Agenda item

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and its appendix and to make the following resolutions:

(1)  That the support by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the proposed way forward as set out in this report and of the recommendations below be noted.

(2)  That it be agreed that Chichester District Council and Chichester BID open negotiations with the board of Visit Chichester (VC) with a view to redevelop VC to fulfil the functions and structure as set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2 of this report and if VC does not wish to take on these changes and fulfil these new functions, it is considered that Chichester District Council and the BID have the following options:

a)    To bring management of the visitor economy in-house to Chichester District Council or

b)    To establish a new destination management organisation (DMO) in line with the criteria set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2. If this option is to be followed then a report will be brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and to the Cabinet setting out how these arrangements will work and the timetable for implementation

(3)  That the potential annual partnership funding from Chichester BID be noted and the £50,000 annual partnership funding for five years from April 2017 to assist development of the District’s visitor economy be approved.

(4)  That a strategic review as to how Chichester District Council can facilitate or encourage additional overnight accommodation to be developed in the District be sponsored.

RESOLVED

(1)  That the fact that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was supportive of the proposal and the recommendations as set out in the agenda report for this meeting be noted.

(2)  That the establishment of a destination management organisation in line with the criteria set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the agenda report be agreed.

(3)  That the opening by Chichester District Council and Chichester BID of negotiations with the board of Visit Chichester with a view to redevelop Visit Chichester to fulfil the functions and structure set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the agenda report be agreed.

(4)  That if the negotiations in (3) above are unsuccessful then a report be brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet setting out how the arrangements will work and the timetable for implementation.

(5)  That the annual partnership funding from Chichester BID be noted and £50,000 annual partnership funding for five years from April 2017 to assist the development of Chichester District’s visitor economy be agreed.

(6)  That the sponsoring of a strategic review as to how Chichester District Council can facilitate or encourage additional overnight accommodation to be developed in Chichester District be agreed. 

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report and its appendix in the main agenda supplement and the fourth agenda supplement which circulated a written response by Visit Chichester to the proposals the subject of the report (copies attached to the official minutes).

The report was presented by Mrs Keegan.

Mr Oates was in attendance for this item.

Mrs Keegan explained that with so many outstanding tourist attractions in Chichester District there was a recognised need not only to attract more visitors to the area all year round but to identify ways of exploiting the substantial opportunities to encourage them to stay overnight or for short breaks. The report and its appendix summarised the research studies and surveys already undertaken, the anticipated outcomes of the visitor economy project via partnership working and how best to develop CDC’s strategic direction for tourism. Central to realising this objective was to establish a new Destination Management Organisation (DMO), preferably using Visit Chichester but if not the second of the two options set out in para 6.6 of the report. The next stage was to begin discussions on a service level agreement between the existing DMO, Visit Chichester, and CDC and Chichester BID. She drew attention to the fourth agenda supplement which contained Visit Chichester’s written response to the proposals.

Mr Oates said that Chichester District had the potential to become one of the leading tourist locations in the UK. The nature of tourism had changed and the research undertaken in the past year (section 4 of the report) revealed inter alia that areas in which tourism flourished had very strong DMOs. It was critical for CDC with its partner Chichester BID to work closely with Visit Chichester, the current DMO, to see how it could be reconfigured to meet the challenge to develop Chichester’s tourism potential. He alluded to the outcomes in section 5 of the report and how a revitalised visitor economy strategy was central to the growth of Chichester District’s economy as a whole.

Having conferred together, Mr Dignum and Mrs Shepherd announced a revised set of recommendations for this item, the text of which appears in the resolutions set out at the end of this minute.

At Mr Dignum’s invitation Mr C Hicks addressed the Cabinet in his capacity as the chairman elect of Chichester BID. Mr Hicks confirmed that BID would match the £50,000 pa as proposed to be allocated by CDC for five years.       

During the discussion Mrs Purnell said that it was important that the project was a district-wide and not a city-wide one. Mr Dignum assured her that this was the case, as para 5.1 (a), (f) and (h) of the report made clear. Mrs Keegan added that the vast majority of the tourist attractions were spread throughout the Chichester District area.

In reply to Mr Barrow, Mr Oates provided reassurance that a first rate digital platform was essential to the success of tourism marketing.

Mr Dignum concluded the debate by thanking Mr Hicks for his comments and saying that the sum of £50,000 in the resolution (5) below might be only the start of a process in which CDC was looking very much to a collaborative partnership between the public and private sectors. 

Decision

The Cabinet voted unanimously on a show of hands in favour of the revised recommendations read out earlier by Mr Dignum and Mrs Shepherd

[Note Mrs Lintill was not present for the vote as she had to leave the meeting at 12:23 for the remainder of its duration]

RESOLVED

(1)   That the fact that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was supportive of the proposal and the recommendations as set out in the agenda report for this meeting be noted.

(2)    That the establishment of a DMO in line with the criteria set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the agenda report be agreed.

(3)    That the opening by Chichester District Council and Chichester BID of negotiations with the board of Visit Chichester with a view to redevelop Visit Chichester to fulfil the functions and structure set out in sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the agenda report be agreed.

(4)    That if the negotiations in (3) above are unsuccessful then a report be brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet setting out how the arrangements will work and the timetable for implementation.

(5)    That the £50,000 annual partnership funding from Chichester BID be noted and £50,000 annual partnership funding for five years from April 2017 to assist the development of Chichester District’s visitor economy be agreed.

(6)    That the sponsoring of a strategic review as to how Chichester District Council can facilitate or encourage additional overnight accommodation to be developed in Chichester District be agreed.