Issue - meetings

To consider the attached report.

The Chair updated members on the meeting he attended alongside West Yorkshire leaders with the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, on 7 November 2017.  The purpose of the meeting was for the region’s political leadership to articulate its priorities, including the long held, cross party aspiration for a substantial Trans-Pennine route upgrade.

The Committee considered a report updating it on the development of HS2 and the Leeds City Region Connectivity Strategy.  The purpose of the strategy was to establish the major local and regional connectivity priorities which were required to enable and maximise growth associated with HS2 coming to the Leeds City Region.

The new LCR HS2 Connectivity Strategy would become a ‘daughter document’ to both the LCR HS2 Growth Strategy and also the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy, an approach that was endorsed by the Committee in April 2017.

The timeline for completion of the strategy was outlined in the submitted report and it was anticipated that members would have time to consider its emerging principles at the meeting on 12 January 2018.  This phase of work was intended to identify additional connectivity corridors and strategies beyond those directly necessary to support HS2.

Resolved:

(i)                 That the update on the meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport on 7 November, attended by the Chair of the Committee, be noted.

(ii)               That the principles and strands of the LCR HS2 Connectivity Strategy, as detailed in the submitted report, be noted.

(iii)             That the commencement of a dialogue with key stakeholders and partners of the initial LCR HS2 connectivity strategy be endorsed, and that the final drafting of the submission be delegated to the Managing Director in consultation with the Chair.