Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership

Terms of reference

Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership

What we are and where we fit in:

• We are the sub-regional economic partnership (SREP) for the Peterborough and Fenland local authority areas – one of nine such bodies established and partly funded by EEDA (East of England Development Agency)
• We act as the economic development partnership for Greater Peterborough Partnership (GPP) and the Fenland Strategic Partnership (FSP), with representation on their board.

What we do:

• Promote sustainable economic growth in Peterborough and Fenland and the wider economic sub-region influenced by the Peterborough economy.
• Develop and help to implement sub-regional economic strategy.
• Help to shape and implement community strategies in Peterborough and Fenland.
• Seek to influence and, where appropriate, help to implement regional strategies developed by EEDA, EERA and others.

Our structure:

• We are a local authority partnership.
• We are steered by a Steering Group.
• The Steering Group establishes sub-groups to take delegated responsibility for providing advice – and for commissioning or obtaining research and advice – on matters germane to the sub-groups' remit so as to promote and carry forward the actions contained in our sub-regional economic strategy.
• Sub-groups may also be established to take delegated responsibility for overseeing the management and implementation of specific programmes and activities.

Members of the Steering Group:

• There are seven private sector members, of which one is appointed by the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and one by the Fenland Business Forum. All others are directly elected by local businesses.  At least one of the directly elected private sector members should be from a business based in Fenland and at least one from a business based in Peterborough.
• There are two representatives from Fenland District Council and two from Peterborough City Council.
• There is a representative of Peterborough Urban Regeneration Company.
• The Chair of each sub-group (if not already a member of the Steering Group) becomes a member of the Steering Group on appointment to the chair.
• Such members as may be co-opted by the Steering Group from time to time and for such periods as the Steering Group may determine.
• The chairs of the sub-groups and co-opted members have the same voting and other rights as all other members of the Steering Group.

Private sector accountability:

In relation to the directly elected private sector members of the Steering Group the following provisions apply:

• Members of the Steering Group serve for a period of two years.
• Any member of the Steering Group is eligible for re-election once, to give a maximum of four years continuous service.
• Appointment to the Steering Group is by nomination and election.
• The election is by one vote per business by businesses operating in the Peterborough City Council and Fenland District Council areas.
• Elections are held at some time between 1 April and 30 June in each year.
• Those candidates with the greatest number of votes are elected except that if this does not deliver the geographical split as required above (i.e. at least one directly elected private sector members from Peterborough and at least one from Fenland) the candidates from Peterborough and/or Fenland with the highest number of votes are elected in preference to those from the "wrong" place who may have gained a higher number of votes.
• In the absence of sufficient candidates from Peterborough and/or Fenland to meet the geographic target (e.g. if there are no Fenland candidates) all five directly elected places on the Steering Group are filled regardless and the Steering Group will seek to co-opt an additional member from Peterborough or Fenland as appropriate to redress the imbalance.
• The first election will be no later than 30 June 2006. All existing private sector members of the Steering Group will submit themselves for re-election (or stand down) and the eligibility to be re-elected no more than once shall be applicable after that first election.
• Those elected to the Steering Group at the first election will draw lots to see if they will serve for one year or two, so that two of the directly elected private sector members (rounded up in the event of an uneven number) will stand down for the second election to be held before June 2007 and the remaining three directly elected private sector members the following year.

Conduct of the Steering Group and publicity:

• A quorum for the Steering Group shall be one third of the membership of the group or five members, whichever is smaller.
• Questions arising at any meeting will be decided by a majority of votes (cast by a show of hands) and the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote in the event of a split decision.
• The Steering Group may delegate any of its powers or responsibilities to sub-groups or to committees consisting of such member or members of the Steering Group as the Steering Group thinks fit.
• The Steering Group shall cause proper minutes to be made of the proceedings of all meetings of the Steering Group and the sub-groups and shall take such reasonable steps as it may determine to publish such information in such a way as to be available for perusal by any partnership organisation, EEDA and the general public.
• All meetings of the Steering Group are open to the public. It is permissible for the group, provided there shall be at least a two thirds vote in favour by the members of the Steering Group, to proceed in camera in relation to any particular items of business if it is decided that commercially sensitive or confidential personal information is to be considered, provided that the minutes shall indicate the nature of the business so considered.
• A member of the Steering Group with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the Steering Group at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.
• A member of the Steering Group with a personal interest in any matter who has made an executive decision in relation to that matter must ensure that any written statement of that decision records the existence and nature of that interest.
• Where a member of the Steering Group takes part in appraising projects or activities seeking PREP funding, a member must disclose any personal interests in the project at the commencement of the appraisal, at which time a member will take no part in the appraisal of the project in which the member has an interest.

Other issues:

• An annual report is produced each year and made available to the public, the local strategic partnerships and all other partnership bodies as well as EEDA.
• Each year there is at least one widely advertised meeting to report on progress and plans to local businesses and/or such members of the public as may be interested.
• The Steering Group elects its own chair and any other officers it feels necessary.
• The Steering Group may co-opt members as it feels necessary, for as long as it feels necessary, and these co-opted members serve until the next election. Co-option can then be renewed by the new Steering Group following the elections at the discretion of the Steering Group.
• People co-opted to fill vacancies created by resignations between elections stand down or submit themselves for election at the next election following their co-option.