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Cabinet received report ES/0411 by the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Customer Services and Operational Partnerships, who reported that the Smart Towns Project sat within the Council's Strategic Plan twofold, by supporting East Suffolk market towns and by delivering the Council's digital transformation ambitions and enabling digital technologies more widely across East Suffolk. The report explained the background and described how it supported the Strategic Plan; it was presented to Cabinet to provide a further direction of travel and to seek additional funding to accelerate the project more widely across East Suffolk.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Customer Services and Operational Partnerships explained that there were two key aims to the project, to strengthen the economic vitality and community cohesiveness of all East Suffolk market towns through the installation of new digital networks and compatible technology consisting of installation of footfall tracking, data capture technology as well as free to use town wi-fi networks. This would be delivered together with town digital platforms and a tailored support package. This was designed to encourage the best use of technology, eg to enable positive digital interventions such as digital marketing, and to monitor trends and visitor behaviour, including footfall traffic mapping. It was envisaged that this would help towns to understand their strengths, support community activities, help and aid small businesses and bring a fresh vibrancy to the high street. Also, it would deliver a digital business support programme, a digital spring board which would develop creative digital interventions, digitally upskilling and a responsive business support network made available across East Suffolk. Also added was a digital first paid package, a vital part of East Suffolk's COVID-19 response, to support business recovery. An initial first trial took place in Framlingham, with ESC initially investing £400k into the project, and securing £200k from the Local Enterprise Partnership.
Councillor Burroughes stated that he was now seeking approval for an additional £500k from the transformation reserve to support, expand and implement the project further. At this point, at the request of Councillor Burroughes, a presentation was given by officers which provided more detail in respect of all aspects of the project.
The Leader stated that he was hugely in favour of this project; the reality was, he said, that East Suffolk town centres had been hit by COVID-19 but, even before that, it was clear that nationally there was a general decline in town centres, the pandemic has exacerbated that situation. ESC now had, the Leader stressed, a real opportunity, through this project, to help to make East Suffolk market towns as attractive and accessible as it could.
Following a question by the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing, who enquired about approaches from other towns, it was confirmed that a number of approaches, both from small and large towns, had already been made to the Council. The towns had all expressed a wish to proceed next, and they all appeared to be in a state of readiness.
The Deputy Leader gave thanks for the report and expressed his delight at the project coming forward. He welcomed the scale of the digital opportunity for the high street and the data led decision making.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management expressed his delight that this project would be delivered in the small population centres within East Suffolk; he wished it every success.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment welcomed the project stating that, environmentally, it would have a really strong impact; it would, he said, help communities and businesses to focus their energies to be more efficient. By digitally transforming and being responsive to the environment, this would mean the right action would be taken in respect of the environment.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Communities, Leisure and Tourism expressed her support for the project and commented on how it would allow East Suffolk market towns to work together, to keep the communication, which had been so effective during the pandemic. It would, she said, enable them to work together and grow stronger. It would mean that the market towns could create their own identities and would be be good for tourism, drawing in visitors to the area, and making people aware of the leisure facilities.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Health felt that this project would assist licensed premises in the future; she gave thanks for this.
Councillor Thompson asked what made a particular town a market town; he added that Martlesham was talking about becoming a town. It was explained that it was a town that had a formal centre and a physical boundary. The Leader stated that this would be phase one of the project and it may be that the project would be extended to other areas in the future. Officers added that whilst the town technology may not be immediately rolled out to every village and settlement in East Suffolk at this point, the business support service was available for all businesses in East Suffolk.
The Assistant Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economic Development very much welcomed the project, commenting that, post COVID-19, a lot of businesses were very concerned about their futures. It would, he said, give businesses and retailers confidence to come to the area, to open businesses and to make the area prosperous.
Councillor Elliott welcomed the proposal, he referred to the project being scheduled to start in summer 2020, and to be complete by summer 2022, he asked if one town would be undertaken at a time. He also asked if staff would need to be recruited for this significant project or whether existing staff would be used. It was explained that work on the ground, after any necessary procurement, would start in approximately three months time. In respect of working with the towns, predominantly this would be undertaken one town at a time, but there may be instances whereby perhaps three smaller towns might work together. Beccles, Bungay and Halesworth was given as an example. It was confirmed that dedicated project management would be required and one member of staff would need to be recruited accordingly.
The Leader, referring to the recruitment of an additional member of staff, commented that the Council had many greatly talented members of staff who could manage this project; however, he wanted them to be involved in many other projects that were on the horizon too. This project was part of a much bigger plan for the regeneration and modernisation of East Suffolk he said.
Councillor Gooch made two points, firstly, she liked the fact that the project was being introduced as a package and a product, but there was also the educational element too in terms of enabling people she said. The flip side of that was that people would need to receive training for things going wrong within the IT systems. Secondly, Councillor Gooch referred to the cross promotion between the 12 towns; they would, she said, need to work together to signpost people to move from one town to another. The Leader very much endorsed this approach.
Councillor Byatt very much welcomed the project; he referred to the two year contract and commented that it would be very nice to see local contractors used. Councillor Byatt also referred to paragraph 8.1 of the report and the reference to the East Suffolk Smart Town Project Team also working on a social care pilot with British Telecom; he felt that this was significant and very welcome.
RESOLVED
1. That approval be given to fund up to £500k from the Transformation Reserve, depending on outcome of other external funding plans, and to commence work on the implementation of
the East Suffolk Smart Towns Project.
2. That delegated authority be given to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Customer Services and Operational Partnerships, to award
contracts, expend the budget to deliver the project and investigate additional external funding sources which could replace or supplement existing internal funding.