Issue - meetings

Report of Commercial Director (Bicester)

Purpose of report

To update the Executive on the successful outcome of a recent bid to OxLEP to support the NW Bicester Apprenticeship Scheme, in order that Cherwell District Council can receive the funding as the accountable body.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

 1.1        To note the contents of the report and approve Cherwell District Council role as accountable body for this grant award.

Resolved

(1)          That the report be noted and Cherwell District Council’s role as accountable body for this grant award be approved.

The Commercial Director (Bicester) submitted a report to update the Executive on the successful outcome of a recent bid to OxLEP to support the NW Bicester Apprenticeship Scheme, in order that Cherwell District Council can receive the funding as the accountable body.

Resolved

(1)          That the report be noted and Cherwell District Council’s role as accountable body for this grant award be approved.

Reasons

The Eco Bicester Team submitted a bid to OxLEP’s City Deal Initiative in December 2014 for funding to support the set-up of the Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) and its early operation. The bid was successful and a £50,000 grant has been awarded by OxLEP, subject to the signing of a legal agreement which the Eco Bicester Team are in the processes of negotiating. The funding is anticipated to be awarded in April 2015 and needs to be spent over 2 years during 2015/2016 and 2016/2017.

The aim is to set up the ATA by summer 2015 so that it can be referred to in future S106 agreements attached to any consents for NW Bicester, as a preferred route to enable developers to deliver apprenticeships.

The £50,000 funding was bid for specifically to set up the ATA in the first year and then to fund its operation in the second year. CDC will be using the funding to carry out the necessary research and background work into the options for the ATA and to support the ATA becoming accredited by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) so it can operate as a bone fide organisation. The actual setting up of the setting and registering it as a company will be carried out by a third party rather than CDC which is preferable in terms of minimising exposure of CDC to any associated risks. So although the funding will rest with CDC, it will be used to support a third party set up of the organisation.

There will be regular monitoring of the outcomes against the grant award with regular updates being given to the One Vision Steering Group.

Alternative options

Option 1: Not to accept the funding