Agenda item

(Lead Member: Cllr S Hinchcliffe, Director: Ben Still)

The Combined Authority considered a report of the Director Policy, Strategy and Communications on the devolution deal for West Yorkshire.

Members noted the detail of the West Yorkshire “minded-to” Devolution Deal which was a welcomed announcement as part of the Budget in March 2020.  The report provided an overview of the Deal and the process required before the making of the Order in Parliament and to enable an election for a Mayor to take place in May 2021. 

The “minded-to” Deal is the starting point leading ultimately to the adoption of a mayoral combined authority model with additional functions which will require an Order of the Secretary of State.  Each council and the Combined Authority will need to agree specific actions as part of the statutory procedures which must be followed before the Secretary of State may grant such an Order and these were set out in the submitted report.

It was noted that a statutory Review of constitutional arrangements and functions for the proposed electoral area and preparing and adopting a Scheme would be carried out and this will then go out to public consultation. Councils and the Combined Authority will have the opportunity to consider the representations received before deciding to submit the Scheme to the Secretary of State setting out proposed arrangements, along with a summary of consultation responses. The consent of each council and the Combined Authority will subsequently be required to the making of the Order.  It was proposed to follow the process set out in the flow chart provided in the report (with additional detail attached at Appendix 3).

Members discussed and endorsed the “minded to” Deal text which was attached as Appendix 1 and agreed that a statutory Review be undertaken jointly by the Constituent Councils and the Combined Authority. 

The Authority discussed the main decisions and estimated timescales involved in obtaining the necessary secondary legislation which were outlined in Appendix 4.  It was acknowledged that the timescales may be challenging due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Information would continue to be shared with Members and additional briefings and discussions could be arranged as required.

It was agreed that the decisions taken in respect of the report be exempt from call-in by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  This was on the grounds of urgency as any delay caused by the call-in process would prejudice the Combined Authority’s and Constituent Councils’ interests as delaying the start of the statutory Review process, which would have a significant detrimental impact on the proposed timeline set out in Appendix 4.

A summary of consultation responses will be brought back to the Constituent Councils and the Combined Authority for approval before the Scheme is submitted to the Secretary of State at the end of July 2020.

Resolved:

(a)       That the Deal agreed and attached as Appendix 1 to the submitted report be endorsed.

(b)       That the Combined Authority should be party, together with the fiveConstituent Councils of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield –to a Review of the Combined Authority’s constitutional arrangements and of the functions carried out by the Combined Authority over the Combined Authority’s area, as set out in paragraph 2 of this report and pursuant to S111 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.

(c)        That the Combined Authority’s Managing Director, in consultation with the Chief Executive of each Constituent Council, be authorised to carry out the Review on behalf of each Constituent Council and the Combined Authority.

(d)       That the Combined Authority’s Managing Director, in consultation with the Chief Executive of each Constituent Council, and on behalf of each Constituent Council and the Combined Authority be authorised to prepare a draft Scheme for consideration by the Constituent Councils and the Combined Authority, subject to the outcome of the Review.

(e)       That the provisional timetable set out in Appendix 4 to the submitted report be noted and the next steps including, if appropriate, the submission of a summary of the consultation to the Secretary of State by the end of July 2020, so that a mayoral combined authority model and associated changes may be adopted and implemented by May 2021, as set out in the Deal but noting that this may be impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

(f)        That the decision be exempt from call-in on the grounds of urgency, for the reasons set out in paragraph 6.1 of the submitted report.