Agenda item

To consider the Council’s strategy for the Brent economy and the implications of the management of current public health concerns.

8.            The Brent Economy

Councillor Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning introduced a report on the economic strategies for Brent, including Brent Council priorities, current strategies and policies, and the impact of the COVID19 epidemic and public health restrictions, specifically on business support, high streets, and employment. The Committee was then invited to raise questions on the report, which focused on a number of key areas as highlighted below:

·         The Committee noted the importance of procurement in supporting local businesses throughout COVID19. The Social and Ethical Value Procurement Policy set out the ways in which the council would approach procurement. It would prioritise supporting local businesses to bid for contracts confidently, making them aware of relevant opportunities and creating business alliances. Moreover, the Council was looking to promote local businesses, for example through the Shop Local campaign. Concerning high streets, it was working with local businesses to understand what they need to thrive and was individualising action plans with targeted investment. Agents were being put in place to help occupy vacant business spaces for a variety of uses.

·         In response to a question from the Committee, it was noted that the borough had no business improvement districts. It was, however, something the Council had carefully looked into and had most recently explored Wembley as a potential host of a bid. Local businesses would be asked to contribute through a levy, and an established grassroots business community would need to be in place beforehand. The Council would continue to explore the possibility of the bid, but at this time there were no immediate plans to put one together.

·         There was an expectation that Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) on the borough’s high streets would lead to an increase in footfall and encourage residents to use active travel. The Council needed to engage with local businesses to outline the benefits of such a policy and while CPZs were in place on many of the borough’s highstreets, a borough-wide policy was a consideration.

·         The Committee was reassured that the Black Community Action Plan had been integrated into the council’s post COVID19 recovery plan, with a particular focus on employment opportunities for black residents.

·         It was noted that the council was working with West London Business, the West London Prosperity Board, the Park Royal Business Group and the local and regional Federation of Small Business. The Chambers of Commerce did not have a particularly strong grouping, but the council would look to strengthen this as well as business associations across the borough. The West London Alliance, alongside Oxford Economics, had put together an economic recovery plan that revealed that the borough would be hard hit, especially those in the aviation industry, care sector and those workers that had been furloughed. Indeed, the borough had the highest number of furloughed employees in London. The Committee was reassured that the council would continue to support both employers and employees throughout the recovery phase.

·         The Council had not considered using powers under the Localism Act to help local businesses at this time, but it was willing to explore this possibility. Any such support would need to be targeted at those most in need, rather than a blanketed approach. For example, the discretionary grant received from central government was targeted specifically at micro businesses. Presently the Council was working on a case-by-case basis, but it was in a position to take a more strategic approach if needed.

·         In response to a question from the Committee, it was noted that the Council had received data on the number of employees that had been furloughed in the borough, but not on the types of employment these employees were in.

·         In relation to future working arrangements, it was noted that there may be less need for office space. Having said this, with social distancing in place the opposite may be true. It was expected that many companies would look to change their working arrangements and encourage more remote working going forward. Many new housing developments were looking at including office space in their designs.

·         It was noted that self-employed residents had received little financial support from central economy during COVID19. The discretionary grant received by the council did not cover the self-employed. The Council had been and would continue to lobby central government to ensure these people did not fall through the gaps. The Council was using its Brent Works and Brent Starts platforms, business newsletters, Shop Local campaign and online support to engage with businesses across the borough.

Resolved

That it be recommended to Cabinet;

1.    That the Cabinet Member for Regeneration works with the West London Prosperity Board to set up a jobs summit with large local employers (regardless of sector) to look at ways the public and private sectors can work together to support local employment.

The Committee also made the following information requests:

1.    Information on how the Black Community Action Plan was being integrated into the economic recovery.

2.    For the economic recovery plan of the West London Prosperity Board to be shared with the Committee.