Agenda item

RESOLVED

KEY DECISION

Reasons for Recommendations:

·        The Strategy seeks to improve the county’s visitor economy. If Northamptonshire's visitor economy had grown at the same pace as our neighbours in Cambridgeshire over the past decade, it would have resulted in £36m more spending by overnight visitors and some 660 jobs either safeguarded or created.

·        To maximise the potential for the county’s visitor economy in the future by implementing an agreed and focussed plan where North and West unitary authorities can work together and in close partnership with industry, education and other stakeholders.

·        To take advantage of the new national framework that has been developed by Visit England that sees circa 40 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) across England delivering national tourism policy as set out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in its response to the de Bois Review. There is an initial leadership role for both councils to support the development of an impactful and industry driven destination management organisation focussed on Northamptonshire.

Alternative Options Considered:

·        The alternative option would be to not have a Northamptonshire Visitor Economy Strategy. However, this would not be a recommended approach as both councils wouldn’t have a clear direction or plan to address the challenges associated with the visitor economy in Northamptonshire. Without a dedicated strategy, the county might miss out on valuable opportunities to attract more visitors, generate increased spending, and create jobs.

·        Additionally, without a coordinated effort through a joint strategy, the potential for collaboration with industry, education, and other stakeholders may remain untapped. The alternative of not having a strategy could result in a fragmented approach, where each authority operates independently, possibly leading to duplicated efforts, inefficiencies, and a lack of a unified vision for the development of the visitor economy.

·        By not adopting a Visitor Economy Strategy, Northamptonshire might also miss the chance to align itself with the national framework set by Visit England and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. The absence of a strategic plan may hinder the county's ability to establish a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and a destination management organisation, both of which are crucial for implementing effective policies and initiatives at the local level.

·        In summary, not having a Northamptonshire Visitor Economy Strategy could result in missed economic and developmental opportunities, lack of coordinated efforts, and an inability to leverage the national framework designed to support and enhance the tourism sector. The proposed strategy aims to address these concerns and position Northamptonshire for a more prosperous and sustainable future in the visitor economy.

The Chair invited Cllr Jim Hakewill to address the Executive. Cllr Hakewill queried when the future report referenced in recommendation 3.1b would be submitted to the Executive. Cllr Hakewill asked when delivery arrangements and costings would be in place for the Local Visitor Economy Partnership Strategy. Cllr Hakewill stated that it was essential that individual venues within the strategy be provided with individual profit and loss accounts, with all direct costs and overheads allocated to each in proportion thereby offering a clear financial direction.

The Chair thanked Cllr Hakewill for his comments and invited Cllr Lyn Buckingham to speak on this item. Cllr Buckingham welcomed the report, noting that the local area had much to offer in terms of history, open space and other amenities and the report before members was the strategic element to assist in bringing these together. Cllr Buckingham also referenced the need for connectivity between the various assets in the Council area.

The Chair thanked Cllr Buckingham for her contribution and invited Cllr Helen Howell, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism to introduce a report that sought to introduce the Northamptonshire Visitor Economy Strategy (NVES) for the whole county and further sought its adoption. It was reported that the strategy had been co-produced between North and West Northamptonshire Council’s with involvement of the public, private, voluntary and community sectors.

The meeting heard that the report also set out the intention to develop a new private sector-led Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) Strategy to oversee and drive delivery of the NVES.

Cllr Howell stated that the overall vision for the proposals was to build a greater sense of pride across the county and drive economic growth by attracting visitors to the area, providing them with compelling reasons to do so through collaborative and creative work across the entire visitor economy. The strategy would not only focus on supporting a diverse and attractive offer, but considered how this offer was presented and the way the industry worked collaboratively towards greater success by developing strong links between people, places and sectors. It was noted that the report set out long-term goals as well as short and mid-term actions to invigorate the visitor economy and establish a new ambition for the industry in the county.

It was heard that in March 2021 the government had announced an independent review to assess how Destination Management Organisations across England were funded, structured and performed to establish whether there was a more efficient model for supporting tourism at a local level. The review published its report and analysis in September 2021, with one of the key recommendations being the establishment of accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships.

Cllr Howell reported that Visit England was creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high performing LVEPs providing strong local leadership and governance in tourism destinations across the country.

As a result, both North and West Northamptonshire Councils had agreed that a new strategy should be developed following unitarisation, with development work commencing in February 2022. The strategy would form a tool to work with Visit England to secure support and future government funding for tourism, whilst seeking to stem the recent and relative decline of the county’s visitor economy.

The meeting was advised that the justification for co-production of the strategy was to develop a countywide strategy aligning with the requirements of the new LVEPs, which neither authority would be large enough to apply for individually. In addition, it was considered that the offer to visitors would be stronger and clearer for Northamptonshire as a whole. It was noted that this would not limit either authority from delivering local initiatives specific to their own area.

It was heard that both authorities would consider the strategy at their respective Executive meetings, with the intention to launch publicly and engage with partners, local businesses and other stakeholders. Approval of the strategy would allow for collaborative work to commence with the private sector with support from Visit England and the development of a Northamptonshire LVEP. Once developed, both authorities would provide detailed plans and financial implications to be mutually agreed prior to submission to Visit England for LVEP accreditation.

Cllr Howell concluded by thanking all those who had been involved in the processes outlined above.

Cllrs Brackenbury, Edwards and Rowley spoke strongly in support of the recommendations as a means to put Northamptonshire on the map and to highlight its significant tourist offer.

RESOLVED

KEY DECISION

Reasons for Recommendations:

·        The Strategy seeks to improve the county’s visitor economy. If Northamptonshire's visitor economy had grown at the same pace as our neighbours in Cambridgeshire over the past decade, it would have resulted in £36m more spending by overnight visitors and some 660 jobs either safeguarded or created.

·        To maximise the potential for the county’s visitor economy in the future by implementing an agreed and focussed plan where North and West unitary authorities can work together and in close partnership with industry, education and other stakeholders.

·        To take advantage of the new national framework that has been developed by Visit England that sees circa 40 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) across England delivering national tourism policy as set out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in its response to the de Bois Review. There is an initial leadership role for both councils to support the development of an impactful and industry driven destination management organisation focussed on Northamptonshire.

Alternative Options Considered:

·        The alternative option would be to not have a Northamptonshire Visitor Economy Strategy. However, this would not be a recommended approach as both councils wouldn’t have a clear direction or plan to address the challenges associated with the visitor economy in Northamptonshire. Without a dedicated strategy, the county might miss out on valuable opportunities to attract more visitors, generate increased spending, and create jobs.

·        Additionally, without a coordinated effort through a joint strategy, the potential for collaboration with industry, education, and other stakeholders may remain untapped. The alternative of not having a strategy could result in a fragmented approach, where each authority operates independently, possibly leading to duplicated efforts, inefficiencies, and a lack of a unified vision for the development of the visitor economy.

·        By not adopting a Visitor Economy Strategy, Northamptonshire might also miss the chance to align itself with the national framework set by Visit England and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. The absence of a strategic plan may hinder the county's ability to establish a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and a destination management organisation, both of which are crucial for implementing effective policies and initiatives at the local level.

·        In summary, not having a Northamptonshire Visitor Economy Strategy could result in missed economic and developmental opportunities, lack of coordinated efforts, and an inability to leverage the national framework designed to support and enhance the tourism sector. The proposed strategy aims to address these concerns and position Northamptonshire for a more prosperous and sustainable future in the visitor economy.