These include supporting the next stages of:
- the Sub National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration
- the Regional Economic Statement work
- the development of Regional Funding Advice
- the refresh of Local Area Agreements; and
- participation in the forthcoming Regional Select Committee and Regional
Grand Committee hearings
In addition to these and as well as supporting the communication of
Government policy across the region, Jonathan Shaw has identified a number
of priorities as important for the SE region specifically in the coming
year. Theses are:
-
Skills and Employability, Housing, Infrastructure delivery and
public health
The main focus so far has been on the
stronger integration of skills and employment to help reduce
unemployment, increase prosperity, tackle child poverty and improve
social mobility. The Regional Minister’s recent activities
included:
-
- working with regional public sector leaders to look at how
major public sector procurement projects can involve a greater use
of apprentices and trainees
- hosting a regional skills summit in July 2008 for skills
stakeholders as a way of supporting stronger collaborative working
to meet the challenge of a world class skills base by 2020
-
Housing
In the coming year it is planned to consolidate the Regional
Minister’s position on the skills agenda and to have a more
strategic focus on the housing agenda.
A number of broad objectives have been identified for the Regional
Minister, these are:
- to engaging with regional stakeholders to promote growth,
housing delivery and wider sustainability issues
- ensuring that key south east housing issues and perspectives
are reflected in debates on national policy developments and
funding the allocation process, and
- championing innovation and good practice across the region.
To give these broad objectives public visibility a number of proposed
events have been drawn up, including a Sustainable Housing Summit; a
South East Growth Summit (bringing Growth Areas and Growth Points
together); and involvement in the launch of the results of the
'Barriers to Affordable Housing in the South East', an initiative in
which GOSE, along with SEERA, SEEDA, the Housing Corporation and
English Partnerships, are all involved.
-
Infrastructure Delivery
There is a perception
that there is a Government investment deficit in the South East,
particularly in regard to investment supporting housing delivery. The
Government is committed to support the necessary infrastructure
investment to deliver increased housing numbers, and where there are
opportunities to highlight such investment throughout the year, these
will be pursued. This agenda links closely with the implementation of
the Regional Spatial Strategy and with the development of Regional
Funding Advice.
-
Public Health
A priority was identified which made links between the Health and
Employment agendas. Employment and Health forms one of the themes of
the South East Regional Health Strategy which the Regional Minister
launched in February 2008. Since then we have seen a review on the
health of the working population which recommended a ‘Fit for
Work’ service which will be piloted in the near future.
It has been agreed that the Regional Minister would seek to play an
important brokering role in this agenda with a particular slant on the
contribution of the health community to the economy and help to
position the South East in the forthcoming ‘Fit for Work’
pilot.
