APPENDIX 1 East Sussex Reset Headline Actions to deliver Missions

Mission 1: Thinking local, acting local

Work with partners to provide resources to support businesses to commence trading whilst complying with the new health and safety requirements around social distancing, etc.

The Growth Hub and Business East Sussex partners to develop a cross-sectoral ‘buy local’ supply chain programme, including building on existing local e-market initiatives and the county-wide South East Local Enterprise Partnership ‘Good Food Growth Campaign’

Continue to lobby Government to provide financial support to those businesses who do not meet current eligibility criteria and to amend current eligibility restrictions.

(Specific areas of need to be identified as set out in 3a and 3b below)

Investigate need for and viability of a programme to address funding gaps for business recovery and growth (potentially involving the ESCC East Sussex Invest Fund, other established vehicles or central Government schemes).

Business East Sussex (BES) partners to identify and articulate business support needs in the County and to feed this intelligence into the evidence base for future funds (including but not limited to) the recently approved SELEP business support fund and any other emerging non-restricted funds.

Develop a revised strategy for attracting investment from neighbouring regions (i.e. London, Home counties) realising the potential created by the Covid-19 crisis, in particular trends towards increased homeworking, less commuting and businesses wanting to re-locate to more rural, attractive areas.

(This action links to and will support the delivery of actions 2 and 3 in Mission 4)

Work with SELEP to ensure the BES Growth Hub remains in line with best practice nationally to provide the best and most robust service possible, as the first stop for businesses seeking support. Work with partners locally and regionally to ensure widespread communication and take-up of the support available and simplification of the offer to businesses.

Engage in SELEP conversations with European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme leads. Work within restrictions of ERDF criteria to ensure these programmes are well aligned with recovery activity and each other, to support business resilience and recovery

Working to ensure that the recovery from Covid-19 is equally accessible to all parts of the East Sussex economy.
Hardest hit sectors will include retail, tourism, leisure, arts, rural, language schools, care homes as well as supply chains to these sectors.
There is also increasing evidence that impacts of Covid-19 do not fall equally across the population, with BAME communities and women particularly affected.

(This action links with much of the activity set out in Mission 3)

Maximise the impact of business to business and public sector procurement activity in East Sussex, to facilitate increased levels of contracting and subcontracting with local contractors, suppliers and service providers and to ensure that social value measures within public procurement practices support employment and training opportunities.

(This action links with the procurement activities of action 4 in Mission 2)

Mission 2: Building Skills and creating jobs

Support recovery by lobbying Government about the local commissioning, and more flexible operational use, of existing and new skills and employment funding and on any policy issues that can support our training institutions and enhance local delivery options for moving people into employment.

Further Education, Higher Education and independent training providers to adapt training offers, adopt best practice from other regions and build on and expand online learning offers/platforms.

Using LMI, develop tailored advice support & training programmes to move the unemployed into roles in sectors with ongoing vacancies using current and new funding. These may be bitesize modular programmes to enable fast redeployment of labour, accredited volunteering/employment skills initiatives or longer programmes to meet projected future workforce needs and opportunities.

(This action links with action 9 in Mission 3)

In key sectors, sustain vocational training pathways such as Apprenticeships (including Higher level Apprenticeships) for young people and adults and incentivise employers to continue to offer these opportunities.

(This action links with action 9 in Mission 3)
(The procurement activities in this action link with action 8 of mission 1)

A pan Sussex approach to support the Industry Placement requirements for the health & Care related T Levels

Increase digital inclusion, alongside an increased range and higher level of digital skills training offered across education and in business to facilitate online working and to increase the capabilities of our businesses in the immediate and long-term.

(This action links to the digital inclusion action 4 in Mission 6)

(This action links with action 9 in Mission 3)

Work with new and existing business and the self-employed to build on new skills developed during the pandemic, to identify further training needs that will help them operate within new Covid-19 related regulations, recover quickly and move towards a more productive and secure future.

Mission 3: Fast forwarding business

Develop cultural programmes which support the county’s health and wellbeing in order to support people to be fit to get back to work and education.

Expedite the re-use of redundant shop, offices and industrial units for shared creative workspace.

(This action links to and will support the delivery of action 4 in Mission 1 and action 3 in Mission 4)

Create a pan-Sussex visitor economy group to re-start the leisure, hospitality, culture, retail and tourism economy that enhances existing marketing vehicles, such Visit 1066, Visit Eastbourne and Sussex Modern.

Ensure that recovery plans and adaptations to enable social distancing adhere to Equalities legislation, Public Health guidelines and Environmental strategy.

(This action links to and will support the delivery of action 4 in Mission 1)

Prepare a pipeline programme of both revenue and capital projects to support leisure, hospitality and tourism business recovery; secure funding for its delivery.

Create a cultural investment framework for mid to long term recovery planning.

Ensure support for those organisations that support the most vulnerable people in the county, promote wellbeing through coherent and strategic investment in communications, the environment, art and culture.

Reconfigure county wide cultural education offer to support collaborative recovery programme/ curriculum for education sector.

Support recovery of creative freelance sector.

Re-focus Talent Accelerator (TIA) to support young people into work post-Covid-19. TA is a new framework through which education settings and creative/cultural industry employers can co-design new learning and real-world skills programmes.

(This action links with actions 3, 4 and 5 in Mission 2)

Mission 4: Better places, fuller lives

Undertake rapid delivery of outside trading permits and licences, where appropriate.

Note: Government changes (e.g. introduction of pavement licenses act) will support this action with boroughs/districts granting permission with 5-day consultation

Support empty retail sites and empty spaces to be repurposed as business/creative/community and residential places (retrofit these properties with energy efficiency and low carbon measures where possible) alongside instigating town centre and village improvement schemes which encourage and incentivise pop-ups and ‘meanwhile use’.

(This action will support the delivery of the inward investment action in Mission 1)

East Sussex planning authorities to prepare/revise development plan policies that allow for a greater variety and flexibility of uses within East Sussex town centres alongside addressing the property needs of home-grown expanding businesses and externally investing businesses.

Notes: need to ensure that the supply of B1 a/b/c premises will not be reduced recognising there is a severe shortage of industrial premises. Also recognise the need to improve industrial / commercial spaces and the supporting infrastructure. Additionally, standards to protect and safeguard are required alongside flexibility.

(This action will support the delivery of the inward investment action in Mission 1 and the Mission 3 action of expediting the re-use of redundant shop, offices and industrial units for shared creative workspace)

Meet the anticipated increased need for local work and home-education space by encouraging flexible mixed use of spaces for residential, leisure and work activities.

Note. all sites will require appropriate broadband capacity. This links with the deliverables in Mission 6 Capitalise on digital connectivity.

Develop a plan to ensure that the ‘asks’ from Government, in terms of short, medium and longer-term planning reforms and changes are coordinated across the county and the different sectors.

Develop a coordinated East Sussex approach to working with Homes England to identify and implement opportunities for reigniting the house building industry and boosting housing land supply.

Note: the social implications of the pandemic (job loss, financial security, homelessness) will need to be considered and actions developed.

Develop and implement approaches that put local communities at heart of shaping places, recognising the diversity that exists across East Sussex.

Mission 5: Cleaner energy, greener transport

Deliver emergency active travel measures in town centres and promote active travel initiatives to support East Sussex economy and support social distancing as restrictions are eased.

Implement active travel initiatives through our Active Access for Growth programme which promote increased walking and cycling.

Deliver Local Growth Fund (LGF) walking and cycling infrastructure packages in growth corridor areas and aim to secure funding from the £2bn Government funding for walking and cycling infrastructure.

Develop proposals identified in the Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plan (LCWIP) in response to the £2bn Government funding for walking and cycling infrastructure.

Develop proposals with bus and rail industries to encourage and incentivise the use of public transport in East Sussex.

Develop bus infrastructure proposals to also help increase public transport usage.

Prepare a plan for delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout East Sussex.

Develop a programme to work with low carbon businesses and the energy sectors to support the development/delivery of clean energy technologies and the decarbonisation of the economy, linking with the current LoCase initiative.

Develop proposals and secure resources to expand existing programmes that improve domestic and commercial energy retrofit. This will support the local supply chain, cut costs and reduce emissions.

Develop and implement additional energy efficiency & renewable energy schemes in public sector buildings

Prepare a nature-based carbon mitigation programme (e.g. tree planting, habitat creation), which also provides employment opportunities and helps make East Sussex an attractive place to live and work

NEW Action, added Feb 2021

Improve local and international connectivity to support Newhaven Clean Green and Maritime Growth Corridor

Mission 6: The future is digital

Increase ultrafast broadband coverage across East Sussex.

Explore other methods and other ways of funding premises not already superfast.

End mobile “not spots” for people whether they are at home, at work or on the move.

Work out steps needed to enable the rapid adoption of 5G technology.

Develop proposals to increase digital inclusion (connectivity, training, hardware) particularly for young, disadvantaged people in areas of deprivation and areas of poor connectivity.

(This action links to the digital inclusion action 5 in Mission 2)

Develop proposals to promote best practice in home working to ensure the needs of businesses (e.g. in terms of productivity etc.) and employees (e.g. appropriate support, avoiding social isolation etc.) are met.

Develop bite size tutorials to help businesses make the most of technology and aid troubleshooting.

Develop proposals to grow the tech sector to make East Sussex the most exciting and innovative place to live and work.