Renfrewshire Economy Conference board paper May 26 - AM reviewed
Renfrewshire Council · 26 May 2026
Back to Economy and Regeneration Policy Board — 26 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Economy and Regeneration Policy Board On: 26th May 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Renfrewshire Economy Conference 2026 1. Summary 1.1 This report informs and invites Board members to the annual Renfrewshire Economy Conference, this year to be held in Paisley Town Hall on the morning of Tuesday 8th September 2026. 1.2 The conference is being organised by Renfrewshire Council’s Economic Development team with a strong focus on the new priorities through the Community Wealth Building Act for the Council and other anchor organisations. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Board members are asked to: (i) Note the report. ________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Following two successful “Renfrewshire Economy” conferences in 2024 and 2025, members of the board are invited to attend the 2026 conference to be held in the Paisley Town Hall on the morning of Tuesday 8th September. Board members will receive an invite to the conference separately by email from the Councils Economic Development Manager with the booking link.
Page 2
PUBLIC 3.2 The conference is aimed at those involved in economic, business and skills development in Renfrewshire from the public sector, local economic agencies, further and higher education (FE and HE), local businesses, and social enterprises and serves as a collaborative platform to align efforts and priorities for local economic development in the years ahead. ________________________________________________________________ 4. Renfrewshire Economy Conference 2026 4.1 The 2026 conference will, once again, consider Renfrewshire’s economy and the key economic factors for sustainable growth. Professor Mairi Spowage, Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute, will provide the keynote address. 4.2 The event will provide an overview of the national, regional and Renfrewshire Economy, the current challenges and opportunities and the key agendas for the next 5 years. 4.3 A key focus this year will be the new Community Wealth Building Act which partner agencies will require to plan for and respond to. A key aim will be to explore how public sector organisations (the Council and anchor partner organisations) can maximise economic, social and community outcomes from existing public expenditure. 4.4 Key objectives of the event will be to: • Understand the scale of economic influence public organisations already have through spending, assets and employment. • Identify practical levers to increase economic impact without increasing budgets. • Reflect on barriers within participant organisations that limit economic outcomes. • Identify 2–3 actions that participants can take away to increase the economic value of the public pound. 4.5 The conference will support the development of the new Community Wealth Building Plan for Renfrewshire with a shared vision for economic growth that reflects local strengths, opportunities, and priorities and to align public, private, and community sectors around common goals. It offers a great opportunity to meet like minded colleagues from other agencies and businesses and to share ideas and current priorities. 4.6 Feedback from last year’s conference was very positive and the event aims to be an annual focal point for local economy discussions, updates and actions involving all key partners and including the involvement of local businesses. It will encourage greater networking and collaboration and aims to influence the direction joint economic responses to key local agendas. 4.7 At the time of writing this report the final agenda has not get been published but information will be sent to board members as soon as it is ready.
Page 3
PUBLIC ________________________________________________________________ 5.0 Conclusion 5.1 It is hoped that Board Members will be interested in, and available, to attend the conference and that the event forms a key element of joint and integrated working across Renfrewshire partners in the future. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – No implications. Budgets for the event are available through existing and planned for costs. 2. HR & Organisational Development – N/A 3. Community/Council Planning –. 4. Legal – N/A 5. Property/Assets- N/A 6. Information Technology – N/A 7. Equality & Human Rights- N/A 8. Health & Safety- N/A 9. Procurement – N/A 10. Risk- N/A 11. Privacy Impact- N/A 12. Climate Risk – None 13. Children’s Rights - None 14. COSLA Policy Position – Not Applicable. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers “Renfrewshire Economy Conference”, Economy and Regeneration Board, 28 May 2024 “Renfrewshire Economy Conference 2025” Economy and Regeneration Board, 20th May 2025 For more information contact: Ruth Cooper, Economic Development Manager ruth.cooper@renfrewshire.gov.uk