NEP Closure Report 2016_FINAL

northamptonshireep.co.uk

Closure Report 2016 - Summary of Activity to

September 2016

ForewordThis Closure Report has been produced to demonstrate to all of our partners and stakeholders the work that NEP has delivered during the first half of the 2016/17 financial year, up until the point of operational closure in September 2016.

The Board and Executive Team of NEP have always taken transparency and accountability seriously, being one of the first LEPs in the country to produce an Annual Report and to hold an Annual General Meeting. This Closure Report is the final demonstration of that commitment - outlining how NEP’s funds, including those provided by government, have been effectively used to support the economic growth of Northamptonshire.

NEP as an organisation has always been passionately committed to Northamptonshire, its people and its businesses and the team has therefore worked hard to ensure that there is a seamless transition to the new single LEP, for the South East Midlands, including Northamptonshire. This includes providing continuity at Board level with NEP’s Chairman becoming the Deputy Chair of the Shadow Board of SEMLEP, the single LEP; providing an effective handover of all programmes and projects funded by government and transferring legacy funds to support the single LEP’s work going forward.

Post-operational closure the process of legal and financial closure will continue with the business being formally closed before the end of the 2016/17 financial year. The Board has been re-shaped to take forward this important task, with a small residual Executive resource secured to deal with any matters arising in relation to NEP and its operations.

I hope that this Closure Report demonstrates that NEP has continued to operate in the best interest of Northamptonshire, its businesses and its people right up to the point of operational closure.

Jo LappinChief Executive, Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership

Closure Report 2016

Contents4 Board Members

5 Closure Statement

6 Business & Innovation

16 Who We’ve Helped

18 Employment & Skills

26 Infrastructure & Connectivity

30 Rural Economy

31 ESIF

32 Summary of Accounts

34 Five Year Review

36 Working in Partnership


Board Members

Closure Report 2016

Closure Statement

04 05northamptonshireep.co.uk

It is with a great deal of pride that I present this Closure Report, my final report as Chair of Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), prior to its closure of operations on 30 September 2016.

NEP has played an important role in growing Northamptonshire’s economy by helping our businesses to grow and prosper and this report provides a flavour of what we have been doing during 2016 to continue this work and ensure that we leave sound foundations for the future.

Over the five years that NEP has been operating as a Local Enterprise Partnership there has been a significant improvement in economic performance with over 5,200 new businesses started and unemployment reducing to its lowest level since the current

reporting system began. This positive growth trajectory has made real inroads on the ambitious targets set in our Strategic Economic Plan to increase Northamptonshire’s economy to £20 billion per annum, create 32,500 additional jobs and deliver 37,000 new homes by 2021. It was therefore very pleasing to note that our top 100 privately owned businesses in Northamptonshire delivered a 10% contribution to the economic and jobs targets in the last 12 months alone.

However, there are areas where more needs to be done and that is why I am very pleased with our work on the Enterprise Advisers programme, with the NEP model being recognised as a real trailblazer in linking the world of work and the world of education to encourage aspiration and attainment. During the year, we scaled up this work to ensure that most of Northamptonshire’s young people have the opportunity to develop a real understanding of our economy and the jobs that are available to them locally. It also means that our businesses are actively working to shape our future workforce so that Northamptonshire’s young people really do have the skills to succeed in a 21st Century economy.

2016 was a major transition point for NEP as we responded to the demand for the integration of the two Local Enterprise Partnerships serving the Northamptonshire geography, recognising that a complete overlap was not sustainable in the medium to long term. This led to the conclusion that a merger of operations was the right thing for Northamptonshire and its businesses to ensure that there was a strong, sustainable Local Enterprise Partnership going forward.

Therefore, the priority for NEP moving into the 2016 year was to complete our highly effective work programmes and to make sure that the excellent work completed in Northamptonshire with our businesses, schools and wider partners was taken forward and built upon. This Closure Report provides a small flavour of this activity.

I would like to pay tribute to my Board colleagues for their leadership of the growth agenda in Northamptonshire and unstinting support to NEP, our ambition and our priorities. Their support and guidance over the period pre-closure has been invaluable and I wish them every success in continuing to drive forward their businesses and Northamptonshire.

I would also like to thank NEP’s Executive team for their unwavering commitment to Northamptonshire, its economy, its businesses and its people in what have been challenging times as we move forward to operational closure. They have, as always demonstrated the highest degree of professionalism and continued to translate the Board’s ambition into real activity on the ground with our businesses and partners.

Finally, NEP’s achievements were only possible because of the contribution of all of our strategic and delivery partners. I would therefore like to recognise and thank all of our partner organisations for their commitment and support over the years and wish them every success in driving forward Northamptonshire’s economy in the future.

John Markham OBEChairman, Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership

NEP has benefitted from excellent private sector representation on its Board and wider governance structure which has ensured that its products and services have been genuinely designed and delivered in a way that meets the needs of business and the economy. This, coupled with the wider engagement of the public and the voluntary and social economy sector (VCSE), has provided NEP with a mechanism to both drive strategy and operations and also demonstrate accountability to a wide range of partners. In preparation for closure, the Board agreed at its meeting on 29 June 2016 that it should be slimmed down to a smaller body which would closely monitor and oversee closure. This was also in line with NEP’s commitment to good governance so that only those Board members closely engaged with closure were held accountable for this as company Directors. It is therefore appropriate to thank NEP’s excellent Board members, who stood down at the beginning of September 2016, for their exceptional commitment and dedication to Northamptonshire and its economy.

Cllr. Steven North Leader, East Northamptonshire Council

Prof. Nick Petford Vice-Chancellor & CEO,The University of Northampton

Cllr. Chris Millar Leader, DaventryDistrict Council

Victoria MilesChief Executive, Northamptonshire Community Foundation

David Reynolds OBE DL Chairman, North NorthantsDevelopment Company

David RoltonFounder, Rolton Group

James Saunders-Watson Owner, Rockingham Castle

Martin Sutherland Chief Executive, Royal & Derngate

Stephen DaviesPrincipal Moulton College

Pratima Dattani VCSE RepresentativeSupport Wellingborough Wellingborough Homes

Cllr. André Gonzalez De Savage Northamptonshire County Council

Cllr. Jim Harker OBE Leader, Northamptonshire County Council

Chris Hatfield Managing Director David Wilson Homes

Andrew Langley Managing Director Juniper Trading

Cllr. Tom Beattie Leader, Corby Borough Council

Jon Corbett Head of Corporate Banking, Barclays

John Markham OBE Chairman

Brian Binley Vice-Chairman

Sarah Canning Partner - Head of Litigation, Franklins LLP

Gerald Couldrake Company Secretary, advised by Naomi Green of BEIS

Graham Goss Chartered Accountant Greenslades Ltd

Cllr Heather Smith Northamptonshire County Council

The Board Members responsible for leading the closure process are:

Closure Report 2016

Business & Innovation


Our programmes and interventions to support Business & Innovation in Northamptonshire have been targeted at small, growing businesses and a range of different-sized businesses within Northamptonshire’s four key sectors.

Key actions such as helping businesses to start up, grow and trade internationally to help improve performance and productivity have all been successfully implemented.

Northamptonshire Growth Hub

The Northamptonshire Growth Hub (NGH) has been a strong partnership between NEP, The University of Northampton and Northamptonshire County Council.

One of the first Growth Hubs to be established (November 2013), NGH has been at the forefront of national Growth Hub delivery and development since its launch, delivering strong and effective support to Northamptonshire businesses.

In 2016, NGH has continued to grow its client base with over 2,500 Northamptonshire companies now supported and with a growing number of public and private sector referral partners. NEP has collaborated with the university on strategic development of the service and led on marketing and publicity.

Also in 2016, NEP has strongly supported two university-led ERDF bids that will establish new programmes for supporting start-up, growth and innovation by Northamptonshire SMEs.

Closure Report 2016



NEP has worked closely with the Food & Drink industry - one of Northamptonshire’s priority sectors employing around 40,000 people in the local economy - to develop a programme of support for established and young and growing Food & Drink businesses.

NEP’s Food & Drink sector strategy board is representative of the industry in Northamptonshire and includes names such as British Pepper & Spice, The Mallows Company, Carlsberg UK, Farrington Oils, National Farmers Union, Phipps Brewery and Weetabix.

Food & Drink manufacture is a strong feature of the sector in Northamptonshire and in 2016 NEP developed the Northamptonshire Manufacturing Forum, chaired by Alex Cosgrove, Head of UK Manufacturing at Weetabix. The Forum has focused strongly on shared learning and best practice in manufacturing and in local manufacturing supply chains.

Food & Drink and the Manufacturing Forum

Internationalisation -supporting company investment and increased export activity

Alongside UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Northamptonshire Growth Hub, Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce and other partners, NEP has continued to undertake a prominent support role helping Northamptonshire SMEs in particular to explore new markets for export.

In April 2016, NEP hosted the UKTI Big Export Truck in Corby and delivered sector focused talks on Food & Drink exporting, general sessions on getting into export and advice sessions on specific export markets.

NEP has also delivered other export market specific activity for locations such as Flanders, Germany and China. Support for company matching between Northamptonshire High Performance Technology (HPT) companies and Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and vehicle development companies in 2014 and 2015 continues to pay dividends in 2016 with new export contracts for companies such as Fahr/Axon Automotive and Mahle Powertrain.

Closure Report 2016



Midlands Engine

NEP has been strongly engaged with various parts of the Midlands Engine project in 2016. Most notably, working closely with the Promotions and Communications group and their joint LEP approach to the MIPIM property event in Cannes, contributing four investment opportunities (one in Daventry, two in Corby and one in Northampton) to the UKTI sponsored, Midlands Engine Pitch Book.

NEP has also supported several successful UKTI Midlands Engine Challenge Fund projects as part of the work of this group and are partners in a bid to Visit Britain’s Discover England Fund. NEP has actively contributed to the development of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund at a Board and Officer level and the discussions around structure and how to split the overall fund into a series of targeted sub funds.

The Midlands Engine for Growth is an ambitious plan to grow the regional and UK economy to generate an additional £34bn over the next 15 years and to create 300,000 jobs. The Midlands Engine is a partnership between the regions’ Local Enterprise Partnerships, businesses, universities, local authorities and wider partners.

Logistics

NEP’s Northamptonshire Logistics Forum was created in October 2015 to enable those within the sector in Northamptonshire to meet and discuss common issues and work collaboratively on the issues identified.

The industry led Forum is chaired by Tony Bellott, General Manager, NDC Operations at John Lewis with representatives including XPO Logistics, Yusen Logistics, Knights of Old, C.BUTT, Wincanton, Kuehne & Nagel, Road Haulage Association, Chartered institute of Logistics and Transport as well as the University of Northampton.

Skills related issues have continued to dominate NEP’s logistics sector work in 2016. These include the promotion of the sector to young people and inspiring students to choose a career in logistics, not least of those attending Northampton College’s Logistics Academy. They also include innovation and tackling the barriers affecting industry growth including the Driver Assessment Accreditation Pilot, Warehouse Accreditation Pilot, Infrastructure challenges, Smart Motorways and employment challenges.

Northamptonshire Logistics Awards

In April 2016, the first annual Northamptonshire Logistics Awards was launched to much acclaim. The competition was designed to celebrate the current success and achievements of individuals and teams working in the sector locally and to raise the profile of the industry, promoting the significant diversity and ongoing excellence of logistics operations based in Northamptonshire.

The Awards also provided a showcase for the industry’s future workforce locally, encouraging young people currently deciding on their future careers to consider logistics as an option. This will help to ensure that the thousands of new jobs forecasted to be created are filled.

Closure Report 2016



High Performance Technologies

In 2016, NEP has continued to strongly support the High Performance Technology (HPT) network in Northamptonshire, providing a comprehensive range of business development initiatives to help HPT companies grow, expand and create jobs.

The HPT network comprises of over 1,000 innovative companies within the fields of motorsport, automotive, defence, aerospace and energy, contributing £2bn to the local economy and employing over 20,000 people in Northamptonshire.

NEP has recently focused on helping HPT companies access new market opportunities through the transferability of cross cutting technologies to other industry sectors and has been a lead partner in the delivery of the high profile British Grand Prix Business event ‘Driving Technological Change’.

NEP has worked closely with the Motorsport Industry Association on delivery of this in 2016 with the event securing over £5m of business opportunities between overseas markets and UK HPT companies.

Another example of NEP’s work has been with the Rail Supply Group and Railway Industry Association to actively promote the innovation and supply chain opportunities emerging on the back of unprecedented growth within the rail Industry. It has so far supported over 80 HPT companies seeking opportunities in new markets.

Up-skilling is a key driver in productivity growth within the HPT industry, both locally and nationally. NEP has been working with local training providers to implement a series of modular engineering training courses across different skill levels to address some of the training gaps that have been identified by the local HPT industry.

NEP has continued to support businesses on a one to one basis to help address a range of skills, training and recruitment needs, providing essential input to help strengthen the overall HPT supply chain.

Creative and Cultural Industries The Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) are a prominent part of the Northamptonshire economy and in 2016, working with the industry strategy group, NEP has mixed support for individual companies in sub sectors such as fashion and textiles, the visitor economy and digital technologies, with that given to arts initiatives such as What’s Next and Made in Corby.

In May, guided by the strategy group and working alongside key partners, the Northamptonshire Arts Management Trust (NAMT), the University of Northampton, Balance and the Improbable Theatre Company, we staged a two-day ‘Open Space’ event attended by over 100 local CCI companies and organisations - discussing and agreeing a plan for new activity across a range of arts and creative activities.Recommendations from this work have influenced a subsequent proposal to Arts Council England, led by NAMT, for supporting funding.

The outcome of this proposal is expected early in 2017.

Closure Report 2016



Visitor Economy

Northamptonshire has an exceptional visitor offer including more historic houses than any other county in the country. However, this high quality offer which includes Silverstone, the home of British Motorsport, seminal moments in history including the Battle of Naseby, the capture of King Charles I and the execution of Mary Queen of Scots as well as our heritage as the centre of men’s world class footwear is not widely understood.

This means that Northamptonshire’s economy and the individual attractions do not capture the number of visitors or spend that they might.

Those involved in the visitor economy recognised this and at NEP’s Heritage in the Economy Conference in September 2015 they agreed to work collaboratively to better promote Northamptonshire as a great place to visit with Lord Spencer hosting an event in late 2015 to kick start this initiative.

NEP has worked closely with the Northamptonshire Lord Lieutenancy, country houses owners and representatives of the local Creative and Cultural Industry to develop an exciting new branding and marketing campaign to reposition and promote the county to national and international audiences.

This campaign has been developed with the invaluable expertise and leadership of James Lowther, recently retired founding partner and Chairman at M&C Saatchi, and will be supported by a dedicated industry supported website and will be market tested at the World Travel Market in London in November 2016 before being formally launched by partner organisations in March 2017.

Closure Report 2016

Who we’ve helped


“NEP has helped to transform XCAM in the time that it has worked with the company and we are so grateful for the help we’ve received over the last few years. A really key part of this support was that NEP took so much time and effort to get to know us all personally - it was so easy for us to approach the NEP team for help or guidance whenever needed.”

Karen HollandCEO, XCAM

“Turnell and Odell have had interaction with NEP in various capacities and I can only speak highly of the services they have provided. We have been fortunate to have received some financial assistance with investments based around jobs directly created and help on mentoring projects.”

“I have also been involved with working on Manufacturing Forums, High Performance Technology groups and the Mentoring programmes that have brought benefits directly to companies based in Northamptonshire. The high level of knowledge, involvement of local businesses and quick reaction has made this a very powerful and reactive organisation.”

Clive OdellManaging Director, Turnell & Odell

“I have worked closely with NEP for a few years now through my involvement with the Logistics Strategy board that they created and I have always been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and understanding they have shown for the logistics industry.”

“There is no question that without the support and vision of NEP, the first inaugural Northamptonshire Logistics Awards wouldn’t have taken place earlier this year. Not only did this give us the opportunity to raise the profile of the logistics industry, it also raised funds which have been used for training for young people who wish to enter into the industry.”

Elaine HarriesManaging Director, Action Express

“I believe there are strengths that NEP should be proud of like their encouragement and support of collaboration between local businesses and promoting commercial growth by engaging with the local community at every level ... basically getting things done. That, in my opinion, is a rare quality with no hidden agendas.”

Tony BellottGeneral Manager, NDC Operations, John Lewis / Chair, Logistics Forum

“TotalSim Ltd have worked with NEP over the last five years on numerous projects. In particular, NEP has been key in progressing TotalSim’s Catesby tunnel project by providing support and funding.”

“Other NEP supported projects have enabled TotalSim to expand their offices and capabilities for digital scanning of 3D objects, building of bespoke computers and enhancing design capabilities, all of which has supported the growth and success of TotalSim over the past five years.”

Rob LewisManaging Director, TotalSim

Closure Report 2016

Employment & Skills


Talent for Care Group Project

Given the significant impact of the Apprenticeship Reforms and the employer levy for the NHS, NEP’s Employment and Skills Team has been working in partnership with the Talent for Care Group to raise awareness of the wide range of apprenticeship opportunities available across the NHS.

Building on its established Love Bright Futures brand, NEP developed a joint campaign which included case studies of current apprentices, a high profile high street poster campaign on major routes across Northamptonshire, a range of marketing collateral and linking NHS colleagues with the wider Enterprise Adviser programme as well as creating opportunities to engage with students. The project also included NHS sponsorship which has enabled some of NEP’s Enterprise Adviser schools to introduce an Alumni programme. This approach has proved successful in helping to inspire young people and to raise their aspirations for future career choices.

Michael Ellis MP Apprenticeship Show

From the early planning stages, NEP has worked closely with Michael Ellis MP’s office to support the delivery of the prestigious Michael Ellis MP Apprenticeship Show. The event was the first local apprenticeship show of its type and one which attracted significant ministerial and media interest. On 22 April 2016, over 300 year 11 and sixth form students attended the event at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

As part of the event, NEP developed a series of workshops for the students which covered why apprenticeships are so important to businesses with guest speakers Church’s Shoes and Opus Energy, apprenticeship opportunities in Northamptonshire with NEP’s Employment & Skills team and how to submit a winning apprenticeship application (Northampton College).

The show also included an Apprenticeship Fair which was supported by many of Northamptonshire’s leading businesses including Barclaycard, Dachser, Travis Perkins, Shoosmiths and St Andrews Healthcare.

Love Bright Futures Campaign

Our dream jobs with top companies in Northamptonshire was one of several crowd-pulling straplines as part of a major campaign launched by NEP in 2015 and continuing to date which encourages apprenticeship and graduate training opportunities in Northamptonshire.

The campaign’s aim and legacy has been to give Northamptonshire’s young people fresh insight into the many great career and training programmes available right on their doorstep.

Numerous local businesses, large and small have welcomed in large numbers the campaigns’ strong messages which include the importance of investing in young people and their training requirements, essential for most companies to ensure sustainability and growth.

In 2016, the overall focus of the campaign has been consistent with businesses in all key sectors continuing to respond positively, pledging and acting upon their commitment to forge stronger links with students and schools, offer apprenticeships, graduate trainee and work placement positions and to participate in careers events.

The campaign website replicates much of the publicity and ambient media so far by featuring many of Northamptonshire’s real apprentices and prominent local businesses investing in their young employees.

SEMLEP will take responsibility for www.lovebrightfutures.com moving forward.

Closure Report 2016

Employment & Skills


Apprentice Ambassadors

NEP’s Apprentice Ambassadors have continued to be inspiring role models through their engagement with young people. They have supported a number of events including a series of pop-up job shops in schools during April and May, The Michael Ellis MP Apprenticeship Show as well as various school events and other employment and skills activities.

In terms of their own development, the feedback from individual ambassadors has been very encouraging.

“I’d struggle to tell you how much I’ve learnt through being an Apprentice Ambassador. The programme has really helped me.”

“The Apprentice Ambassador Programme has given me so many transferable skills and made me much more confident.”

Apprentice Ambassadors, Ryan Finnegan, is one of the East Midlands finalists in the 2016 National Apprenticeship Awards.

Apprenticeship Task & Finish Group

In response to discussions by NEP’s Employment & Skills Strategy Board, NEP set-up an Apprenticeship Task & Finish Group to identify emerging national policy and guidance on the Apprenticeship Reforms to ensure a co-ordinated approach in helping businesses to prepare for the impact of these changes.

The group produced an action plan with three key objectives:

1) To support Northamptonshire businesses and key stakeholders to prepare for the Apprenticeship Reforms; helping Government to achieve their ambition of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020.

2) To ensure all key stakeholders work collaboratively across the Northamptonshire network.

3) To Improve young people’s knowledge of apprenticeships and career pathways.

Membership of the group includes Northamptonshire colleges, Prospects, Northamptonshire County Council and some employer representatives. The Apprenticeship Action Plan highlights key activities to drive forward these significant changes.

The Place for Engineering A new Northamptonshire campaign targeting ex-forces personnel was launched by NEP in May, enabling local companies to promote vacancies to this highly skilled target group.

Hosted by Northampton Saints, the launch took place at a specially convened Forces Recruitment Fair where exhibiting Northamptonshire companies were joined by prominent ex-forces staff now settled and pursuing successful careers in Northamptonshire. Championing exceptional career development opportunities, the wider lifestyle offer, locational strengths and high ranking quality of life reviews, NEP has enjoyed backing and excellent support from CTP and the REME Job Agency as well as from Northamptonshire businesses countywide.

SEMLEP will take responsibility for www.theplaceforengineering.com moving forward.

“This was an excellent event and we really enjoyed delivering the workshop to promote the range of opportunities across our business. These individuals have so much to offer and Philip Doyle, our Military Project Manager, was able to share his own experience with potential applicants to show the support we can offer in making the transition to the next step in their career”.

Robin Tringham HR Business Partner at Kuehne + Nagel

Closure Report 2016

Employment & Skills


Enterprise Advisers Programme

In 2016, NEP has continued to work in close partnership with The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to further develop and build on the success of the Enterprise Advisers Programme in Northamptonshire whilst also playing a significant role in contributing to the development of programme on a national level.

CEC held its first annual conference in Liverpool in May and several members of NEP’s Enterprise Adviser Network were invited to deliver presentations and form part of the Enterprise Adviser Network Panel. They received praise and recognition from CEC for the high quality and effectiveness of NEP’s Enterprise Advisers Programme and was held up as an example of best practice for other LEP areas engaged in the programme.

In Northamptonshire, the Enterprise Adviser Programme has continued to grow. 25 fully trained Enterprise Advisers are now working with 29 schools throughout Northamptonshire with new schools expressing an interest to engage all the time.

Over the last six months, NEP has made a hugely positive impact in terms of developing plans and strategies designed to ensure Northamptonshire’s young people are as prepared as possible for the world of work.

Notable successes achieved through NEP’s Enterprise Adviser Programme include:

• 100% of schools have included raising awareness of apprenticeships in their development plans. Local employer, Opus Energy, has seen an increase of 100% in the number of apprenticeship applications over the last year

• Additional employer engagement activities have been delivered to over 5,600 students throughout the county

• 271 new employers have engaged with the programme

• Many schools are now exploring how to measure the impact of Careers and Work Related Learning activities to ensure these are of high quality, purposeful and impact all students across all year groups

NEP held a celebration event in June 2016 which saw all of its Enterprise Advisers and their partner schools come together for the first time to mark the significant progress made in the first full year of the Enterprise Adviser Programme.

The event gave attendees the opportunity to reflect on their individual progress, share good practice and attend workshops enabling them to benchmark against the eight recommendations in the Gatsby report.

“Thanks to the programme, we now have a much more ambitious strategy which has seen our enterprise and work-related learning plan shift to have greater significance and status.

“The support for the Enterprise Adviser Programme by our management committee, staff, parents/carers and pupils has been overwhelming and, with a national network with which to better understand best practice, we have many more ideas for employer engagement moving forward.”

Cath Kitchen Head Teacher at the HOE

Closure Report 2016

Employment & Skills


The Inspiration Agenda - Big Business in the Classroom Conference

NEP, in partnership with STEMNET, hosted The Inspiration Agenda - Big Business in the Classroom Conference in June 2016, attracting over 120 attendees from schools, colleges and local businesses in Northamptonshire.

With the aim of strengthening education and industry links, the conference built on NEP’s success in establishing an extensive Enterprise Advisers network and work programme for Northamptonshire; work that is designed to unlock the potential and enhance the future prospects of the county’s young people whilst reducing the skills gap.

The event brought key people together from both the education sector and local industry sectors to discuss the issues surrounding careers education in the classroom, plan local industry involvement and further enhance and bring relevance to the curriculum.

It also highlighted to employers the significant benefits of engaging with schools as either an Enterprise Adviser, Inspirer or STEMNET ambassador and included skills-based leadership development opportunities as well as the a chance to access and foster local business networks.

To support local Northamptonshire schools with their drive for higher standards, the Big Business in the Classroom Conference aimed to inspire teachers to develop curricula and pedagogy that is engaging, motivating and linked to the world of work and business.

Teach Northamptonshire

Due to be launched in January 2017, Teach Northamptonshire is a new Northamptonshire Teacher Recruitment portal and three-year marketing campaign.

Developed by NEP in partnership with Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) and Northamptonshire schools, the objective is to help address the significant recruitment and retention challenge faced by schools countywide. Fast population growth, a strengthening Northamptonshire economy and ageing population are contributing factors. The county needs a further 300 teachers to accommodate pupil projections alone. This UK-wide campaign builds on the considerable success of work undertaken by NEP to date, supporting Northamptonshire Teaching Schools with Trainee Teacher recruitment. Promoting Northamptonshire as an excellent place to start, build and develop a teaching career, the campaign showcases a commitment to exceptional standards of teaching as well as the county’s wider lifestyle offer, locational strengths and high ranking quality of life reviews.

Positioning Northamptonshire as the place to succeed in teaching, the campaign will target not only those within a one-hour drive time of London, where the lifestyle offer is so attractive, but also talent pools in locations where over supply is well-documented. The website build was completed in August 2016 and free school profile pages are now available to all Northamptonshire schools. At the time of writing 70 have completed profiles ahead of the October deadline.

The portal will sell the benefits of both living and teaching in Northamptonshire, with functionality to enable

schools to advertise job and governance vacancies. The system will integrate with social media channels so that all new posts are featured on Twitter, Facebook and job sites as appropriate. It will also facilitate online application management and automated email alerts. It will provide the following for applicants:

• Information about living and working in Northamptonshire• Interactive maps to show vacancies as well as ‘places within the place’• Facility to apply online for job vacancies• Newsletter subscription• Short video clip bringing the Teach Northamptonshire proposition to life Teach Northamptonshire will be launched by NCC in January 2017.

Closure Report 2016


Infrastructure & Connectivity

As stated in the SEP, Northamptonshire has ambitious targets with regards to the creation of jobs and new homes (32,500 jobs and 37,000 homes by 2021; 70,000 jobs and 80,000 homes by 2031).

Through funding programmes delivered by NEP, we have been taking great strides towards achieving those goals.

The High Performance Technologies (HPT) Investment Programme, funded by Regional Growth Fund and European Regional Development Fund, safeguarded and created 539 jobs. The HPT R&D Investment Programme is due to create 291 jobs by March 2018.

Other programmes such as Apprenticeships will also have added to the jobs figures by supporting young people into jobs alongside the Sir Thomas White’s Northampton Charity grants which help young people prepare for a better future in the labour market.

Through Northamptonshire’s Growth Deal, NEP has already allocated £63m (excluding DfT retained scheme) to support local transport and infrastructure schemes, leading to the creation of over 130,000 jobs and over 100,000 homes in the longer term.

Projects include the development of the A43 from Northampton to Kettering and Stanton Cross development at Wellingborough. Through a partnership with SEMLEP, NEP bid for a further £149m from the third round of Growth Deals to support 18 projects across both LEP areas. Benefits derived from the joint submission will be announced in the Autumn statement.

Another national scheme delivered by NEP for Northamptonshire is the Growing Places Fund which has seen £5.5m of funding provided by a loan agreement to support local infrastructure. This included funding road improvements at St John’s and the Plough junction in Northampton which has enabled the development of a 468-bed student hall of residence for the University of Northampton.

Sir Thomas White’s Northampton Charity

Earlier in the year, NEP was chosen by Sir Thomas White’s Northampton Charity to manage/administer a grant funding programme on its behalf. The charity is responsible for a legacy fund left by Sir Thomas White, an English cloth merchant born in 1492. Even after his death in 1567, he left a legacy which has enabled young people to set themselves up in business or provide education.

Through the programme, grant funding of up to £1,000 has been available to support young people between the ages of 16 and 34 in Northampton to enter employment or to progress within their careers. NEP was allocated a total of £50,000 by the charity and through four funding calls has managed to support 60 young people.

Closure Report 2016

Infrastructure & Connectivity


During the operating period in 2016, NEP has concentrated on research and influencing activity that will support the longer term growth of Northamptonshire. Three studies were completed to assess airport, rail and utilities capacity to better understand how each of these critical enabling infrastructures were and would continue to meet Northamptonshire’s growth aspirations. The studies specifically considered:

Aviation - produced in response to concern regarding future provision of air capacity for the county and the potential to develop dedicated airport facilities there. The scope had a number of areas covering aviation, wider transport, and economic issues that were assessed to understand future airport capacity provision and its economic importance to the county.

Rail - SLC Rail were commissioned to assess the adequacy of rail industry plans to support the economic development of Northamptonshire as set out in the Strategic Economic Plan to 2031, recognising that rail has a vital role to play in supporting economic growth. Rail patronage has doubled since 1994 and is likely to do so again in the next 20 years, therefore NEP wished to identify Northamptonshire’s key priorities for the rail industry in order to influence franchise specifications and the DfT’s next High Level Output Statement. This will be finalised in 2018 for investment in the five-year period 2019-2024.

Utilities - this reviewed the anticipated strategic growth within Northamptonshire and assessed the ability of the strategic electricity, gas, sewage and waste water and water supply and distribution infrastructure to meet the demand of this growth and any further growth over the coming 15 years. This identified any constraints at the level of individual geographies for each type of infrastructure.

NEP also commissioned SDG to develop a response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) call for evidence on the Cambridge - Milton Keynes - Oxford ‘growth corridor’ on behalf of the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley, Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships. This evidential response was developed in partnership with the Local Authorities and wider stakeholders and was submitted to the NIC on 5 August 2016.

A response was also submitted to the NIC call for evidence on electricity interconnection and storage. This was developed with expert technical support from Peter Brett Associates and with significant input from business and public sector partners. The response focused on addressing four main questions posed by the NIC:

• Balancing of the grid in terms of supply and demand

• Barriers to the deployment of energy storage

• Appropriate level of electricity interconnection

• Lessons learnt from international best practice regarding balancing supply and demand

Closure Report 2016

Rural Economy ESIF


The GrowthProgramme

LEADER

CountrysideProductivity

CountrysideStewardship

RURALDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME2014 - 2020

Going Further, Faster.northamptonshireep.co.uk

Northamptonshire’sRural Funding Factsheet

Continuing resource pressures, the growth of the knowledge economy, climate change, an ageing but wealthier population, new industries and new ways to communicate and purchase goods and services are just some of the issues and opportunities rural Northamptonshire faces.

In 2015, NEP hosted a Rural Conference that discussed these issues. From this event it was agreed to host a Rural Task and Finish Group that was asked to develop a Rural Plan for Northamptonshire. The plan, completed in summer 2016, has identified key themes, issues and priorities that affect Northamptonshire’s rural economy and has identified partnerships to lead the way to resolve them.

The key themes were:

• Infrastructure and Housing Ensuring suitable infrastructure is in place to enable economic growth including roads, transport, utilities and broadband• Economic Growth Providing rural businesses with appropriate support to ensure the development and diversification of a dynamic and innovative rural economy and ensuring the development of a strong brand to promote Northamptonshire• Social Environment Promoting and supporting the employment and skills needs within the rural economy• Natural Environment Protecting and enhancing the environmental assets of Northamptonshire to support sustainable development

Funding for Rural Areas

Under the Growth Programme, which is funded from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to help projects create jobs and help rural economy growth, NEP was allocated a total of £2.12 million.

During 2015/16, NEP identified that a priority area for investment was to support the growth and development of micro businesses and SMEs based in the rural parts of Northamptonshire.

Reflecting its rural composition with agriculture, food & drink and tourism all being important employers in the county, it was agreed to prioritise funding that would support micro and small businesses including farming companies that wished to develop projects promoting rural tourism and food & drink processing activities.

Since April 2016, NEP has been able to provide one-to-one support and guidance to these businesses, helping them set out their ideas. Approval of these applications and allocation of funding will be made in Autumn 2016.

Over a year ago, we saw the launch of the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) programme for 2014-2020 with NEP responsible for implementing the ESIF strategy in Northamptonshire.

The strategy provides the basis for activity that will be supported by each of the three funding strands: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF: 28,132 euros), European Social Fund (ESF: 26.6 euros) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD: £2.2m) which collectively make-up the ESIF programme.

Throughout the year, NEP has run a series of awareness raising events and workshops to promote the programme and opportunities for providers to bid under the various funding calls to deliver services to support businesses and people in Northamptonshire.

NEP has also provided support on an individual basis working closely with local providers on a variety of proposals to meet the needs of both the programme and the local service required for the area. In brief, the calls under the ERDF and ESF strands have been aimed at providers who will deliver support services.

Under the EAFRD programme, which is aimed at the rural economy, businesses were able to apply directly to the fund for individual support. NEP commissioned a consultant who has been working with those applicants to develop their bids.

The initial period of delivery is for activity up to 2018, therefore not all of the funding is allocated. There will be changes to the overall programme due to the decision for Britain to leave the EU, the outcome of which is starting to unfold. However, contracts up to 2018 will be honoured.

The initial period of delivery has focused up until 2018, with half of the overall programme value released to fund activity to support business and innovation, employment and skills and rural issues in Northamptonshire.

Our thanks go to members of the ESIF Sub-Committee for Northamptonshire who oversaw the delivery of the programme and provided valued input on local strategic impact.

Closure Report 2016

Summary of Accounts


Fixed assetsTangible Assets

Current assetsDebtorsCash at Bank and in Hand

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Net Current Assets

Total Assets Less Current Liabilities

Net Assets

ReservesProfit and Loss Account

Surplus

17,363 15,096

87,387 89,171 1,240,200 3,617,298 1,327,587 3,706,469

1,097,399 3,471,524

230,188 234,945

247,551 250,041

247,551 250,041

247,551 250,041

247,551 250,041

2016 2015 £ £

Balance Sheet - Year ended 31 March 2016 Detailed Profit & Loss Account - Year ended 31 March 2016

TurnoverLocal Authority IncomeNCC Capital FundingOther Public FundingPrivate SectorDeferred IncomeMobile TIC

Cost of SalesProject CostsProject Delivery CostsTotal Cost of Sales

Gross ProfitCorporate and Establishment Costs

Other Operating IncomeReleased ReservesBank Interest ReceivableDeficit on Ordinary Activities

302,683 795,162 250,000 910,000 2,059,981 3,207,370 235,980 127,147 2,060,653 4,909,297 5,039,679

3,441,480 (3,884,168) 708,114 (672,876) 4,149,594 (4,557,044) 759,703 482,635 873,849 489,390 (114,146) (6,755)

104,270 0 9,232 6,133

(643) (622)

2016 2015 £ £

Please note:The reserve figure of £247,551 has been released as Income for 2016/17 financial period to fund expenditure activity during the current financial year.

Five Year Review

Closure Report 2016


NEP has undertaken a very wide range of programme management and delivery, as well as high profile campaigns promoting Northamptonshire the place to a range of target audiences.

Below are just a few examples of what has been achieved over the last five years and some of the hundreds of Northamptonshire companies that have been supported towards innovation, growth and the creation of new jobs.

Logistics Awards 2016Support for Creative Industries

Construction Campaign The Place to Teach

Heritage Week 2015

Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards

Enterprise Advisers model adopted nationwide Annual Export Week Campaign

Annual Driving Technological ChangeConference

Love Bright Futures Campaign

Northamptonshire Growth Hub The Place for Engineering

October 2015

A £120m growth funding package which could create up to 2,000 jobs and 3,000 new homes in Northamptonshire was officially signed off by government minister, Penny Mordaunt MP, during a county visit.

October 2014

Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education, visits Northampton Academy to see the impact that NEP’s Enterprise Advisers Programme, which links the worlds of education and work, has had on young people in schools locally. He was keen to learn what Northamptonshire has been doing to ‘lead the way’ as the programme rolls out nationally.

April 2016

BBC CapitalNorthampton - ‘This is the most enterprising place in Britain’

Working in Partnership

Closure Report 2016


NEP developed its governance structure to ensure that a wide range of public, private, voluntary, community and other partners were involved in driving forward our business.

Our sincere thanks go to the many talented and committed individuals (over 230 of them) who have striven to ensure that NEP continually operated to the highest standards of propriety in the best interests of Northamptonshire, its businesses and its people by sitting on the following Boards.

NEP BoardChair: John Markham OBE

Business & Innovation Strategy BoardChair: David Rolton - Founder, Rolton GroupDeputy Chair: Jon Corbett - Head of Corporate Banking, Barclays

Employment & Skills Strategy BoardChair: Stephen Davies - Chief Executive & Principal, Moulton CollegeDeputy Chair: Cllr. Tom Beattie - Leader, Corby Borough Council

Housing Strategy BoardChair: David Reynolds OBE DL - Chairman, NNDCDeputy Chair: Chris Hatfield - Managing Director, David Wilson Homes

Infrastructure & Connectivity Strategy BoardChair: Cllr Heather Smith - Leader, Northamptonshire County CouncilDeputy Chair: James Saunders-Watson - Owner, Rockingham Castle

Northamptonshire ESIF CommitteeChair: Cllr. André Gonzalez De Savage - Northamptonshire County CouncilDeputy Chair: Melanie Crunkhorn - ERDF Governance Manager, DCLG

Finance & Audit Sub-CommitteeChair: Graham Goss - Chartered Accountant, Greenslades Ltd.

Prosperity BoardChair: John Markham OBE - Chair, NEP

Growth Implementation BoardChair: John Markham OBE - Chair, NEP

Logistics Sector BoardChair: Tony Bellott - General Manager, NDC Operations, John Lewis

Food & Drink Sector BoardJoint Chair: Declan Kennedy - General Manager, TMI FoodsJoint Chair: Ian James - Chief Executive, British Pepper & Spice

Creative & Cultural Sector BoardChair: Martin Sutherland - Chief Executive, Royal & Derngate

High Performance Technology Sector BoardChair: Julian Winch - Director and General Manager Snap-On Finance

Government AdvisersA special thanks to Rowena Limb, Naomi Green BEIS and Mark Foley, Ian White, Mel Crunkhorn and Brenden Byczkowski, DCLG for their advice and support as government’s representatives to Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership.

NEP Closure Report 2016_FINAL

Documents

Transcript of NEP Closure Report 2016_FINAL