Agenda item

The Council is undertaking an intensive programme of strategy refresh and development spanning regeneration, economic development and employability and skills.

This report, and the SQW presentation to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will provide an update on the progress made to date, direction of travel and a programme for the completion of this work.

Discussion:

A presentation was given to the Committee by representatives from SQW Consultants in relation to the Medway 2037 Strategy refresh. The key points of the presentation were as follows:

• SQW Consultants had been engaged in the Strategy refresh since October 2021 and had undertaken an initial analysis. The Strategy development was about refreshing the existing core Medway 2035 Strategy rather than starting again.
• Key elements of Medway 2037 would include the Skills and Employability Action Plan, the Innovation Strategy, the Town Centre Strategy and the River Strategy, the latter of which would be a new strategy.
• The Strategy would aim to provide space for projects to evolve whilst providing a framework for the Council to work with partner organisations.
• The aim would be to create a comprehensive suite of strategy documents that were aligned with each other and to co-ordinate action plans. The refresh would be used as an opportunity to embed key themes.
• Climate change would be an important element of the new Strategy with the previous 2018 version having made little reference to the aspiration for net zero carbon emissions.
• Other key themes would include Levelling Up, understanding how Medway can position itself to secure further funding, addressing the impacts of Covid and raising the profile of Medway.
• It was proposed that innovation be removed as a standalone priority as this was a cross-cutting theme that did not sit in isolation.
• In relation to skills and employability, consideration needed to be given in relation to what had worked for Medway in recent years.
• There was a need to look at how to foster innovation and how the Council could work as both a direct deliverer and as a facilitator, including the fostering of relationships with businesses looking to move to Medway and how to help businesses to tap into local expertise, such as the Medway universities.
• Officer teams across the Council were being engaged and feedback would be welcome over the next four to six weeks.

Following the presentation, Committee Members were invited to give their initial views on the development of Medway 2037. The following points were raised:

River access – Noting that there was not currently a single public access slipway to the river within Medway, a Committee Member asked how this would be addressed. The SQW Consultants noted the suggestion and said that the current process was about listening to ideas rather than making specific commitments.

Outcome and Strategy Development – A Committee Member said that it was important to get the message across about the important of the Strategy and to be clear about the outcomes that would be achieved and what issues there were that needed to be overcome. It was suggested that it would be helpful for an update report to be presented to the Committee every six months. The Member also noted that the importance of Chatham Docks and of clearing up pollution.

Uniqueness of Medway – A Member said that the Strategy needed to be clear about the uniqueness of Medway, its assets, geography, skills and the importance of the River Medway, including a full analysis of the advantages and opportunities that the river could deliver. Consideration needed to be given to the sectors where Medway had an advantage and how these advantages could be effectively levered. The Member considered that the previous lack of a River Strategy had been an issue. Another Member agreed how important the river was to Medway’s past and future and supported the development of the River Strategy.

Key themes – A Member agreed that innovation was a cross-cutting theme and that climate change was an important consideration. Issues such as deprivation, anti-social behaviour, poverty, housing needs and how to address inequality, in order to improve Medway as a whole, also needed to be considered. Town centres and local shopping parades needed to be prioritised and consideration given how to increase footfall and engage communities. The Member was concerned about the implementation and delivery of the Strategy including whether there were adequate human and financial resources available to facilitate this. There was a need to acknowledge local history and heritage and to use this to inform the background to the Strategy. The importance of linking the Strategy to other Council Strategies was also highlighted.

Creation of a new marina - A Member said that Medway needed a new marina and suggested that this could be located at the eastern end of Medway. This would allow larger boats that were bringing goods from continental Europe to land. Such boats could not access the existing marinas in Medway. Enabling these boats to land locally would bring new trade opportunities to Medway. This would also help facilitate the development of supporting industries.

Summary - The Director of Place and Deputy Chief Executive said that the discussion had been a useful exercise in policy development, which would help shape the strategies as they were brought forward. Medway Council had a large number of strategies and a list of these would be provided to the Committee. The Director highlighted that the work was about refreshing existing strategies, building upon the success seen so far and making Medway even more successful. A theme highlighted by Members had been around respecting the character and nature of the place of Medway. He acknowledged the importance of access onto the river. There was a need to ensure the work undertaken in relation to the Strategy was based on evidence and fact. The Strategy would be brought back to the Committee for further input at a future meeting.

Decision:

The Committee:

a)    Requested that a list of key Council strategies be circulated to the Committee.

b)    Noted that Councillor Tranter would provide officers with information he had gathered that would inform development of the Medway 2037 Strategy.

c)    An annual briefing note would be provided to the Committee on the development and implementation of Medway 2037.