRF)

Sustainable Development Board Chair Arthur Barker then presented details of the work the Assembly is leading on the new IRF, being drawn up to ensure regional strategies and investment work collectively to improve delivery of regional priorities. This is in line with recent Government guidance on strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions

The new framework - which will merge the existing Advancing Together and Regional Sustainable Development frameworks - will also resolve gaps and conflicts in current strategies and lead to better policy and decision making.

Details of the how the draft version of the IRF is being developed were discussed by members, including work which has identified a number of key “landmark” issues where the region has persistent and problematic trends. These are: Widening Gaps in Income and Inequalities, Transport, Climate Change/Energy, Housing Affordability, Obesity, Violent Crime and the need for Higher Level Skills and Innovation.

Members also discussed the draft vision, principles and key strategies, policies and action for the IRF, which has developed three measurable aspects of sustainability the region needs to address.

Members agreed the draft report in principle to allow further consultation with Assembly members, key partners, stakeholders and the region’s Boards, advisory groups and the sub-regional groupings of local authorities during February and March.

The draft version will then be presented for approval to the Regional Executive Board on 12 April 2007 and - subject to approval at that meeting - lead to a wider consultation through the summer. The proposed final version will then presented to both the Regional Executive Board and full Assembly.

For more details contact Sian Ferguson on 01924 331563, email sian.ferguson@yhassembly.gov.uk

Scrutiny

Assembly Deputy Chair and Scrutiny Board Chair Paul Jagger presented the draft scrutiny report on Innovation, which was considered by the Yorkshire Forward Board on 26 January 2007 and had now been forwarded to the full Assembly for final approval.

The review looked at 3 areas of innovation - assessing the existing innovation programmes and initiatives that are largely focussed on science and technology and high-growth companies; how small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises are supported in their innovation activities; and what was stopping businesses from being innovative and how innovation support could be widened.

Following the review - which for the first time included an on-line consultation with members and other interested partners - the Scrutiny Board made twelve recommendations for how innovation activity in Yorkshire and Humber can be strengthened, and how it can be made more accessible for businesses of all sizes and sectors.

These include recommendations for Yorkshire Forward and their partners to:

To develop a User Guide for Innovation that clearly explains and simplifies the range of support available on innovation
To develop a new mechanism for capturing and measuring levels of innovation practice in businesses from all sectors
To capture examples of innovation in social and community enterprises and publicise what has been achieved in communities
To create a database of available grow-on accommodation in the region for successful and expanding businesses of all sectors
To consider how the short application process for the Yorkshire Forward research and development grants can be applied to the application processes of other funds
To use comprehensible language in all innovation related publications, and to distribute case studies of innovation practice in businesses of all sizes and sectors across the UK

Members approved the Innovation review report and noted a separate report on the monitoring of Scrutiny, which included details of how Yorkshire Forward are actioning recommendations made in the previous three scrutiny reviews. The Innovation report will be published with Yorkshire Forward’s Action Plan in the next couple of months, and then monitored on a quarterly basis. For more details contact Iain Lovell on 01924 331583, email iain.lovell@yhassembly.gov.uk

"Making a Difference"- The Assembly Business Plan 2007-2010

Members approved the Business Plan, which sets out the Assembly activity planned over the next three years, and which is required by Government as a condition of its grant.

The Business Plan, which had been endorsed previously by the Regional Executive Board, concentrates on delivery in the Assembly’s key service areas of Transport, Planning Delivery and Conformity, Scrutiny, Housing and Communities, and Strategy Integration and Sustainable Development, along with Corporate activity. It has now been submitted to Government. For more details contact Chris Martin on 01924 331590, email chris.martin@yhassembly.gov.uk

For more information about the papers, contact the Assembly.

Assembly meeting papers - 15 February 2007

Assembly meeting papers - 15 February 07