About you
4. Are you responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation?
Organisation
Argyll and Bute Council
Role of enterprise agencies, SNIB and other economic development partners (1/3)
5. How nimble is Scotland’s economic development system?
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Local authority input and added value to a nimble economic development system across Scotland is key and needs to be better recognised at a national level. The quick and effective response to the dissemination of NDR business support grants and hardship funds across Argyll and Bute has really shown that working collaboratively across council departments and with our CPP partners can respond to such a crisis effectively and within very tight timescales, with particular teams really going the extra mile to achieve such an outcome on top of their normal workloads in many instances.
Through digital connectivity, local authority networks such as the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development group (SLAED) and the various strategic and thematic sub-groups, Business, Place, People, Tourism, EU Funding, Performance and Rural, continue to take place frequently and have been well attended. These groups have provided an important vehicle to directly influence the Scottish Government, including Cabinet Secretaries, on the role of the local authority place-based approach in terms of businesses, sectors and people in rural and island economies, which predominantly makes up the geography of Argyll and Bute. In addition the Business Gateway Operational Network has provided timely feedback on the business support and hardship grant criteria, which did assist the Scottish Government to make amendments to specific criteria to benefit applicants.
Through digital connectivity, local authority networks such as the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development group (SLAED) and the various strategic and thematic sub-groups, Business, Place, People, Tourism, EU Funding, Performance and Rural, continue to take place frequently and have been well attended. These groups have provided an important vehicle to directly influence the Scottish Government, including Cabinet Secretaries, on the role of the local authority place-based approach in terms of businesses, sectors and people in rural and island economies, which predominantly makes up the geography of Argyll and Bute. In addition the Business Gateway Operational Network has provided timely feedback on the business support and hardship grant criteria, which did assist the Scottish Government to make amendments to specific criteria to benefit applicants.
7. How are the economic development agencies working together to assist businesses and workers during the crisis?
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The Argyll Economic Resilience Forum has been established in Argyll and Bute chaired by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) with a Vice Chair from Argyll and Bute Council.
The main objectives of the Argyll Economic Resilience Forum are to:
1. Provide a collective platform for the ‘voice’ of industry to restart and reshape economic and social recovery across the predominantly rural, remote rural and island communities across Argyll and Bute.
2. Act as a sounding board on the challenges, opportunities (low carbon and marine economies) and actions that will shape local economic and social recovery plan(s).
3. Align to the national recovery agenda where focus is being given to four pillars of recovery: People and Place, Infrastructure, Natural Environment and Enterprise.
The Forum is supported by an Officer Advisory Group which includes senior officers from organisations from the public and third sectors and academia.
The main objectives of the Officer Advisory Group are to:
1. Inform the Argyll Economic Resilience Forum on ongoing support and advice to public sector providers, businesses, communities and third sector organisations at a national level to aid local recovery.
2. Ensure that viable rural businesses (including social enterprises and third sector organisations) can access the right kinds of support at the right times to survive the crisis, sustaining vital jobs in rural areas.
3. Provide honest, evidence-based assessment of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the preparation, delivery and implementation of an Economic and Social Recovery Plan for Argyll and Bute that is fair and inclusive.
4. To assist the sharing of relevant local, regional and national information, including good practice from elsewhere and feeding local information back to the Scottish Government.
5. Explore the concept of Community Wealth Building which seeks to use the economic levers (community benefit procurement, fairer work, use and ownership of land and assets) and fiscal powers available to the ‘anchor organisations’ such as the local authority, enterprise agencies, NHS, further and higher education institutions, and private sector organisations to support and enable the local economy to recover.
6. Give due cognisance to the ongoing fiscal environment with regard to financial support for recovery, aligning to the priorities of the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership.
The main objectives of the Argyll Economic Resilience Forum are to:
1. Provide a collective platform for the ‘voice’ of industry to restart and reshape economic and social recovery across the predominantly rural, remote rural and island communities across Argyll and Bute.
2. Act as a sounding board on the challenges, opportunities (low carbon and marine economies) and actions that will shape local economic and social recovery plan(s).
3. Align to the national recovery agenda where focus is being given to four pillars of recovery: People and Place, Infrastructure, Natural Environment and Enterprise.
The Forum is supported by an Officer Advisory Group which includes senior officers from organisations from the public and third sectors and academia.
The main objectives of the Officer Advisory Group are to:
1. Inform the Argyll Economic Resilience Forum on ongoing support and advice to public sector providers, businesses, communities and third sector organisations at a national level to aid local recovery.
2. Ensure that viable rural businesses (including social enterprises and third sector organisations) can access the right kinds of support at the right times to survive the crisis, sustaining vital jobs in rural areas.
3. Provide honest, evidence-based assessment of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the preparation, delivery and implementation of an Economic and Social Recovery Plan for Argyll and Bute that is fair and inclusive.
4. To assist the sharing of relevant local, regional and national information, including good practice from elsewhere and feeding local information back to the Scottish Government.
5. Explore the concept of Community Wealth Building which seeks to use the economic levers (community benefit procurement, fairer work, use and ownership of land and assets) and fiscal powers available to the ‘anchor organisations’ such as the local authority, enterprise agencies, NHS, further and higher education institutions, and private sector organisations to support and enable the local economy to recover.
6. Give due cognisance to the ongoing fiscal environment with regard to financial support for recovery, aligning to the priorities of the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership.