Agenda, decisions and minutes

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Chair's Comments

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was reported that Councillor David Hall had resigned from the Combined Authority and had been replaced by Councillor Steven Leigh. 

 

The Chair asked that the Authority’s thanks be recorded to Councillor Hall for the work and valuable contributions he made to the Combined Authority and the Governance and Audit Committee.

2.

Apologies for Absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Keith Aspden, Judith Blake and Steven Leigh.

3.

Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Kim Groves declared an other interest in Agenda Item 8, Adult Education Budget Devolution as she is a Director of Inspiring Positive Futures.

4.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no items that required the exclusion of the press and public.

5.

Minutes of the Meeting of the Combined Authority held on 21 May 2020 pdf icon PDF 47 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:  That the minutes of the meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 21 May 2020 be approved.

6.

COVID-19 - Economic Response and Recovery pdf icon PDF 359 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Brian Archer)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director of Economic Services on COVID-19, economic response and recovery.

 

Members joined together in expressing their condolences to all who have lost family and friends and are grieving at this difficult time.

 

The report provided an update on progress on the latest response to the COVID-19 outbreak from the Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.  Members discussed the work of the Economic Recovery Board and thanked officers for the response and recovery planning being undertaken. Work had commenced with partners to create a regional economic recovery plan which will be kept under review as further information, intelligence and decision making occurs. This would also need to complement the plans developed by local authorities.The Combined Authority would lead on the economic recovery planning for West Yorkshire and this had been recognised in a letter to Councillor Hinchcliffe from the Minister for Housing Communities and Local Government which was attached at Appendix 1.

 

Members discussed the challenges being faced in relaunching the economy in the region including the PPE/health supply chain, funding gaps and the discretionary grants schemes which have been launched by the Local Authorities.  It was considered that the guidance received from Government regarding the discretionary grants was prescriptive and it was agreed that a letter be sent to the Minister for Housing Communities and Local Government seeking clarity on the criteria for the funding.  Further information regarding the supply of PPE products would be circulated to Members.

 

In noting the transport update, it was noted that the Government’s emergency funding for bus services is due to expire in August and Members discussed the serious financial impacts maintaining the current bus network was having on the Authority’s budget.  Without a long-term funding solution from Government, some services will be under threat.  Councillors Blake and Groves have written to the Secretary of State seeking a more accountable approach to bus funding during the recovery period and discussions are being held with the Department for Transport.  It was reported that following the Government’s announcement in respect of £250m additional funding to promote walking and cycling, the Combined Authority would receive £2.513m as part of the first tranche of £45m.  Proposals have been submitted to the Department of Transport in consultation with the Chair and members of the Transport Committee.

 

The Authority noted the update in respect of the impact of COVID-19 on the organisation and the detailed work being undertaken to consider the financial impacts of the pandemic on the Combined Authority.  The need to lobby Government for additional monies to cover the funding gap was stressed.  Forecasts and options are to be considered by a meeting of the Budget Working Group and a report will be brought to the next meeting.

 

Resolved: 

 

(a)       That the progress on the delivery and development of the response to

the COVID-19 crisis be noted.

 

(b)       That a letter be sent to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government in respect of the additional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Capital Spending and Project Approvals pdf icon PDF 1 MB

(Lead Member: Cllr D Jeffery, Director: Melanie Corcoran)

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved:

 

(a)       In respect of Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) Funding –

 

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:

(i)            That £11.851m of TCF funding is approved to repay development costs incurred by partners and enable further development work on the projects within the programme to enable progression to their next Decision Points of the Assurance Framework.

(ii)          That up to £3m TCF funding is approved, to re-pay spend incurred to date on early development work, previously approved from the Transport Fund Transformational Pot.

(iii)         That the Combined Authority enters into Funding Agreements with partners for expenditure plus the spend incurred to date on early development work, previously approved from the Transport Fund Transformational Pot from the Transforming Cities Fund.

(iv)         That the £4.930m TCF Programme Management allocation is approved to enable the Combined Authority to effectively undertake Programme Management functions for the lifetime of the TCF funded programme.

(v)          That the £1.00m TCF Benefits Realisation allocation is approved, to enable the Combined Authority to provide monitoring and evaluation of the overall programme in line with DfT expectations

(b)       In respect of Emergency Active Travel Funding –

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:

(i)         That the Emergency Active Travel Funding work commences on Activity 6 (Delivery).

(ii)        That the expenditure of DfT Emergency Active Travel funding that is allocated to the Combined Authority be approved. Presently, this is £2.513 million, but this could vary as the final allocation of both tranches is dependent on satisfactory plans being submitted to government that set out the proposals to be delivered.

(iii)       That the allocation of the DfT Emergency Active Travel funding between the Combined Authority and the five West Yorkshire partner councils is delegated to the Managing Director.

(c)       In respect of Active & Sustainable Travel in Leeds City Centre (Bishopgate) –

 

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:

(i)       That the Active & Sustainable Travel in Leeds City Centre         (Bishopgate) package of schemes proceeds through decision point 2 (strategic outline case) and work commences on bringing individual schemes through at activity 3 (outline business case).

(ii)      That an indicative approval to the total package value of £39.5 million of which £39.5 million is being funded from the Transforming Cities Fund with full approval to spend being granted once individual schemes have progressed through the assurance process to decision point 5.

(iii)     That future approvals are made in accordance with the assurance pathway and approval route outlined in the submitted report including at decision point 5 through a delegation to the Combined Authority’s Managing Director following a recommendation by the Combined Authority’s Portfolio Appraisal Team. This will be subject to the scheme remaining within the tolerances outlined in the report.

(d)       In respect of A641 Bradford-Brighouse-Huddersfield Corridor

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:

(i)         That the A641 Bradford Huddersfield Corridor project proceeds  ...  view the full decision text for item 7.

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director of Delivery on the progress and funding for the following schemes through the Combined Authority’s assurance process:

 

·         Active & Sustainable Travel in Leeds City Centre (Bishopgate)

·         A641 Bradford-Brighouse-Huddersfield Corridor

·         ‘Connecting Leeds’ from South Leeds and through Wakefield (A61 South)

·         Active & Sustainable Interchange for Harrogate

·         Active & Sustainable Travel across Skipton Town Centre

·         Active & Sustainable Travel to Selby Gateway

·         ‘Connecting Leeds’ towards Castleford and the Five Towns (A639)

·         East Leeds Demand Responsive Transport

·         City Connect: Cross Church Street

·         Halifax Station Gateway

·         Leeds City Centre Package: Armley Gyratory

·         CIP Phase 1 Holmfirth Town Centre

·         City Connect Phase 3 – Castleford Greenway Phase 4

 

In addition, since the last meeting, decisions on the following schemes have been made by the Investment Committee:

 

·         Safety, Accessibility and Efficiency Programme: Investing in Bus Stations, Shelters and Clean Growth

·         Monitoring, Evaluation and Bid Development

 

At their meeting held on 13 May 2020, the Investment Committee had also considered the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) funding and details were outlined in the submitted report. 

 

Members discussed the details of the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel funding which was to reallocate road space to support safe walking and cycling and to ensure that the road, bus and rail networks were able to respond to future increases in demand.  An indicative total allocation of up to £12.567 million has been confirmed for West Yorkshire, split into two tranches. The first tranche of approximately £2.513 million will be made available in the near future but this could vary. It was agreed that the allocation of the funding between the Combined Authority and the five West Yorkshire partner councils be delegated to the Managing Director. 

 

Details of all the schemes were provided in the submitted report.

 

Resolved:

 

(a)       In respect of Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) Funding –

 

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:

(i)            That £11.851 million of TCF funding is approved to repay development costs incurred by partners and enable further development work on the projects within the programme to enable progression to the next decision points of the Assurance Framework.

(ii)          That up to £3 million TCF funding is approved, to re-pay spend incurred to date on early development work, previously approved from the Transport Fund Transformational Pot.

(iii)         That the Combined Authority enters into funding agreements with partners for expenditure plus the spend incurred to date on early development work, previously approved from the Transport Fund Transformational Pot from the Transforming Cities Fund.

(iv)         That the £4.930 million TCF Programme Management allocation is approved to enable the Combined Authority to effectively undertake programme management functions for the lifetime of the TCF funded programme.

(v)          That the £1.00 million TCF Benefits Realisation allocation is approved, to enable the Combined Authority to provide monitoring and evaluation of the overall programme in line with DfT expectations

(b)       In respect of Emergency Active Travel Funding –

That following a recommendation from the Investment Committee, the Combined Authority approves:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Adult Education Budget Devolution pdf icon PDF 269 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Alan Reiss)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director, Policy Strategy and Communications on work underway to prepare for the devolution of Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding across West Yorkshire from the academic year 2021 as part of the devolution deal agreed with Government in March 2020.

 

It was reported that £63 million Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding is to be devolved across West Yorkshire from the academic year 2021 as part of the devolution deal agreed with Government in March 2020.  Approximately 80% of the AEB budget is utilised by colleges and local authorities through grant funding, with the remaining 28% contracted to independent training providers.

 

A bid has been made to Department for Education for match funding to support the implementation of AEB and a response is awaited. Officers have worked closely with Government to ensure all necessary readiness conditions are met.  A copy of a letter which has been sent to the Department of Education was attached at Appendix 1.  This provided assurances that the organisation will be ready to take on responsibility for AEB functions from the academic year 2021/22.

 

Members welcomed the progress and the opportunities the AEB would bring to support people in the region develop skills and training to access employment. The final AEB Strategy will be brought to the Combined Authority for endorsement in September 2020 and commissioning is planned to commence in October 2020.

 

Resolved:  That the report be noted.

9.

Transport for the North - COVID-19 Economic Response and Recovery pdf icon PDF 277 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr J Blake, Director: Alan Reiss)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director, Policy, Strategy and Communications on progress on the development of a Transport for the North (TfN) Economic Recovery Plan in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

 

The meeting was attended by Transport for the North’s representative, Owen Wilson, who advised that they were seeking to write to the Secretary of State for Transport making the case for accelerated transport investment in the North, as a central part of an Economic Recovery Plan (ERP).

 

It was reported that the TfN Board had agreed that the types of interventions listed in paragraph 2.2 of the submitted report would be considered as part of the Plan.  Members were advised that TfN proposes to secure sign-off of the final Economic Recovery Plan proposition on 29 July 2020.

 

Members discussed the priorities for West Yorkshire and endorsed the proposed rail schemes to be included in the Plan which were listed in the submitted report.  It was noted that the list had been prepared by the Combined Authority, in consultation with partner Councils and had been based on TfN’s criteria that includes deliverability.  The partner Councils had been asked to submit highway related schemes and these were also listed in the report. 

 

Transport for the North was also considering a wider set of priorities as part of the Plan and the Combined Authority also proposed to include and support the West Yorkshire Future Mobility Zone proposals, funding for fibre installation on the rail network and acceleration of integrated and smart travel initiatives including the TfN integrated ticketing programme.  Members highlighted the importance of active travel interventions and the promotion of low carbon transport initiatives, particularly as there would be changes to behaviours as a result of the pandemic.

 

Owen Wilson was thanked for his attendance and it was noted that Transport for the North would continue to work with the Combined Authority and Department for Transport on the proposals set out in the report.

 

Resolved: 

 

(a)       That progress on the development of a Transport for the North (TfN) Economic Recovery Plan in response to the COVID-19 crisis be noted.

 

(b)       That the priorities for the region to be included in the Plan be endorsed. 

10.

Tackling the Climate Emergency pdf icon PDF 288 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Alan Reiss)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director, Policy, Strategy and Communications which provided an update on the significant areas of activity being delivered by the Authority to tackle the Climate Emergency.

 

It was reported that a study to identify potential carbon emission reduction pathways and the interventions that need to be implemented if the net zero carbon 2038 target is to be achieved was being undertaken and details were outlined in the submitted report.

 

It was noted that the current situation relating to COVID 19 is having a significant impact on plans to engage and consult with stakeholders on the findings of this work.  The planned work and emerging results will now be tested with partners and stakeholders between July – December 2020.  This will include surveys, webinars and a public consultation exercise and the Authority’s committees and advisory panels will consider and contribute to the findings of the pathways work.

 

Members noted the summary of the other major projects being led by the Combined Authority which were outlined in the report. The work and priorities of the NP11 in respect of the clean growth agenda was highlighted and further information on this can be found at: 

https://www.np11.org.uk/priorities/clean-growth/

  

A report on the Emission Reduction Pathway Study would be brought to the next meeting.

 

Resolved:  That the progress being made to tackle the Climate Emergency be noted.

11.

Governance Arrangements pdf icon PDF 112 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Angela Taylor)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director, Corporate Services to confirm the continuation of governance arrangements for the Combined Authority for the new municipal year 2020-21, further to the cancellation of the annual meeting for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The report also sought approval for the appointment of private sector representatives to the Combined Authority advisory committees (panels) which were set out in Appendix 1 to the submitted report.  In order to comply with the requirements of the National Assurance Framework and Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships, a recruitment process had been conducted throughout February and March to appoint new private sector representatives.  Whilst the involvement in the LEP’s activities had created much interest from the private sector, the lack of representation from the agricultural sector was noted and efforts will be made to address this.

 

In respect of membership of the Combined Authority, it was reported that Councillor David Hall (member) and Councillor Geraldine Carter (substitute) had tendered their resignations.  Councillor Steven Leigh would replace Councillor David Hall and Councillor Andrew Carter replaces Councillor Geraldine Carter as substitute member.

 

Resolved:

 

(a)       That the Combined Authority resolves that the municipal year 2020-21 will start on 25 June 2020.

 

(b)       That the Combined Authority notes that by law, in the absence of an annual meeting, committee arrangements, appointments of members to the Combined Authority, its committees and of chairs will continue for the new municipal year, subject to any changes to be approved before the annual meeting in 2021.

 

(c)        That the Combined Authority resolves that for the municipal year 2020-21, the following may continue to exercise any voting rights granted to them for the municipal year 2019-20:

 

·         the member of the Combined Authority appointed by the City of York Council, the LEP Member (and their substitutes), and

·         any member (including a co-optee) of a committee (including any advisory panel).

 

(d)       That the Combined Authority’s current governance documents including standing orders and related documentation, Codes of Conduct and related procedures and protocols, the Members’ Allowances Scheme and the officer delegation scheme will be adopted for the municipal year 2020-21. 

 

(e)       That the Combined Authority resolves that Ian Brown and Carolyn Lord continue as Independent Persons in relation to complaints concerning allegations of a breach of the Combined Authority’s Members’ Code of Conduct on the existing terms for remuneration, until the Combined Authority’s annual meeting in 2021.

 

(f)        That the Combined Authority approves the recommendations in relation to private sector representatives of the advisory panels as set out in Appendix 1 of the submitted report.

12.

Corporate Planning and Performance pdf icon PDF 172 KB

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Angela Taylor)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director, Corporate Services which provided an update on the final position on corporate performance including progress against the 2019/20 corporate plan priorities, risk management and budget position.

 

A summary of progress against the 2019/20 Corporate Plan headline indicators was set out in Appendix 1 together with a summary of the headline strategic risks. It was reported that three overarching corporate risks concerning the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic had been included in the corporate risk update.  These related to the financial impacts, the ongoing ability to deliver as intended against key corporate objectives and the delivery of frontline and business as usual services.

 

The final revenue budget position for 2019/20 was attached at Appendix 2.  It was noted that pandemic is impacting on the revenue and capital budgets in 2020/21 and work is being undertaken to consider what actions will be needed to address the emerging funding gap.  A report would be brought to the next meeting.

 

Draft annual accounts for 2019/20 have been published and it was intended that the final audited accounts will be approved by the Governance and Audit Committee on 30 July 2020.

 

In respect of business planning and budget 2020/21, it was reported that the business plans were being reviewed as a result of the pandemic and to better reflect the scope of the work required to become MCA ready.  An update will be brought to the next meeting.

 

Resolved:  That the information provided on corporate performance be noted.

 

13.

Minutes for Information pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Combined Authority noted the minutes of the committees and panels that have been published on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s website since the last meeting.

 

Resolved:  That the minutes of the Combined Authority’s committees and panels be noted.