Present:  Paul Jagger (SCCI), Nigel Tomlinson (SCCI), Richard Wright (SCCI), Ian Proctor (University of Sheffield), Richard Frost (Hawsons), Tim Hale (Champion Hire Ltd), Ed Dodd (SCCI), Tracy Viner (Tracy Viner Limited), Ken Torres (Torres Engineering & Pumps), Julie Readman (Business Link South Yorkshire), Peter Wood (Sheffield Technology Parks), Julie Byrne (Sheffield College), Paul Hancock (Bright Finance), Paul Reeves (SCCI), Brenda Jordan (SCCI), Helen Rana (SCCI), Jill Davies (Westfield Health), Peter Hayes (Sheffield Hallam University), Peter Hoy (Macalloy Ltd), Yuri Matischen (MLS)
 
Apologies:  Nick Williams (Sheffield Metal Polishing), John Taylor (Sheffield City College), John Barber (Business in the Community), Tracey Williams (SCCI), Anita Brough (Russell Richardson), Hans Hux (B Braun Medical), Keith Shivers (MJ Gleeson Group Plc), Stephen Mitchell (SCCI), Simon Walker (John Lewis Sheffield), Jonathan Hunt (Wake Smith), Steven Davies (EEF), Hermann Beck (Holiday Inn), David Moody (Lord Lieutenant), Dave Sheridan (Kier Group), Diana Green (Sheffield Hallam University), Andrew Baxter (JCI), Nick Tovey (Wardell Armstrong)

The meeting was chaired by Paul Jagger.

1) Presentation
David Curtis and John Mothersole from Sheffield City Council gave a presentation about the Sheffield Development Framework (SDF) consultation, explaining that Sheffield will be the first large city to put its strategy document into the public domain.  It will be forwarded to the City Council on 20 July, if it is approved it will be sent to the Secretary of State for comments in September 2007 and no more changes can be made once it has been submitted, so it is vital that people give their responses and comments about the strategy to the council as soon as possible.  The core spatial strategy will decide the key principles of where development takes place in the city and the subsidy documents will give precise details of what will go where.

They said that it is a big challenge to release land for business and industrial uses, because developers could gain more money from residential developments, that there is a focus on brownfield land and retaining greenfield sites, and that 43.5 hectares per year are required to transform the economy.

They stated that – according to the SDF – at least 65% of office development should be in the city centre – it is important that development is not dissipated outside the city centre.  The other 35% will be outside but in well-located and accessible areas, eg. Meadowhall and the Lower Don Valley.

The subsidiary policies set out the strategies for housing, shopping, open spaces, greenbelt, waste, transport and natural resources (e.g. flood defences), etc.  There will be very limited retail development outside the city centre in the next twenty years to support the New Retail Quarter strategy. 

This is the last chance to influence the council’s proposals, so it is important for all Chamber members to send in their comments (which will be publicly accessible on the website in the future).  The website is: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=53127

Questions and Answers
Paul Jagger commented that the SDF is a very important document that will drive decisions which will reflect on businesses, so there is a need to engage with this consultation.

Richard Wright asked whether the 43.5 hectares of land required to be released for all business and industry per year is new land or new use of existing land?
John Mothersole answered that it is the amount of land businesses will need for the expected growth scenario, and David Curtis added that there are also considerations about the usability and suitability of the land.  John Mothersole continued to explain that this enable the expansion of business, not space, by reusing existing space.  The footprint of the city will get no bigger – the city will not expand into the green belt.

Tim Hale said that much of the Lower Don Valley is in a flood plain and asked how floods will affect the amount of money the council will invest into rivers and flood defences?  David Curtis replied that the Council has had certain restrictions on land development based on the probability of flooding. It is a risk management issue – the government has recognised that climate change means that flooding will get worse – and they are reviewing whether more flood defences are needed in the context of what has happened.  He clarified that the funding in fact comes from the Environment Agency, which gets its money from government. Sheffield has not been a priority area for flood defence funding, which will be reassessed.  He added that the Council is also responsible for drains, which will be reviewed, but pointed out that the vast majority of flooding was caused by the river, not by a poor drainage network.

Peter Wood asked if the figure of 43.5 hectares per year was what they expect or want to happen?  John Mothersole answered that it is a mid-range figure between a variety of studies that were produced, a prediction based on a range of studies, showing a moderate growth of the city, rather than a hopeful one.  David Curtis added that the figure reflects Sheffield’s recent regeneration, not its longer-term historical experience.

Ken Torres asked if something would change where someone like himself has been reporting drains for thirteen years?  He then stated that he cannot see how you would ever resolve our transport problem and asked why not look ahead to South Yorkshire having its own Metro system and start working on it now?  David Curtis responded that, unfortunately, the government were not prepared to fund the Supertram extension.  John Mothersole added that what this land use particularly will do is make sure the transport corridors remain available for any future Metro, Supertram, etc.  He said that the Council’s view is that we need to build fewer, bigger transport plans.

Paul Jagger asked for clarification whether green belt meant designated areas of green, or all the green land around a city, and whether green fields in the city’s current footprint will be built on?  John Mothersole answered that the green belt is very much around the city where the urban moves to rural.

Tim Hale stated that, as deputy chair of the Transport Forum, it is clear to him that the roads on the Lower Don Valley are open whereas in the city centre there are a lot of closed roads.  He argued that the council has to recognise that it needs to service the businesses being built in the city – the one-way systems in the city do hinder business traffic as well as commuters and shoppers which it is intended to affect.  John Mothersole replied that the city centre has a very old street system with a number of contemporary compromises, like the inner ring road and trying to retro-fit on the system to make it more logical.  David Curtis added that, when the bus rapid transport system comes out, we really need strong business community support to put to the government and ensure that it is well agreed and coherent.

Nigel Tomlinson commented that nobody in the room would disagree with Ken’s suggestion and investment into roads, but suggested that the government of the day will want something back, asking whether or not access charging was on the agenda and if  they would want some input from us about access charging?
John Mothersole: Yes, part of it is a representational case and there have been links between investment in infrastructure and demand management pilots.

Peter Hoy asked how congruent the SDF is with developers, and whether of the plan is controversial to developers?  John Mothersole responded that the council is very consistent with developers, by pushing up the city centre for retail, and that the 65/35% split is also consistent with developers generally. He said that there are some differences with specific developers’ views, but that overall they are consistent.

Peter Hayes said that his company had to relocate to Rotherham as there was no affordable land here, and asked how they will ensure there is affordable land available?  John Mothersole answered that they have strategies for affordable accommodation, which are different from affordable land, adding that land in Sheffield is becoming more expensive and Rotherham will be cheaper.  The council considers the land bank as Sheffield and Rotherham, as Sheffield-Rotherham is more or less the same spatial area. He noted that they have been working very closely with Rotherham for the past two years to create one coherent economy.

Paul Jagger thanked Mr Mothersole and Mr Curtis for answering questions in such an open way.  John Mothersole and David Curtis left the meeting.

2) Welcome to new colleague
Nigel Tomlinson welcomed Ed Dodd, who is coordinating the Chamber’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership for the next two years, funded by Yorkshire Forward.  He explained that Ed is now the central liaison point for Chamber members who have been victims of crime, and that our database will be linked into South Yorkshire Police’s database.  Ed added that this service is completely free to Chamber members.
 

3) Minutes of the previous meeting on 11 May
The minutes were accepted as accurate.

Matters arising:
Tracey Viner congratulated Helen Rana on all her work on “Inspiring Women” – the Chamber’s new women in business forum – and noted that she looks forward to reaping the benefits of this.

Ken Torres mentioned that he had brought up the matter of sponsorship of football teams.  The Chairman reminded him that was an operational matter, and the board had decided it had nothing further to add to the discussion.

Tim Hale noted that the “our150th” dinner, held after the last Chamber Council meeting, was very successful.  Nigel thanked everyone who had taken the time out to attend.  He commented that what he thought will be memorable was not so much the evening but the exhibition that was launched that night and which went on for the next ten days and had 3,500 visitors, one of the largest ever Millennium Galleries attendance.  There was also an excellent response from local schools – over 400 schoolchildren visited and he thought it was especially exciting to have the FA cup on the Monday.  He said he was pleased to see that people wanted to know about the heritage of the city and our business development.  He also thanked those who assisted in preparing it – it took six months to prepare.
Paul Hancock commented that, at the patrons’ meeting the previous Tuesday we mapped out how it had all come together – business at the beginning of the year, businesses and football in the middle and now football at the tail end of the year.  He congratulated Vernon and the events team.

Ken Torres asked about certificates for finalists, saying that he thought it had been agreed that we were going to give certificates to finalists but I had a letter from the Chief Executive saying we could not.  Nigel Tomlinson replied that the letter was self-explanatory.  The business awards are not the sole domain of Sheffield Chamber.  Sheffield Newspapers are the key strategic partners in that event, and their decision was that rules could not be changed retrospectively.  Nigel had asked them to consider giving certificates for future awards, which they are doing, but added that this presents a problem in some categories where it is so specialised there may only be 5 entrants.  He added that the sponsors were also key partners and they replicated the view of Sheffield Newspapers.  Paul Jagger said that the letter sent out should be the last word on the matter.

4) Special item: aftermath of the South Yorkshire flood
Paul Jagger suggested that the Chamber Council should thank the Chamber staff for all their efforts following the flood, as they are still working in a restricted office.

Nigel Tomlinson explained that Stephen Mitchell was airlifted to safety by the RAF and praised him for staying behind to ensure that everyone was safe.  Also, Stephen Mitchell and Mandip Dosanjh waded out to rescue a man who was being swept away in the flood, near where another man later drowned.  He noted that there had been a number of visits from ministers and commented that he was particularly impressed with how quickly the partnerships came together to deliver the Floodline.  He explained that there might be further funds available from Yorkshire Forward, and that businesses will suffer the fallout of the floods for weeks and months to come, with the biggest problem being cashflow.  Nigel said he would be seeking Council members’ views on insurance matters as he was about to meet the Chief Executive of the British Association of Insurers (ABI) at 10.30am that morning.

Nigel said that he thought the Chamber now needs to get our case over to as wide an audience as possible, being genuinely worried that Sheffield business will fall off the Government’s agenda, whilst at the same time noting that there is a need to be positive about some very heartening business stories. 

He stated that his understanding was that there would be an enquiry, led by the Environment Agency.  He informed the Chamber Council that he had seen the Secretary of State for the Department of Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform, who listened with interest to what has happened.  His particular issues are with the ABI and the Environment Agency, so they’re going along the same lines.  He explained that he is meeting all the local MPs individually and that the Chamber has secured a visit from the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, which had, largely, led to the Secretary of State’s visit.

Nigel continued that Paul Reeves and his team of frontline staff have been pulled from all commercial activities and are now concentrating on policy and representation activities, following up calls to Floodline, etc.  He stated that the Chamber’s own claim is likely to be large and that there will certainly be a loss in the next 18 months.

Tim Hale asked what the main points are from the Floodline?  Helen Rana responded: the lack of the City Council’s flexibility in responding to flooding problems, such as people who want to temporarily place IT wires across a roof being told to go through the standard planning application procedure of 8-12 weeks, and problems or questions about insurance.

Ken Torres asked that, if a loss adjustor says a claim for £500,000 will go through, couldn’t they pay up an interim payment of, say, £15,000?  Nigel agreed to take the point up at his meeting that morning.  Paul Jagger answered that a large amount of the government’s emergency funding is going to be cashflow, so if a company has a legitimate claim, why don’t insurers give a small amount up front? He said that the Chamber will pursue this.

Ken Torres suggested that a simple way to save a lot of equipment would be an early warning system, so that companies could have lifted their equipment up.  He asked if we could help ourselves with corporation tax and VAT?  Finally, he asked about a goodwill gesture from the Chamber for people that have problems with offices - could the Chamber offer meeting rooms for those people?  Paul Jagger agreed that an early warning system is a very important point.  Nigel Tomlinson explained that the Secretary of State had effectively ruled out a deal on taxes.  He said he had heard a rumour that Rotherham Chamber had been doing some kind of rates relief, but Helen Rana confirmed that she had checked with both Rotherham Chamber and Metropolitan Council and there are no new rates relief available.  Nigel Tomlinson noted that the Chamber is currently short of meeting space because staff from downstairs have had to move upstairs because of the flooding but would do what we can and repeated the offer from a number of larger members to provide temporary accommodation.  Paul Reeves noted that some of the businesses he has visited have been offering meeting rooms and even office accommodation.

Julie Readman noted that rules are inflexible, so there is a need to keep lobbying John Hutton, and Paul Jagger added that Tom Riordan [of Yorkshire Forward] made an announcement the day before that he is under pressure, so he is feeling it, and this is something we need to push.

Tracy Viner commented that there will be a huge long-term impact on the economy as a whole, and that new start-ups may lose out.  Nigel agreed.

Yuri Matischen told how his company at Thorncliffe Park was hit twice. The first flood hit on Friday at 6am, then the second flood hit on Monday at 11am.  He reiterated the need for an early-warning system and stated that we need to keep pressure on the Environment Agency in case the flood was due more to blocked rivers or blocked schemes. He explained that his estate managers had handed over responsibility to the loss adjustors, that five or six people out of ten companies in one large building have decided to move, and that he has decided to move to Rotherham because of the prices.  Paul Jagger commented that this was a similar experience to Ken Torres’ of losing control over your own building.  Yuri added that the Yorkshire Forward £2,500 will not cover the stationery he has lost and which he will now have to buy again, for around £15,000.  Paul Reeves noted that he and Helen Rana took that exact point to John Healey and Felicity Everiss [Regional Director of the Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber] at a recent meeting.

Yuri Matischen stated that his insurers have said they will not insure the ground floor of his building any more.  He commented that the city council manages the dam and they’ve stopped letting the water off during the year.  Nigel explained that this was because they have been told for the last three years that we are heading for drought conditions, adding that the management of rivers does need review.

Julie Byrne said that, in terms of Sheffield College, there was no early warning system – that, in fact a phone call from an outsider that alerted her 4-500 staff and 4,000 students.  She noted that there has to be an effective way to communicate and this must be part of the review.

Ken Torres said that a lot of his employees lost all their cars in the car park, and that he had asked the insurance company if he can hire cars in the meantime.  Paul Hancock asked how this could be quantified as an insurance claim, and Ken replied that there is a need to try to get some clarity on what companies can do

Nigel Tomlinson commented that another point he intended to bring up with the ABI that day was, for example, one retailer up in Broomhill who had just been to renew his insurance and been told that insurance has gone up exponentially because it is in Sheffield, regardless of the postcode or whether it is on a flood plain.  He had told John Hutton that insurers need to be brought aside and act responsibly or be regulated.

Paul Jagger drew the discussion to a close, recommended that this special flood item should be kept as a standing item on our agenda and the Board agenda.  He made one final point, that we must be very careful to ensure that the national and international perception is that Sheffield business never closed, and to ensure that it is kept positive.

5) Policy/Forum Activities Report
There was a positive response to the policy activities report and no points were raised from it.

6) Election of Council Chairman for the Next 3 Years
Paul Jagger explained that the Council was required to elect a Chairman at the meeting.  Nick Williams had invited nominations and said he would stand.  Tim Hale proposed Nick Williams, seconded by Peter Wood.  The nomination was unopposed and Nick Williams was therefore elected to serve another three years as Chairman of Chamber Council, pending his acceptance.

7) Matters to be raised by Members of Council
Yuri Matischen raised the point that a national skills academy is coming to Sheffield.  He noted that there seem to be many agencies, including schools, which are developing the skills agenda but all he hears is about the academic side.  He wants to change this perception to include work placements in the sports and leisure sector.  Paul Jagger said that there is going to be a real change. The government is about to announce the result of a sub-regional review that funding is being changed, so we need to wait for this announcement.  Nigel Tomlinson: noted that the Chamber has been formally asked to take the lead in Investors in Education through Paul Reeves, and has also been asked to take the lead with Young Chamber. The first project is in Fir Vale School and we are determined to break the mould, utilising Andy Pickles and U-Xplore. So the time is right for this to be rolled out in Sheffield.  Richard Wright commented that U-Xplore is up and running successfully in Rotherham and is a formidable example to follow.

Yuri asked for more information on LEGI funding, lifelong learning, etc.  Paul Jagger said that we need to keep a marker about this for a future presentation to the Chamber Council.  He also noted that whatever is decided will not be put into effect until 2010.  Nigel Tomlinson said that we must bear in mind the Council’s Trust status, and Paul Reeves commented that Chambers are becoming the favourable model for employer engagement.

Paul Hancock congratulated Nigel on the Chamber’s showing in the World Chamber event.  Nigel showed the “World Chamber Finalist” plaque and noted that Sheffield beat Stuttgart and Barcelona, two of the world’s most powerful chambers, where businesses have to be members, but lost to Brazil.  He announced that in two years’ time he hopes to win it.

Jill Davies announced that Westfield Football Team were at the corporate games and are now on their way to Bilbao, so Sheffield is being represented at the World Corporate Games.  They were congratulated and wished good luck.

Julie Byrne stated that she was representing John Taylor, who is moving to lead the government’s regulation review on a one-year secondment.  She said that Sheffield College’s Deputy Chief Executive Chris Jones will step into his shoes.  Paul Jagger gave best wishes to John and congratulations.

Peter Wood asked if it would be worth inviting someone like Vince Taylor in from LEGI to give a presentation on how they’re going to spend the money?  Paul Jagger took the point.

Ken Torres asked if the procedure for Council voting was open or sealed.  Tracy Viner noted that this information was in the review and in all the notes. 

Ken Torres noted that, after three consecutive non-attendances, people will be asked to leave the Council, and asked if Nigel would write them a letter.  He replied that Chamber Council will remind them if they’ve missed two in a row, and will write to inform them of their potential removal from Council, as per Article 73 (e) of the Articles of Association:

73.  The office of a member of Council shall be vacated if:-
………
(e) they shall have been absent for three or more normally scheduled consecutive meetings of the Council without permission of the Council

Ken Torres turned to the issue of skills, saying he was concerned that, at Sheffield College, things such as welding will not be included in choices and that anyone over 19 would have to pay around £420.  Julie Byrne confirmed this to be correct.  Paul Jagger explained that the LSC has been told by the government that colleges must change – somebody must pay but not necessarily the students themselves.  Julie Byrne agreed, saying that Sheffield College is implementing policy from government with a definite policy of increasing targets from fees, working within government targets.  She added that students who meet means-tested criteria will be exempt.  There is also an engagement with businesses to pay.

Ian Proctor announced that the University of Sheffield has been very successful in getting through to the last round to host the Energy Technology Institute initiative – which would be worth £1.1bn. The result will be known by the end of September.

Nigel Tomlinson noted that the Advanced Manufacturing Park was featured in a CNN broadcast on 6 July.  He said it was a great advertisement for the city, and it stated that 25% of the new Boeing 787 was conceived or made in Sheffield.  This can be viewed on: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2007/07/05/boulden.787.dream.CNN

Tracy Viner said that she also represents the Cathedral Arch Project, which cannot currently start putting out requests for people who are homeless. They have lost all their food until the next harvest collection, so asks that if anyone could contribute any tinned goods and cereal, they have got about £3,000 of goods to recover.

8) Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be on Friday 7 September 2007, at 8.30am at Albion House.