Canterbury 4 Business
You are here > Home > What is C4B > Meetings Minutes > 11 November 2005
CANTERBURY 4 BUSINESS
  Main Areas  
Resource Centre
Grants & Finance
C4B Vision 4 Canterbury
FAQs
Business Forum
Become an Associate
Links
 NEWS AND EVENTS
   
 

11 November 2005


Notes of Meeting
Date Friday 11th November 2005
Location Acceleron Group, FDS House, John Wilson Industrial Park.
Present
  • Michael Head (Chairman)
  • Tony Bartlett (Enterprise Development Manager, Business Link Kent)
  • Dawn Hudd (Local Economy Manager, Canterbury City Council)
  • Clive Relf (Tax Partner, Reeves & Neylan)
  • Kevin Bush (Vice Chair C4B, New Business Service)
  • Eileen Hargreaves (Whitstable Improvement Trust)
  • George Wilson (Managing Director, George Wilson Holdings)
  • Ian Mazerolle (Head of Finance, The Acceleron Group of Companies)
  • Phil Davis (Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Kent)
  • Paul Barrett (Managing Director, Barrett's of Canterbury)
  • Jim McDonald (Director of Corporate Services, CCC)
  • Patrick Rynne (Regeneration Manager, CCC)
  • Sharon Brown (Sec, C4B)
Apologies
  • Amy Austin (Business Development Manager, Canterbury College)
  • Ron Donmall (Advisor, Technology Enterprise Kent)
  • Peter Hawkes (Canterbury Invicta Chamber of Commerce)
  • Colin Carmichael (Chief Executive, Canterbury City Council)
  • Jonathan Watts (Managing Director, Lenleys)
  • Fiona Beer (Ambassador)
  • Peter Drummond (Insurance Broker, National Farmers Union)
  • Ian Brown (Head of Regeneration & Economic Development, Canterbury City Council)
Distribution
  • As above
  • Councillors – Leaders of the 3 groups
  • Chambers
  • Website, once approved by the Board.
Date of next meeting Friday 16th December 8am, Reeves & Neylan, Canterbury.


ID Notes Action
1 Welcome to everyone.  
2 Introductions.
Jim McDonald and Patrick Rynne from Canterbury City Council.		  
3 Minutes from the last meeting and matters arising.
Nothing to report.		  
4 Chairman's update
Fiona Beer – Ambassador is leaving the board due to ill health and relocation, many thanks to her for all her time and hard work over the years.
Kevin Bush Vice Chair is also stepping down from the board to concentrate on his business, again many thanks to Kevin.
Responsibility of the Chair – workload needs to be divided up, defer making any decisions on this to the December meeting. One suggestion was to have two or three chairmen, to help with the workload – suggestions for next meeting please. 		 
5 Budgets – Jim McDonald, Director of Corporate Services, CCC
Jim spoke to the board the City Council have a duty to consult businesses on their budget and have also spoken to Canterbury Independent Traders and the Chambers of Commerce this year.
Feedback is needed from business to understand demands and to take things forward.
Quality of Life – all three districts need to work together.
Corporate Plan – established, seven core subjects along with ten headline topics.
Handouts were given to the board of last years and proposed 2006/7 budget for the council.
Savings have to be made, Directors, Heads and Portfolio Holders all met, to agree on savings.
Capping on Council Tax – the governments sum is not revealed until after the figure is set, by each Council.
Whitefriars has had a big negative impact on the Council car parks revenue.
Dawn to forward a list of regeneration projects and related consultants costs to Michael, to take to The East Kent Partnership for lobbying for funds.
LABGI – Local Authority Business Growth Initiative – if the rateable value of a business increases over a set amount then the Council get to keep the excess, projects have been put forward to make use of this money.
Several projects ongoing including street peddlers, Marlowe theatre and several big regeneration projects.
Best Value Indicators – undertaken by the Audit Commissioners – publicly available.
Procurement Officer Working Group – East Kent Strategy – aiming to get better value. (Dawn sits on this group) Michael to let Jim know, the outcome of the discussion after he departed was that the board felt strongly that this was not a consultation more time was needed to prepare/ plan ahead for next year and C4B would suggest an appropriate process.		 DH/MH
MH
6 Project Groups
  • A2 Slips / Little Barton Farm Eileen - Hargreaves (Lead).
    A2 Slips ongoing – Studies have been undertaken, designs have been created.
    Little Barton Farm – Overview and Scrutiny 14 th Dec, Guildhall, 7pm, Michael to speak on behalf of C4B, then Executive, 5 th Jan, Guildhall to get LBF adopted into the Local Plan.
  • Business Week / Dinner Dawn - Hudd (Lead)
    Business Week – Diary of events to be sent to the board with the minutes.
    C4B Dinner, date and venue to be arranged – George and Michael agreed to sponsor the dinner.
  • Employment / Entrepreneurship – Tony Bartlett (Lead)
    Meeting to be arranged.
    Business Link Kent run a quarterly business barometer surveying businesses throughout Kent. This can be focused on the Canterbury District and C4B can use the information for marketing purposes and to help with the work Fiona used to do.
  • Employment / Entrepreneurship – Tony Bartlett (Lead)
    Meeting to be arranged.
    Business Link Kent run a quarterly business barometer surveying businesses throughout Kent. This can be focused on the Canterbury District and C4B can use the information for marketing purposes and to help with the work Fiona used to do.
  • Improving Education & Skills – Phil Davies (Lead)
    Meeting to be arranged – Draft terms of reference being compiled.
  • Marketing - Amy Austin (Lead)
    Met 27 th October, a new brochure is being designed.
    Kent Business – now a half page to have agreed monthly themes.
    Website training, Amy and Johnathan have had the training, Ian Mazerolle has offered to update the site and will receive training shortly at SEA.
    Danny Cooper participated in the meeting – many thanks to him.
  • Money Box – Ian Mazerolle (Lead)
    The concern was that the money was there from the East Kent Partnership but it had not been match funded by business. The money must be used for community projects, Michael is to speak to Janet Waghorn at EKP.
    The board are not keen to pursue the project.
  • Olympics 2012 – Paul Barrett (Lead)
    Meeting to be arranged, the group is expanding, very keen interest in the activities of this group.
 MH
DH/SB
MH
7 Presentation on Regeneration of Herne Bay – Patrick Rynne, CCC
Ongoing projects, need to keep the momentum going – Patrick to keep on pushing things along. Keep people informed, public consultation aimed at March 2006.
Expression of Interest/ Developers – March onwards.
Residential, maybe needs to be considered within the plans.
CCC Urban Design Team are working within the government guidelines and with Local Plans. 		 
8 Any other Business
  • Michael's Vision for 2012.
    Michael presented a vision of key projects to the leader of KCC and some City Councillors. They were all impressed with what they had seen.
    The aim is for the vision and projects to go onto a website and leaflets to be produced. The board are keen to take on the projects as tasks/ delegated topics, to follow through. (DH will distribute the Councils vision for the next 10 years with the minutes.)
    Michael is keen to meet all the Councillors to show the Vision for 2012.
  • Community College Whitstable Awards Evening – Michael and Eileen attended the event, it was a successful evening. Paul Carter the new leader of KCC stayed all evening.
  • Michael informed the board that due to C4B lobbying a new sign had been agreed to advise HGV drivers to drive onto the next junction towards Barham to do a uturn to cross the A2.
  • George Wilson addressed the board he had attended a Developers meeting where processing 106 agreements were discussed. The problem is the time delay caused by using Eversheds solicitors as they are too remote and too big so there is no personal contact. C4B agreed to lobby CCC on this, all supported George's views. Dawn will look into it back at the Council, Michael is to write to Colin Carmichael to express the boards concerns.
  • Telabria – Wireless radio/broadband, are launching their product 7/8th December at the Millers Arms. Looking for support from C4B, everyone welcome to attend. Board keen to support but do not endorse anything.
 DH
DH/MH
9 Future agenda items
  • Presentation by Colin Carmichael and Janice McGuinness (Head Of Culture and Communications) on the Marlowe – Friday 16th Dec.
  • Kent Partnership, Trevor Minter – 3rd February 06
  • Enterprise Gateway Business Advice Service – Tony Bartlett date TBC
  
     Website by S·E·A
 © Copyright Canterbury 4 Business 2006. All rights reserved. Disclaimer Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Site Map Top of Page