Agenda of Strategic Business Advisory Committee Meeting

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

What is a “Conflict of Interests” - A conflict of interests can be of two types:

Pecuniary - an interest that a person has in a matter because of a reasonable likelihood or expectation of appreciable financial gain or loss to the person or another person with whom the person is associated.

Non-pecuniary – a private or personal interest that a Council official has that does not amount to a pecuniary interest as defined in the Code of Conduct for Councillors (eg. A friendship, membership of an association, society or trade union or involvement or interest in an activity and may include an interest of a financial nature).

Remoteness – a person does not have a pecuniary interest in a matter if the interest is so remote or insignificant that it could not reasonably be regarded as likely to influence any decision the person might make in relation to a matter or if the interest is of a kind specified in the Code of Conduct for Councillors.

Who has a Pecuniary Interest? - a person has a pecuniary interest in a matter if the pecuniary interest is the interest of the person, or another person with whom the person is associated (see below).

Relatives, Partners - a person is taken to have a pecuniary interest in a matter if:

· The person’s spouse or de facto partner or a relative of the person has a pecuniary interest in the matter, or

· The person, or a nominee, partners or employer of the person, is a member of a company or other body that has a pecuniary interest in the matter.

N.B. “Relative”, in relation to a person means any of the following:

(a) the parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, lineal descends or adopted child of the person or of the person’s spouse;

(b) the spouse or de facto partners of the person or of a person referred to in paragraph (a)

No Interest in the Matter - however, a person is not taken to have a pecuniary interest in a matter:

· If the person is unaware of the relevant pecuniary interest of the spouse, de facto partner, relative or company or other body, or

· Just because the person is a member of, or is employed by, the Council.

· Just because the person is a member of, or a delegate of the Council to, a company or other body that has a pecuniary interest in the matter provided that the person has no beneficial interest in any shares of the company or body.

Disclosure and participation in meetings

· A Councillor or a member of a Council Committee who has a pecuniary interest in any matter with which the Council is concerned and who is present at a meeting of the Council or Committee at which the matter is being considered must disclose the nature of the interest to the meeting as soon as practicable.

· The Councillor or member must not be present at, or in sight of, the meeting of the Council or Committee:

(a) at any time during which the matter is being considered or discussed by the Council or Committee, or

(b) at any time during which the Council or Committee is voting on any question in relation to the matter.

No Knowledge - a person does not breach this Clause if the person did not know and could not reasonably be expected to have known that the matter under consideration at the meeting was a matter in which he or she had a pecuniary interest.

Non-pecuniary Interests - Must be disclosed in meetings.

There are a broad range of options available for managing conflicts & the option chosen will depend on an assessment of the circumstances of the matter, the nature of the interest and the significance of the issue being dealt with. Non-pecuniary conflicts of interests must be dealt with in at least one of the following ways:

· It may be appropriate that no action be taken where the potential for conflict is minimal. However, Councillors should consider providing an explanation of why they consider a conflict does not exist.

· Limit involvement if practical (eg. Participate in discussion but not in decision making or vice-versa). Care needs to be taken when exercising this option.

· Remove the source of the conflict (eg. Relinquishing or divesting the personal interest that creates the conflict)

· Have no involvement by absenting yourself from and not taking part in any debate or voting on the issue as of the provisions in the Code of Conduct (particularly if you have a significant non-pecuniary interest)

RECORDING OF VOTING ON PLANNING MATTERS

Clause 375A of the Local Government Act 1993 – Recording of voting on planning matters

(1) In this section, planning decision means a decision made in the exercise of a function of a council under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979:

(a) including a decision relating to a development application, an environmental planning instrument, a development control plan or a development contribution plan under that Act, but

(b) not including the making of an order under that Act.

(2) The general manager is required to keep a register containing, for each planning decision made at a meeting of the council or a council committee, the names of the councillors who supported the decision and the names of any councillors who opposed (or are taken to have opposed) the decision.

(3) For the purpose of maintaining the register, a division is required to be called whenever a motion for a planning decision is put at a meeting of the council or a council committee.

(4) Each decision recorded in the register is to be described in the register or identified in a manner that enables the description to be obtained from another publicly available document, and is to include the information required by the regulations.

(5) This section extends to a meeting that is closed to the public.

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL

Staff Reports - Sustainable Environment and Economy 3.1

Staff Reports - Sustainable Environment and Economy

Report No. 3.1 Review Constitution of Strategic Business Advisory Committee

Directorate: Sustainable Environment and Economy

Report Author: Lisa Richards, Business and Visitor Economy Officer

File No: I2022/469

Summary:

Attached is the Constitution for the Strategic Business Advisory Committee, for the Committee’s review.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That the Strategic Business Advisory Committee recommend to Council to adopt the constitution at Attachment 1 (E2021/148723), with amendments:

a) to the number of Councillors required for quorum to be one, at Point 7.

b) to Point 5 Membership, to include four members of the business community from a range of industry sectors.

2. That the Strategic Business Advisory Committee recommend to Council to call for nominations for representatives from the business community from a range of business sectors.

Attachments:

1 Draft Strategic Business Advisory Committee Constitution 2022, E2021/148723 , page 8⇩

Report

The constitution is attached for your review. Specifically, we would like feedback on purpose, membership and format of future meetings.

One of the purposes of the Committee is to assist Council in the development, implementation and review of the new business industry and visitor economy strategy.

The Committee’s membership is 3 Councillors only, as it was for the previous Strategic Business Panel.

It is therefore recommended that:

1. membership is to include members of the business community from various industry sectors, including but not limited to our key industry sectors eg visitor economy (tourism) and agriculture as well as emerging sectors identified in the .id presentation of this meeting.

2. the number of Councillors required for a quorum be amended from two to one. The wording at Point 7 to change to:

“A quorum is to constitute at least half the number of members plus one (resulting half numbers go down), one of which is to be a Councillor.”

Our first meeting on 17 March was cancelled due to the flood event. The next meeting has been scheduled for 29 September, 2022 at 4:30pm.

Strategic Considerations

Community Strategic Plan and Operational Plan

CSP Objective	CSP Strategy	DP Action	Code	OP Activity
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.3: Promote and support local business development, education and employment opportunities	4.3.1: Facilitate and support sustainable development of our business community	4.3.1.1	Review the format of the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.3: Promote and support local business development, education and employment opportunities	4.3.1: Facilitate and support sustainable development of our business community	4.3.1.2	Continue to strengthen partnerships between Council and the business community
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.4: Support tourism and events that reflect our culture and lifestyle	4.4.1: Build a tourism industry that delivers local and regional benefits in line with the community’s values	4.4.1.2	Continue to liaise with our business and tourism industry.

Recent Resolutions

· 22-026 – 2(h) resolved to appoint 3 Councillors – Cr Lyon, Cr Pugh and Cr Hunter to the Strategic Business Advisory Committee.

Legal/Statutory/Policy Considerations

N/A

Financial Considerations

N/A

Consultation and Engagement

N/A

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL

Staff Reports - Sustainable Environment and Economy 3.2

Report No. 3.2 Presentation from .id informed decisions- Economic Health Check Report

Directorate: Sustainable Environment and Economy

Report Author: Lisa Richards, Business and Visitor Economy Officer

File No: I2022/649

Summary:

Rob Hall, Lead Economist at .id informed decisions, will present Byron Shire’s Economic Health Check Report. This is a comprehensive analysis of the local economy, covering our current economic position, recent trends, drivers of recent change, strategic sectors and a localised strength, opportunity, weaknesses, and threat (SWOT) analysis.

This report is useful for assessing the current state of play in our local economy and a crucial step in the development of a business industry and visitor economy strategy.

.id informed decisions provides Council with demographic tools and resources which are available on Council’s website.

30 minutes presentation with 15 minutes allocated for Q &A.

A copy of the presentation will be uploaded to the Councillors Hub closer to the Committee date.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Strategic Business Advisory Committee notes the attached report and presentation provided by .id informed decisions.

Strategic Considerations

Community Strategic Plan and Operational Plan

CSP Objective	CSP Strategy	DP Action	Code	OP Activity
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.3: Promote and support local business development, education and employment opportunities	4.3.1: Facilitate and support sustainable development of our business community	4.3.1.1	Review the format of the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan

Financial Considerations

Not applicable.

Consultation and Engagement

Not applicable.

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL

Staff Reports - Sustainable Environment and Economy 3.3

Report No. 3.3 Projects update - business industry and visitor economy

Directorate: Sustainable Environment and Economy

Report Author: Lisa Richards, Business and Visitor Economy Officer

File No: I2022/689

Summary:

This report contains brief updates on a range of business industry matters including:

· Business engagement and key findings from survey of flood impacted businesses

· Key flood-related grant applications update

· Recent workshops for the business community

· Upcoming workshop- connecting businesses with Mullumbimby High School students

· Update on business industry and visitor economy strategy

This report is for the Committee’s acknowledgement.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Strategic Business Advisory Committee notes the business update report.

Report

Business Engagement and Key Findings from Survey of Flood Impacted Businesses

Immediately after the first weather event, Council’s Business Support Team door knocked over 100 flood impacted businesses Shire-wide to gauge impacts and provide support and grant information where possible. Council’s regular business newsletter also provided same information as and when available. Direct impacts varied widely, with mental health, clean-up and financial assistance cited as key issues.

In May 2022, 62 businesses across various sectors completed our survey to further support the above findings, to gauge direct and indirect impacts and to help build a case for further government assistance and support.

Key findings from the survey include:

· The estimated value of building repairs varied from $0 to $750,000, with 9 respondents identifying they had $20,001-$50,000 value in building repairs.

· The estimated value of business equipment replacement varied from $0 to $350,000.

· 22 of the 62 respondents said their estimated value for replacing stock was $10,000 or less

· 10 of the 62 respondents estimated loss of revenue as $10,000 or less, 10 respondents estimated loss of revenue at $20,001-$50,000 and 28 respondents did not indicate an estimate or there was no loss of revenue

· Some businesses are considering permanently closing or relocating and some are considering pivoting their business to remain sustainable.

· For many, it is cost prohibitive to take out flood insurance for future operations.

· New or renovated premises are required right now by some, access to government assistance and grants most useful, and attracting new clients is a key medium to long term business need.

The full report has been provided to stakeholders, business community and respondents and is available on Council’s website.

Key Flood-Related Grant Applications- Update

As of 24 May 2022:

· $50k Small Business Grant, Service NSW: 862 Byron Shire business applications (2059 for Lismore LGA, 780 for Tweed LGA)

Apply for the storm and flood disaster recovery small business grant (October 2021 to January 2022) | Service NSW

· Northern Rivers Medium Business Grant: 3 Byron Shire businesses

Apply for a Northern Rivers medium size business grant | Service NSW

· $10k Small Business Northern Flood Grant: 463 applications in progress for the Northern Rivers (148 applications from construction industry, 100 from professional, scientific and technical services)

Apply for a $10,000 small business northern flood grant | Service NSW

As of 31 May 2022:

NSW Rural Assistance Authority grants

· Special Disaster Grant (up to $75k): 36 approved, $489, 407 disbursed

Special Disaster Grants – NSW Severe Weather & Flooding February 2022 onwards

· Rural Landholders Grant: 2 approved. $10,000 disbursed

Rural Landholders Grant - 22 February 2022 onwards (nsw.gov.au)

Recent Business Workshops

In response to engagement with businesses throughout COVID and recent wet weather events, the following business workshops and support have been provided in the past 6 months:

Webinar- How Dine and Discover Vouchers Can Benefit Your Business

With the introduction of two more $25 Dine and Discover vouchers for NSW residents, Council held a webinar on the benefits of the Dine and Discover program and how to get the most out of it.

Local businesses Byron Bay Services Club and Soul Surf School Byron Bay presented on how they have used the program as a marketing tool to attract more customers. A guest speaker from Service NSW for Business explained how to register your business for the program and the recent expanded Business Fees and Charges rebate.

This webinar was also a follow-up on a previous webinar on business support packages for COVID impacted businesses. Combined, more than 125 businesses registered for the webinars.

Mental Health and Natural Disaster Recovery Workshop

After the success of several Council- run Healthy Mindset for Business workshops during COVID, Council held a similar workshop to provide business owners, who have been impacted by recent weather events, with a suite of resources and tools to not only improve their mental health and wellbeing, but also their employees.

Facilitated by Mullumbimby Psychology and funded by the Commonwealth under the Disaster Recovery Funding arrangements the workshop included:

· Information on the mental health landscape after a natural disaster

· Psychology first-aid strategies

· Completion of a well-being checklist and mental health action plan

· Mental health supports available.

10 businesses registered for the workshop from various industry sectors including agriculture, retail, and events. The in-person workshop provided the opportunity for business owners to connect and was catered for by a flood-impacted business.

A short interview-style presentation between Council’s Business and Visitor Economy Officer and Mullumbimby Psychology on the above topics is currently being recorded and will be available shortly on Council’s website.

Sourdough Businesswomen’s International Women’s Day Event

Council sponsored the not-for-profit training organisation Sourdough Businesswomen’s International Women’s Day event at the Brunswick Picture House. The event, postponed to June due to recent wet weather events, was sold out.

Guest speakers spoke about mindfulness and wellbeing and provided an opportunity for women in business to connect.

Grow Your Business Online-Post Flood webinar

Council’s recent survey identified businesses want to attract new markets and sell more online. In mid-June, Council collaborated with regional organisation Enterprise Plus to deliver a webinar on how to grow your business online post flood. Guest speakers outlined top 10 online business models and how to conduct a digital audit of your business. The first 10 Byron Shire business to register for the webinar received a digital audit report from Enterprise Plus valued at $350. More than 50 businesses registered for the webinar.

Upcoming Workshop- Connecting Mullumbimby High School Students with Local Businesses for School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

On Wednesday 27 July, Council is collaborating with Mullumbimby High School and Regional Industry and Education Partnerships (RIEP) to provide an event to connect Mullumbimby High School students in year 9 and year 10 and their parents with local businesses interested in taking on a school-based apprentice or trainee.

There will be various speakers including an Apprenticeship Network Provider, an employer who has been through the process, a recent trainee and more.

More details will be available on Council’s website shortly.

Business Industry and Visitor Economy Strategy Update

On 24 June 2021 Council resolved to endorse the framework and process to develop the whole of business industry strategy as outlined in the report considered by Council.

The whole of business industry strategy will consider various business industry sectors such as our established visitor economy and agriculture sectors, as well as emerging sectors. It has been postponed due to COVID, floods and responding to immediate business needs in relation to these impacts.

Recent business engagement, the survey for flood impacted businesses and the Economic Health Check report will inform the new strategy.

Once the new Census data becomes available a revised communications plan and further business survey will be implemented with next steps.

Strategic Considerations

Community Strategic Plan and Operational Plan

CSP Objective	CSP Strategy	DP Action	Code	OP Activity
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.3: Promote and support local business development, education and employment opportunities	4.3.1: Facilitate and support sustainable development of our business community	4.3.1.1	Review the format of the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.3: Promote and support local business development, education and employment opportunities	4.3.1: Facilitate and support sustainable development of our business community	4.3.1.2	Continue to strengthen partnerships between Council and the business community
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.4: Support tourism and events that reflect our culture and lifestyle	4.4.1: Build a tourism industry that delivers local and regional benefits in line with the community’s values	4.4.1.2	Continue to liaise with our business and tourism industry.
Community Objective 4: We manage growth and change responsibly	4.4: Support tourism and events that reflect our culture and lifestyle	4.4.1: Build a tourism industry that delivers local and regional benefits in line with the community’s values	4.4.1.3	Consider how to increase awareness of accessibility and inclusion for our business community in the development of the new business industry plan

Recent Resolutions

· Res 21-199

Legal/Statutory/Policy Considerations

N/A

Financial Considerations

N/A

Consultation and Engagement

N/A

Venue	Conference Room, Station Street, Mullumbimby
Date	Thursday, 30 June 2022
Time	4.30pm