Issue - meetings

The Smart Place Strategy aims to generate significant local value by helping to address some of the key challenges across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Whether making it easier for people to go about their daily lives, improving the prospects of our local businesses or enabling communities to function more effectively Smart Place interventions are set to deliver major social and economic benefits to our area.

The strategy is a key foundation of the Council’s Big Plan ambitions and supports government’s recently published UK Digital Strategy. In addition, the strategy also helps to deliver a number of priorities within the Council’s Corporate Strategy and is strongly aligned to government’s Levelling Up agenda.

Whilst Smart Place applications and services are set to transform how areas operate, a major challenge is that at present there is no statutory responsibility nor associated regular funding to support the full development of Smart Places within the UK. The strategy therefore sets out a unique, financially self-sustaining business model which seeks to secure major private investment to deliver the Smart Place Programme across the whole of the BCP area.

RESOLVED that the Smart Place Strategy be approved.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Development, Growth and Regeneration

Reasons

    (i)         Delivers significant economic and social benefit for residents, businesses and communities.

   (ii)         (ii) Supports the Council’s Big Plan and regeneration ambitions, and Corporate Strategy priorities.

 (iii)         Endorses the raising of private investment of £90m to fund the delivery and roll out of the Smart Place programme across the whole of the BCP area.

 (iv)         Delivers cost savings and potential future income generation for the Council.

  (v)         Supports government’s Levelling Up agenda and UK Digital Strategy.

The Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the Smart Place Strategy aims to generate significant local value by helping to address some of the key challenges across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and that whether making it easier for people to go about their daily lives, improving the prospects of our local businesses or enabling communities to function more effectively Smart Place interventions are set to deliver major social and economic benefits to our area.

In relation to this Cabinet was advised that the strategy is a key foundation of the Council’s Big Plan ambitions and supports government’s recently published UK Digital Strategy, and that in addition, the strategy also helps to deliver a number of priorities within the Council’s Corporate Strategy and is strongly aligned to government’s Levelling Up agenda.

Further to this Cabinet was informed that whilst Smart Place applications and services are set to transform how areas operate, a major challenge is that at present there is no statutory responsibility nor associated regular funding to support the full development of Smart Places within the UK and that the strategy therefore sets out a unique, financially self-sustaining business model which seeks to secure major private investment to deliver the Smart Place Programme across the whole of the BCP area.

Councillor Hadley addressed the Cabinet expressed concern with regards to the gigabit fibre network and the wifi, questioning what the council could add which the market is not doing, and that choice is already available.

Councillor Butler addressed the Cabinet expressed concerns with regards to health risks.

The Portfolio Holder advised that doing this would mean that we had control over the network, tremendous amount of work has gone into this and there is a lot of interest. In addition, the Portfolio Holder stressed that it was not true that there was no data around the pilot that we did in Lansdowne, and that there had been a website up since its inception that gives real time monitoring to the levels of background that 5G throws out, and that despite a lot of concerns by people that that had shown that there is very minimal impact. Further to this the Portfolio Holder advised that all the information in relation to this is publicly viewable.

RESOLVED that the Smart Place Strategy be approved.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning