Issue - meetings
Vacant shops funding
Meeting: 19/01/2010 - Cabinet (Item 109)
109 Vacant Shops Funding 
PDF 270 KB
(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Archer)
Report of Corporate Director (Regeneration).
Additional documents:
Minutes:
(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Archer)
The Corporate Director (Regeneration) submitted a report seeking approval for the use of additional funding provided by central government to support high streets and town centres during the recession.
The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:
|
Option |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Risk |
|
1) Do nothing option: do not use the additional grant allocation for retail support initiatives |
Would support the revenue budget |
Likely to attract criticism from local retail businesses, press, and DCLG |
Could contribute to adverse judgment in future CAA assessments |
|
2) Allocate funding to the two initiatives identified in consultation with the Chamber of Commerce |
Allows the benefits to be spread across the retail centres of Lancaster, Morecambe, and Carnforth
Provides a “quick win” for the newly merged Chambers Liaison Group and should help build its capacity
Allows time for well planned promotional events to be worked up
|
A danger that the impact of the funding is dissipated across the three centres – targeted use of the funding on one specific initiative (eg development of a Business Improvement District) could have greater long term impact |
A risk of poor take-up of the vacant shops grant scheme, in which case the funding might need to be reallocated |
|
3) Support one of the other options identified in section 2 of the report |
Depends on the nature of the option selected |
Disregards the consultation with the Chamber of Commerce |
That the option selected is ineffective because it is does not reflect the knowledge of the private sector |
Option 2 is the preferred option, because it reflects the outcome of the consultation meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and also retains flexibility in the use of the funds.
Councillor Archer informed Members that she had consulted with the representatives of both the Morecambe and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce and the Lancaster and District Chamber of Commerce at the Cabinet Liaison Group meeting held on 11 January 2010 and had also heard subsequently from both organisations. Members also noted the additional information which had been provided in a letter from the president of the Morecambe and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce. The letter had been circulated prior to the Cabinet meeting.
It was moved by Councillor Archer and seconded by Councillor Kerr:-
“(1) That Cabinet approves the use of the additional grant allocation of £52,631 for initiatives to support temporary re-use of vacant shops and other retail support measures in Lancaster, Morecambe, and Carnforth, to be split approximately as £22,000 each for Lancaster and Morecambe and £8,000 for Carnforth.
(2) That Cabinet supports option 2 as set out in the report for use of the funds, comprising a grant scheme to support re-use of vacant shop premises in Lancaster, Morecambe, and Carnforth, plus a second scheme to provide funding for promotional festivals/events in the retail centres of Lancaster & Morecambe.
(3) That approval of the details of the two schemes be delegated to Councillor ... view the full minutes text for item 109