Sir Michael Bichard (Chair), Bonnie Dean, Penny Egan, John Hollar, Geoff Kirk, Jonathan Kestenbaum, Janet Walker, Chris Wise. Observers: John Neve (DIUS),), David Kester (Design Council), Ruth Hasnip (Design Council), Helen Jacobs (Design Council), Mike Turnbull (Design Council), Wendy Lanchin (Design Council), Kim Davids (Design Council), Kate Ward (Design Council), Daniel Collis (Design Council), Tess Raine (Design Council).
Geoff Mulgan, Peter Williams, Jane Hartshorne, Matthew Hill, Jon Zeff.
01 Welcome, apologies and declaration of interests
The Chairman thanked John Neve from DIUS for his support during his time at DIUS and wished him well in his new role at BERR.
No conflicts of interest were declared.
02 Minutes from the last meeting on 19 February
The minutes were approved. There were no matters arising.
03 Chief Executive’s update
The Chief Executive gave an update on activity since the meeting on 19 February. He highlighted the following matters:
BERR/DIUS review of Designing Demand: the review will take a light-touch approach to reviewing the project to extract lessons learned, to provide useful feedback for the rest of the rollout with RDAs as well as alignment with BSSP. Bonnie Dean as a member of the programme’s Business Advisory Panel, will be inputting into the review. The terms of reference have been drafted and the review will be overseen jointly by DIUS and BERR.
Government strategies: recently published strategies incorporate the Design Council’s work and programmes. The organisation is referenced in DIUS’ Innovation Strategy, BERR’s Enterprise Strategy and DCMS’ Creative Britain. The Chairman noted the opportunities arising for partnerships with other organisations eg NESTA.
Skills Blueprint: the Blueprint was launched at a well-attended event, with a speech from the minister for further education Bill Rammell. The Chief Executive and Chairman particularly thanked Jonathan Sands for his tremendous contribution and support.
Design Against Crime: the team is preparing for a workshop, to be hosted by the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in April. It will focus on ‘hot products’, and industry leaders and experts in manufacturing, retail and youth crime will develop five briefs to go out to the design community.
Dott ‘Cornwall’: there are no firm commitments yet but the consortium in Cornwall commissioned a feasibility study and attended the Dott07 festival in the North East of England. A workshop is being held during April with the key stakeholders, and representatives from EU convergence funding will also be in attendance. The current fundraising target is £4.5million. The Dott07 evaluation will be shared with Council once the results have been analysed in May.
Other matters:
- Ian Pearson and officials at DIUS have given early positive feedback on the three-year strategy.
- There will be a Designing Demand business event in Leeds in September, followed by one in London. This will formally launch the programme and raise its profile nationally. It was agreed that the Design Council would link this and any other relevant activity to the September London Design Festival.
- DIUS thanked the Design Council and NESTA for their contributions to the innovation review. An implementation plan is being developed and a year one review of progress will be published. Council asked what the implications were of the Design Council being written into the government’s innovation and enterprise strategies. The Chairman responded that this is a positive situation to help us achieve our ambitions in The Good Design Plan, and that government can help us by brokering key partnerships, particularly in the public sector.
04 Strategic delivery plan 2008-11
The Chief Executive introduced the organisation’s three year strategy, The Good Design Plan.
- He outlined that its purpose is to communicate high level messages around the benefits that design and the Design Council will deliver around national challenges, such as improving business competitiveness, creating high quality public services, exploiting new ideas and technologies, improving everyday lives and creating sustainable societies. The organisation’s work will be focused in five areas:
- Business and public sector innovation
- Public and community engagement
- Design skills development
- Design policy and promotion
- Underpinned by organisation and operation.
The main approach is ‘evolution not revolution’, as we continue to build on the foundations of our work, including Designing Demand, Dott and skills. But new activities will include more inspirational communication and marketing, conferences and events; more engagement with the design community; and a more entrepreneurial and enterprise approach to our work.
The Chairman invited discussion on the plan. Matters raised included:
- Council asked whether there will be detailed objectives and performance indicators. Council also suggested the objectives could be further refined. The Chief Executive responded that detailed objectives, actions, performance indicators and risks will be included in the one year operational plan to for Council approval at the May meeting.
- Council asked whether the organisation’s current funding will cover all the activities in the plan. The Chairman replied that the baseline budget will allow for some activity in all areas but that the full achievement of the plan will depend on the organisation’s success in building partnerships and raising income and sponsorship.
- Council suggested that the key messages in the plan could be simplified. The Chief Executive agreed and said that we are producing a small summary ‘take-away’ leaflet and that when engaging with specific audiences the messages will be simplified. The plan itself acts as a summary and reference.
- Council asked whether in meeting the Value for Money savings and making staff reductions over the three years, the organisation would still be able to deliver. The Chief Executive answered that DIUS has agreed that new posts could be created where they are associated with new income, which would allow the organisation to build capacity and deliver on the plan.
- Specific suggestions from Council on the plan included: a broadcast partnership, for example around the twenty-first century swingtag; including past successes and achievements up front; less explicit references to government and government initiatives which may deter designers and business; a ‘tightening up’ of the definition of design
Council expressed its satisfaction with the strategy and approved The Good Design Plan. DIUS also endorsed the plan and agreed that any detailed financial information would not be appropriate in this document and that this could instead be shared between the two organisations.
05 Finance & resources
The Finance & Resources Director gave an update on financial matters and pay remit. In summary:
- The year to date accounts for February show a deficit of £155k. The expected full year deficit is likely to be £268k, with some project spending deferred to 2008-09. This is in line with the expected deficit as reported to Council previously. The deficit will be funded from reserves.
- DIUS has asked Price Waterhouse Coopers who were appointed to conduct an audit into the pay remit, to carry out some further work, hence the delay in completion. The ambition is to have the work completed and a recommendation made to the Minister on 10 April in order to ensure the team can receive the delayed cost-of-living payments in their April pay. Work is underway on the 2008-09 pay remit, in partnership with DIUS.
- The 2006-07 accounts were laid in parliament. It has been agreed with the National Audit Office that the 2007-08 accounts will be approved and laid by Christmas 2008, and that a normal summertime deadline will apply from 2008-09 onwards.
In discussion Council asked what the deferred income was related to. The Finance & Resources Director responded that it was predominantly due to Designing Demand income from Regional Development Agencies. As this income is directly tied to any expenditure it does not cause a problem.
06 aob
There were no matters of aob. The Chairman closed the meeting.