CABINET MEMBER QUESTIONS - CABINET MEMBER FOR STRATEGIC REGENERATION
Verbal update.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Adje – Cabinet Member for Strategic Regeneration – provided a brief outline of his recent Cabinet activities. He and the Leader had met with the Haringey Business Alliance to discuss the development of a business pledge. The Haringey Business Alliance were pleased with the pledge, and were happy that the Council was engaging with businesses in a meaningful way. Further work would be undertaken in relation to formally recognising businesses which made a positive contribution locally and borough-wide. There was a focus on employment and apprenticeships for local residents.
Councillor Adje responded to questions from the Committee:
- Adult Education was not broken down into people with or without disabilities, and there was a wide range of initiatives available. Councillor Adje would provide the prospectus of the team to the Committee.
- The Council were looking to work with all businesses to identify barriers to trading, and to encourage growth where possible. The main places being targeted were Tottenham High Road and Wood Green High Road. One strategy was to encourage the letting of empty premises on a meanwhile basis so that there were fewer empty premises along the high roads.
- Officers had been requested to review the Business Strategy as a whole, and to identify what was working, and to build on these, and to remove the strategies which did not work. A briefing on the ‘quick-wins’ could be provided.
Actions:
- Councillor Adje to provide information on education available for adults, and whether specific programmes were available for those with disabilities.
- Overview and Scrutiny Committee members to be invited to attend walk-about sessions with Councillor Adje when looking at the high roads and local businesses.
- Councillor Adje to provide information on meanwhile uses for empty premises – whether there was a strategy, and why the Council want to use empty properties in that way.
- Councillor Adje to provide information on funding for HEST apprenticeships, and the Council’s approach to apprenticeships.
- Councillor Adje to provide an overview of business support, including results so far from the review.
The Chair thanked Councillor Adje for attending.