Executive Report to Full Council 27 September 2016

Executive Report to Full Council 27 September 2016 Strategic Leadership - Mayor Mike Starkie Finance We are pleased to report that the 2014/15 Statement of Accounts were presented and approved by the Audit and Governance Committee at its meeting on 4 August 2016. Work has since continued to complete the 2015/16 Draft Statement of Accounts so that the Accounts can be submitted to Grant Thornton, our External Auditor. As we have previously reported, some of the issues that arose in finalising the 2014/15 position were also going to arise as part of the 2015/16 closure of the accounts. The 2015/16 Outturn positions are being reviewed in detail and will need to be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny s Performance Sub Committee and presented to the Executive once completed. We are working to a timescale of October/November 2016 for the Outturns with the Accounts being completed before the end of December 2016. Reporting for 2016/17 has been hindered because of the resources needed to conclude 2014/15 and 2015/16 as priorities. We are aiming to report the combined financial position for Quarters 1 and 2 during October 2016. In relation to the 2017/18 budget setting process, work will begin later this month to ensure we meet the newly agreed timetable which was agreed by Full Council earlier this year. Business Rates Retention Consultation and Appeals Consultation A briefing is scheduled for Members on 22 September 2016 to explain the consultation proposals and to share the draft proposed responses to these consultations for members input. By the time of this Council meeting, the Council will have submitted its responses which will be shared with all Members under separate cover. The deadline for responses is 26 September 2016. Members are aware of the position in relation to the impact that the Sellafield Appeal outcome had on our financial position. Since the last update, we have sent a series of joint letters from the Elected Mayor, Councillor Lena Hogg as Leader of the Labour Group and Councillor David Moore as Leader of the Conservative Group to senior Ministers and senior civil servants in HM Treasury, Department for Communities and Local Government and the Public Accounts Committee. We look forward to the opportunity to meet Ministers and their teams in relation to our unique position. Members will be kept updated on progress. 1

Copeland Growth Strategy Building on the Copeland Growth Strategy, attention is now focusing on Copeland s four key towns towards developing a suite of Growth Plans that will outline the opportunities for growth in Whitehaven, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Millom. The documents will highlight the town centre strengths and feature local case studies, as well as providing a spatial overview of key opportunity sites and developments. The work will link into NuGen s Moorside project to ensure that growth is planned in parallel with the Associated Development Sites to optimise the long term benefits to Copeland s communities. Copeland Work & Skills Partnership The new Programme of activity for Work & Skills is now well under way. Led by Copeland Borough Council, the aim of the Copeland Work & Skills Partnership is to deliver a series of projects aimed at boosting the borough's job prospects. These schemes will address gaps in provision and will hopefully result in more people being ready to enter the world of work. One of the projects that has been developed and is now live is an Employability Fund. This project is designed to tackle financial barriers faced by individuals trying to access employment or training. This will be available to individuals who may be precluded from attending an interview, a sector based scheme or training course due to a lack of finances to purchase interview clothing, work equipment or attending the course. Potentially, the fund could be used to help de-risk employment options for people that are long-term unemployed to encourage employers to offer experience and short-term trial opportunities for some individuals. One of the first individuals to benefit from the employability Fund is an unemployed client currently being supported by Phoenix Enterprise Centre. The Fund will support this individual to access a training course which he requires to be able to secure employment at BAE Systems. Another workstream now live is Area Based Subsidies. This scheme is focusing on providing a subsidy towards apprentice salaries to entice smaller and non-nuclear employers to support young people entering into local employment. This links to a key aim of the LEP Skills Plan, which aims to encourage SMEs and a range of sectors to take on apprenticeships and increase apprenticeship numbers in the county by at least 20%. The scheme will build on the successes and lessons learned from previous schemes deliver by the Partnership and target current and projected skills gaps. Apprentice Subsidies will be distributed either on a geographical basis or as progression routes through another workstream called Sector Based Work Academies. This new phase of activity is being embraced by the Copeland Work & Skills Partnership who are working closely together to ensure the different workstreams are well developed and fit for purpose. In addition to the planned programme of activity, the Partnership is in a strong position to support other initiatives delivered locally including the Nugen / Moorside initiative. The Partnership includes a broad range of providers and therefore this could involve 2

supporting the delivery of apprenticeships, access to work schemes, work experience placements and school visits. The work of the Partnership will positively impact on strategic priorities at county wide level coordinated through Cumbria LEP and addressed through ESIF strategy and associated Cumbria Skills Investment Plan 2016-2020. One of these priorities is to increase the Employment rate in Cumbria from 76% to 78% by 2020 (Copeland employment rate currently stands at 74.7% which is slightly below the Cumbria average). Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Cumbria LEP has submitted its bid proposals for Growth Deal 3 funding from central Government (http://www.cumbrialep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/cumbria-lep- Growth-Deal-3-Submission-FINAL.pdf). Growth Deal 3 is the government s latest local growth funding round for projects aligned with regional strategic economic plans. Cumbria LEP s bid is for approximately 165m of additional investment. Priority projects include major investments in nuclear technology, agriculture, tourism, skills, site and transport infrastructure, improving connectivity and flood resilience. Key projects that have currently gone forward from the Copeland area include a revised submission for the Nuclear Technology Innovation Gateway requesting 15M to create 15 jobs and lever an additional 38M investment, plus a scheme requesting 11.2M to develop an additional 5,600sqm of workspace in Whitehaven, creating 300 jobs and leveraging an additional 42M investment. Announcements are anticipated in the Autumn Statement. Cumbria LEP has also recently published its Annual Report (http://www.cumbrialep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/lep-2016-annual-report.pdf). Social Inclusion Work with partners on our social inclusion agenda continues. The Social Isolation project being delivered by Age UK with support from the Council s social investment policy amongst other funders works across all localities in the borough and will be formally launched in September 2016. The project has the ability to connect and refer local residents with a range of support to assist their quality of life and support needs. An early help initiative with Howgill Family Centre is finalising its arrangements for funding to start later this Autumn. Council teams are involved in a range of initiatives targeted at our more deprived and excluded residents and communities. West Cumberland Medical Education Centre The West Cumberland Medical Education Centre is now based in Whitehaven, Two Professors are now in post, Prof Janusz Jancowski and Prof John Howarth, alongside a project manager and admin manager at the Centre. 3

New developments include a Digital Health Conference and Mini-Hackathon on 12th Oct which is free of charge with a visiting Professor from Newfoundland with extensive experience of remote and rural healthcare. A publicity leaflet is in circulation. Our first Physician Associate students have been on placement at the West Cumberland Hospital with a second tranche of placement students starting in September. recruitment for the new medical foundation programme which will be offered from January. planning a Physician Associates training programme from the campus from 2017 planning for how to engage with the local community. Derelict & Dilapidated Buildings Good progress is being made on priority properties. In Egremont (5 Market Place) has now been granted planning permission and we hope to see it developed soon. Negotiations are ongoing with the owners of Mark House, Whitehaven and the Red Lion, Egremont. The site of the former Methodist Church at Cleator Moor is now being redeveloped and the Council is continuing to pursue the owners of 60 and 61 High Street, Cleator Moor. Although an enforcement issue, the unsightly fence around the Griffin at Frizington has also been removed. Economic Growth Deputy Mayor Councillor Lena Hogg Whitehaven Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) Works continue on those buildings that have received grants through the THI initiative, with further development work continuing to identify those buildings that would be best prioritised through the scheme. A third newsletter has been published. The Beacon led tours of the THI and harbour area, on behalf of the THI, as part of the Heritage Open Days weekend (8th to 11 th Sept). Tours of the THI area are also being offered to local primary schools as part of the THI s commitment to offer activities for young people. Monkwray School visited on 7 th September and more tours are planned for the coming months. A lime plastering masterclass is planned for 29 th & 30 th September at Muncaster Castle. The contract for a small public realm scheme, at the end of James Street, has been let to Cubby Construction and work will start in early October and last 4 weeks. Housing The housing manager has recently met with CRISIS, the UK National charity for single homeless people. CRISIS were very interested to hear how well our team are doing with regard to preventing homelessness and will be discussing some of our prevention methods at a round table event later in the year. 4

A member briefing on housing and welfare reform will take place on 22 September, this will update members on the impact Universal Credit is having on residents of the borough and will provide Members with a general understanding of welfare reform. The first Strategic Housing Panel will take place on 29 September, the team will meet members of the Panel and give an overview of their roles and responsibilities. This will be followed by a discussion on the housing strategy action plan which will be monitored by the Panel. The Communities and Local Government Committee are calling for evidence on the Homelessness Reduction Bill which has its second reading in Parliament on 28 October 2016. We have submitted information to CLG and highlighted areas particularly around prevention as a statutory duty. As part of the innovative use of Disabled Facilities Grant funding the team are working with a family who own a property that cannot be adapted within budget to suit the needs of their young child. It is proposed that the family sell their property and buy something more suitable and Copeland Borough Council will use DFG funding to support the move. If this goes ahead we will be the first local authority in Cumbria to use the funding in this way. Partnership Bid A Partnership bid has been submitted to the Homes and Communities Agency proposing that the NuGen and MIRAS sites have Garden Village Status. West Cumbria Mining Company Working is continuing and a planning application is expected to be submitted to the County Council before December 2016. Town Centre Regeneration All town centre partners are working together to produce effective strategies including the Town Centre Car Parking Strategy. Planning Department Re-structure Phase one is now complete. Due to a historical need for all changes to roles that are direct reports to CLT to be approved by Personnel Panel, there may be slight delays in implementing the final structure. An article from The Times newspaper, published on 15 th August 2016, which showed the Copeland Borough Council Planning Department were the 3 rd most likely to approve a minor planning application. This was welcomed by the group and PG is organising some communications around this to promote the planning department. Staff Car parking Details of proposals for staff parking should be finalised this week and staff will be consulted on the policy once this has been finalised. Whitehaven Growth Deal The bid, in conjunction with 5

BEC was submitted to Government and was considered the best bid submitted. Work is currently underway to on the full business case. Coastal Teams Following the Coastal Communities Fund announcement that their Round 4 was open to Stage one expressions of interest, both the North and South Copeland Coastal Community teams supported applications from members to deliver priority projects in their economic plans. Whicham CIC submitted an application for the Silecroft Beach Café development, working with the South team, and St Bees Parish Council applied to funds to deliver the St Bees to Whitehaven cycleway, on behalf of the North team. Additional projects submitted by partners included an application from Cumbria Chamber of Commerce to deliver business support across Copeland and Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners applied for funds to redevelop the Old New Quay. An announcement from the Coastal Communities Fund regarding the successful expressions of interest that will be invited to submit full applications is imminent. Nuclear and Corporate Services Councillor David Moore Working Differently Accommodation Strategy First Floor Move Copeland Centre staff have relocated to the First Floor and we are working in an open-plan environment similar to the layout that will be available when we move to the Ground Floor. Copeland Centre Lease and Moresby Lease we are nearing completion of these leases which by their nature have taken a significant time to conclude due to the complexity of being in a PFI building and ensuring we protect the Council s position going forward. Tenders for Works tenders were received for the works to the Copeland Centre and the award of the tender will have taken place by the time we reach full Council. An update will be provided by the Portfolio Holder at the Council meeting, including an update on the timescale for completion of the works and the move of our teams and members facilities to the Ground Floor. Commercialisation A Commercial Framework has been produced to enable the Council to develop new commercial ideas into income generating enterprises and to manage commercial projects. The Framework was agreed by Executive on 23 August 2016 after consultation with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. A Communications Strategy has been produced for the promotion of the Commercial Framework and this will now be rolled out by the end of September. 6

The first two Commercial Opportunity Reports were put to the Delivering Differently Business Theme Working Group in September which are proposing Council assets to generate an income stream through advertising and sponsorship and a collective switching scheme to help vulnerable members of the community to save money on their energy bills. Business cases are now being developed around these proposals for approval in line with the project governance arrangements set out in the Commercial Framework. A report was put to the Council s Corporate Leadership Team in August outlining a strategy to expand marketing and communications activity to raise commercial awareness of contract services from the Council. It was agreed to use the Council s existing sub-branding currently used by Building Control to promote all commercial services and the promotion of commercial services online has been incorporated into the existing website redevelopment project. Work has developed significantly with regard to the Council s proposed Energy Company in the quarter. The phase 4 feasibility study for a decentralised energy network within three locations in the borough which would provide low carbon heat and power to customers whilst providing a revenue stream to the Council is due for completion in October. The three locations the study has focused on are Whitehaven Town Centre, Westlakes Science Park and Whitehaven Education Campus. Work is now progressing on understanding the support the Council can obtain through grant funding from Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Cumbria LEP and others in order to prepare a business case for the development of any potential network. Support Services Review The Draft Business Case for the Support Services Review was issued to in-scope staff and the Trades Unions on 8 August 2016 via a series of briefings throughout the day. A Members Briefing was held on 17 August 2016. A series of one-to-one and team meetings have been held over the period of the review and a Review2016 email box was set up to enable submissions to be made and questions raised throughout the process. Frequently Asked Questions have also been collated and issued and will be regularly updated. The deadline for submission of Voluntary Redundancy Applications was extended to 16 September 2016 to ensure everyone who wanted the opportunity to apply was given sufficient time to apply, given the holiday period. We commissioned an Employee Assistance Programme which also provides support for Elected Members, the details of which were circulated to all staff and members, not just those impacted by this Review. Consultation on the above Review closed on 12 September 2016 and CLT has been considering all responses. A Final Business Case will be presented to CLT on 28 September 2016. This report, once endorsed by CLT, will be forwarded to be considered by Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 4 October 2016. Overview and Scrutiny s report plus the Final Business Case will then be considered by the Personnel Panel on 6 October 2016. All comments and recommendations will then be presented to the Executive at a Special Executive meeting to be held on 18 October 2016. 7

During this period regular meetings have been held with the Trades Unions and these meetings will continue throughout the implementation. Parliamentary Boundary Review 2018 The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) published their initial proposals on 13 September 2016. The BCE is an independent and impartial non-departmental public body which is responsible for reviewing Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England. The BCE has the task of periodically reviewing all the Parliamentary constituencies in England. It is currently conducting a review on the basis of rules set by Parliament in 2011. The rules involve a significant reduction in the number of constituencies in England (from 533 to 501) and require that every constituency must have an electorate that is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger than 78,507. The proposals for Cumbria are to reduce the number of Constituencies from 6 to 5. The proposals for Copeland are to re-draw the boundary to extend from the town of Maryport in the north to the River Mite in the South, to be called Workington and Whitehaven Constituency. South of the River Mite will be transferred into Barrow and Furness Constituency. It is recommended that the existing Electoral Review Working Party undertake this piece of work and compile a response to be submitted before the end of the consultation period on 5 th December 2016. Subject to the approval of a later item on the agenda, any member will be able to attend these meetings and speak with the Chairs discretion. The proposals can be viewed in full at www.bce2018.org.uk. Nuclear New Build The Moorside Project As Members will be aware NuGen s Moorside Project Stage Two Consultation on its proposed scheme as part of the progress towards the submission of an application for a development consent order (DCO) commenced on Saturday 14th May 2016 and ran until Saturday 30th July 2016. This Stage Two Consultation was seen as the main pre-application consultation exercise carried out by NuGen before applying for a DCO and presented more detailed information on the Moorside Project and related proposals. A series of public exhibitions arranged by NuGen were held at a range of locations across the Borough and the rest of the County to provide information on project proposals and enable stakeholders and members of the public to consider responding to the consultation. In order to assist the Council in preparing its response a programme of Member workshops, engagement meetings with locality partnerships and a project specific 3 Tiers meeting were 8

arranged. The final draft of the Council submission to the consultation was agreed by the Council s Executive at its meeting on 26th July in advance of submission on 29th July. The full version of the Councils response can be found at http://www.copeland.gov.uk/attachments/nugen-stage-2-consultation-response. Summary of key messages in the Council s consultation response In the response to the consultation the Council reiterated its support for the proposal for the development of a new nuclear power station at Moorside, provided the development seeks to create a lasting legacy for the local community, through investment in the local economy, and that any additional supporting developments are advanced in a sustainable manner and provide opportunities for growth and economic benefits for local communities and businesses. However, in the response the Councils expressed the view that currently there are a number of concerns with the plans for the project including; The lack of design information generally, and in particular the absence of information about workforce profiles and the movement of goods and people, preventing a full appreciation of the impacts of the proposals The absence of robust emergency and business continuity plans which are critical for the project and for communities across the Borough Resolution to a range of environmental issues including noise, air quality and the scale and siting of the proposed landscaped mounds on the Moorside site and other environmental mitigation measures associated with the main site and Associated Development sites A borough-wide transport and movement strategy which provides for sustainable infrastructure through both construction and operation phases of the project and including arrangements for emergency planning An effective accommodation strategy for construction and operational workforces which sees those workers integrated into existing communities, spreading the economic benefits across the Borough and providing a positive permanent residential legacy which contribute to the Councils Growth Plans A commitment from NuGeneration Ltd to developing local supply chain opportunities and attracting new supplier businesses to the locality Supporting the Councils approach to developing sustainable communities by siting non-essential facilities such as offices and training facilities in our towns rather than on site The provision of opportunities for local residents to gain access to job opportunities through training/up-skilling A commitment to quality of life issues including improvements to the provision of health and leisure facilities, supporting the visitor/tourism sector and improvements to the public realm Specific legacy plans for the Borough s four towns delivered through a holistic masterplanning approach with project partners. 9

The lack of a clear consenting strategy for the main site and associated development sites and the potential for planning applications to the Borough Council for associated works to be made under the Town and Country Planning Acts Next Steps In conclusion the response identifies that as principal host community to the development, the Council recognises its key role in assessing the proposals as they evolve. A clear theme emerging from this process to date is the need for continuing dialogue between community stakeholders and NuGen through formal and informal stages of engagement up to and beyond the DCO submission date in Q2 2017. Nugen are proposing a programme of further stakeholder engagement through the autumn 2016 as their proposals for the project develop and reflecting key messages from the range of consultation responses received and further details are awaited. The Council will also be pursuing the development of detailed legacy proposals associated with the Moorside development through this period. North West Coast Connections Project The proposed National Grid 400kV development will provide a connection for the new nuclear power station at Moorside to the national network. Future key milestones in the Project timeline include: Formal public consultation giving people the chance to comment on the technologies to be used to build the connection and where equipment will be located Autumn 2016 Submission of an application for consent to the Planning Inspectorate April 2017 Decision on the application made by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change April 2018 National Grid is required to provide NuGen with the first phase of the connection into its transmission network by mid 2020s Formal Consultation National Grid continue to anticipate submission of an application for a Development Consent Order in 2017. Members will recall the original intention to launch formal consultation in June of this year but this has been delayed to the Autumn to allow more time to conclude the evaluation of studies and to consider options for mitigating the proposals along parts of the route, both of which will form components of the information contained within the project consultation documents. The formal consultation will be seeking views on issues including; the detailed route alignment that the new connection will take the specific technologies that are proposed to be used to build it the methods that will be used to reduce the impact of the new connection 10

A key issue for the Council will be to seek to mitigate the environmental, landscape and visual impacts of the proposals where the route passes through the Borough both north and south of the Moorside site, in particular where the route passes through the Lake District National Park within the Borough. Although details are still awaited regarding the consultation process it is anticipated that a range of National Grid-led events will be held across both Cumbria and Lancashire including a number across Copeland. A programme of Member engagement and meetings with Parish Councils and locality partnerships will also be developed in order to help stakeholders understand the proposals and consider responding to the consultation. Further details will be forwarded to Members once they are released by National Grid. Geological Disposal Facility Consultations on the working with communities and land use planning aspects of the GDF siting process are still expected to be launched in the autumn although the implications of the Brexit vote and subsequent UK Government cabinet changes may result in delay. Proposals to bring the development of a GDF within the definition of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) in the Planning Act 2008, including the production of a National Policy Statement and accompanying Appraisal of Sustainability are understood to be ongoing. RWM Ltd, the body charged with taking forward the implementation of Government policy relating to GDF is also continuing to develop the information materials on geology through the National Geological Screening process previously reported, and which it intends to make available to communities. An early draft of these was tested at the last meeting of NuLeAF s Radioactive Waste Planning Group (RWPG), which includes Borough Council officer representation, and it is intended that RWM will run another engagement workshop on this issue at the next RWPG in October 2016. It is anticipated that the outputs of the screening will be presented as a series of brief narratives describing the key characteristics of the geological environment of a region and its relevance to safety. The narratives will be illustrated with maps, where appropriate. As RWM prepares for the launch of the GDF siting process, still predicted to happen in summer 2017, the organisation is keen to involve local authorities through NuLeAF in an advisory capacity, ensuring it is geared up for the launch and that its workings are as effective as possible. Further detail regarding the siting process is also expected to be produced by RWM and released in the consultation materials. 11

Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) Members will be aware that the Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP), in its current and past forms, has been running for 15 years. Its aim has been to identify a long term storage site for the Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) from the UK s 27 decommissioned nuclear powered submarines, prior to their final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility. Following extensive consultation and deliberation, it was announced by Government on 8 th July that Capenhurst has been selected as the site of the ILW store, with Aldermaston as a contingency option in the unlikely case that Capenhurst does not prove suitable. Further details are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/submarinedismantling-project-site-for-the-interim-storage-of-intermediate-level-radioactive-waste. Looking forward, the process of separating the Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPVs) from the submarines will begin shortly. The submarines are located at Rosyth and Devonport and, once the RPVs are separated, they will be transported to Capenhurst by road as the Vessels are too large for rail transportation. It is anticipated that approximately 1 RPV per year will be taken to Capenhurst. Low Level Waste (LLW) will also be generated and this is likely to be sent to the Low Level Waste Repository. Customers and Communities Councillor Dave Banks Community Safety The West Cumbria Community Safety Partnership has considered the latest update on performances noting a recent increase in burglary of dwellings particularly shed burglary in Egremont and violence against the person and acquisitive crimes linked to drug debt. The Copeland Hub based at Whitehaven Police station will be formally launched next month and is enhancing joint working by a wide range of public and voluntary sector agencies on community safety issues. The Council is currently responding to the call for projects to link with commissioning priorities which includes domestic violence and hate crime. Members are encouraged to consider safety and target hardening opportunities through Keep Safe, a Cumbria Wide project for victims of crime. The new Police and Crime Commissioner has visited projects in the borough and the Council in recent months to find out how local partnership working is helping local residents. Universal Credit Full Service coming to Copeland soon 12

Universal Credit is being rolled out across the country. By the end of 2016 it will be live in over 500 jobcentres. In November 2014 DWP started to test the Universal Credit full service with claimants in Sutton. The enhanced full service lets us test and learn how Universal Credit works with the full range of claimants, no matter how complex their needs or circumstances in a digital environment. On 2nd November 2016 as part of this expansion, we will be rolling out Universal Credit full service in the Copeland area. The Council is working closely with DWP and our delivery partnership partners on Universal Credit and this partnership has helped the partnership to get ready for this full service roll out. The projected numbers of residents likely to be affected is large and we are planning for a number of complex cases over the next year or two as the roll out impacts increasingly on existing claimants. DWP are planning to raise the awareness of Universal Credit for claimants through the Jobcentre and through their work with us. They will be working closely with key stakeholders including social landlords and voluntary sector organisations as DWP know that the key to delivering Universal Credit successfully is in building strong relationships locally. Staff will be attending awareness and training to understand the changes and roll out arrangements. Waste Services Street Cleansing The new 7 day working arrangements, a change which stemmed from the Waste service review in 2015, began this week (12 September). The street cleansing team now work on a 4 days on 4 days off rota, meaning a consistent service is now provided 7 days a week. This statutory service, which is a 363 day a year operation (not on Christmas day and New Year s day) has previously been delivered on a voluntary overtime basis. Around 40k a year will be saved as a result of this change) Green waste To make up for some recent service delivery problems, the seasonal garden waste service will now be run until the middle of November. The two dedicated green waste collection teams have been exceptionally busy this year, collecting almost 4000 tonnes of garden waste since 1 April. The service is provided for around 80% of homes in the Borough. Fleet Services Agreement has been reached with Essential Fleet services on a 5 year extension to the existing fleet supply and maintenance contract, taking the contract to October 2022 The agreement means a number of older vehicles will be replaced in the coming months with 18 units being ordered in the first phase comprising 10 LCV s and 8 HGV s and further vehicles changed in the next 18 months. Orders have already been placed for the first of the new vehicles which we hope to see commissioned by January 2017. Beacon Summer 2016 Programme The Beacon Museum has hosted 2 feature exhibitions over the summer from 16 th July to 11 th September. Brick City the unofficial Lego exhibition in the harbour gallery and 3D Printing the Future in the new Light and Dark Gallery on the 4 th floor. Visitor numbers were 8,157, retail spend was 6,778 with 198 new annual passes being bought. The summer exhibition broke even. 13

visitor numbers 2013 to 2016 1600 visitor numbers 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 weeks 2016 2015 2014 2013 The chart shows a significant increase in visitor numbers with 2016 feature exhibitions and reflects the same period over the years 2013 to 2016. Similarly the following chart shows a significant increase in the admissions income and reflects over the same period in 2015. admissions income 2015 and 2016 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2016 2015 Visitor comments were very positive for both exhibitions. 3D printing, an exhibition on hire from the national Science Museum, relied substantially on interpretation and explanation by Visitor Hosts who excelled themselves and embraced the task extremely well. The Beacon were gifted a 3D printer 14

Future Exhibitions The Beacon Resident Pass is receiving more interest now the feature summer exhibition has ended. A campaign is in place to increase the awareness and take up of free residents pass to take advantage of free entry to non-feature exhibitions. Forthcoming exhibitions are as follows: Copeland Collection. 17 th September 2 nd October (a non-feature exhibition) Bare Bones (Blue Tokay). 9 th October 13 th November. Feature exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Natural History Museum). 19 th November 2 nd January 2017 (a non-feature exhibition) Calderhall through the Lens (Sellafield). 60th anniversary of construction. 11 th October 30 th October (a non- feature exhibition) Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids (Horniman Museum, London). 4 th November 8 th January 2017 (a non-feature exhibition) The Beacon now has a full staff complement with the recruitment of a replacement Operations Assistant, Business Development Manager and an additional permanent visitor host. 15