Terms of Reference for the Northwest Regional Simplification Board Objective of the Board To provide leadership, drive commitment and co-ordinate business support simplification activity regionally; to ensure that the Northwest can deliver in line with the national policy directives of the Business Support Simplification Programme; and achieve a simplified business support landscape across the region by December 2010. Key Outputs April 2008/09: •
To co-ordinate the production of a regional Transition Management Plan which sets out current business support activities and how transition will take place across the region in line with national simplification principles and policy frameworks.
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To be the communication channel for the Region with the national Transition/Strategic Management Board at BERR.
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To guide progress towards an “enhanced Business Link” service which provides all Information, Diagnostic and Brokerage activity in the Northwest and is fit for purpose for all client groups.
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To monitor progress towards milestones identified in the regional Transition Management Plan and provide a quarterly progress report to the national Transition/Strategic Management Board.
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To lead the region in the shaping and implementation of a shared business support framework.
April 2009/10 onwards: •
To feed into the Regional Integrated Strategy process to ensure identified business support in the strategy is in line with all simplification frameworks.
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To feed into the setting of Business Link priorities within the region
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To relay relevant information to the national Transition/Strategic Management Board such as whether a portfolio meets regional, sub-regional and local needs.
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To monitor and evaluate the regional performance of the portfolio and facilitate collective adjustment of local spending within the portfolio if necessary.
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To ensure that branding guidelines are used and marketing is co-ordinated through Business Link.
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To share best practice across the region and evaluate innovative approaches
General Terms •
To act as a consolidated voice for the region into the national programme development; be a champion for simplification in the region and review progress and agree action accordingly.
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To draw on the knowledge and expertise of members where local and subregional variations exist in business support activities.
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To capitalise on sub-regional and local differentials; particularly to ensure that the product portfolio continues to meet regional, sub-regional and local needs.
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To draw together evidence and articulate as necessary, on behalf of the region, the business need from public funded interventions.
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To work with other Regional Simplification Boards in other regions as appropriate and provide linkages to other organisations within the region involved in business support strategies and activities as necessary
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To reflect simplification thinking into pertinent policies and strategies such as Northern Way, City Region Development Plans, Multi Area Agreements, Local Area Agreements, Sub-Regional Economic Plans and Action Plans; together with associated funding steams including Working Neighbourhoods Fund, European Funding, Local Enterprise Growth Initiative and Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.
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To make available to other Board members individual or organisation responses to any elements of the national business support simplification programme in a timely fashion.
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To communicate any simplification events being held within the region to ensure adequate opportunity for appropriate representation and attendance by members of the Regional Simplification Board.
Membership The Board will include representatives from the private sector and from all public bodies that fund and commission business support such as:
Local Authorities Learning and Skills Council JobCentre Plus Business Link Academia Regional Development Agency Government Office Institute of Directors Confederation of British Industry Federation of Small Business Chambers of Commerce Private Sector Partners
Membership is flexible and can evolve over time as deemed necessary. Regeneris Consulting will attend in their capacity as facilitators for the Implementation Advisory Group and support to the Regional Stakeholder Events Additional Sub-Regional Communication The NWDA will through its sub-regional partnership structures undertake a range of additional communication activities above and beyond the Regional Simplification Board membership to ensure that sub-regional partnership organisations are aware of and have an opportunity to contribute to future business support frameworks. Logistics & Operational Detail
The elected Chair of the Regional Steering Group will transfer his position to be Chair of the Regional Simplification Board.
NWDA will provide the Secretariat; papers will be distributed at least 5 working days before each meeting and minutes of each meeting will be approved by the Chair and circulated within 5 working days of each meeting.
All meetings will be held at Daresbury Innovation Centre, unless otherwise directed.
Meetings will be held on a monthly basis during 2008/09. Between meetings, when interim activity is required, views will be sought via email on particular issues that arise. In such circumstances, members will be given a deadline for response of comment/feedback.
The group will commence to review from January 2009 what arrangements may need to be put in place for 2009/10. Members will act in an advisory capacity; and represent the interests of the Northwest region. To ensure continuity only one nominated substitute will be allowed.
To ensure transparency and a cross flow of information and views, members will be encouraged to communicate the Transition Board’s deliberations freely. The only exception to this will be if, at the discretion of the Chair, confidentiality needs to be maintained.