Decisions

To accept delegated funding from Department for Education to support the new Lifetime Skills Guarantee: Level 3 Adult Offer to the value of £4,622,770 for delivery from 1 August 2021.

Approval for the scheme to progress through Activity 4 (Full Business Case) and work commence on Activity 5 (Full Business Case with finalised costs).

To award and enter into a contract for the provision of Full Service Legal Advice to the Combined Authority.

To enable ongoing work and completion of a scheme that will result in the delivery of 105 affordable homes on a remediated brownfield site at Beech Hill on the western edge of Halifax town centre. The work had previously been delayed as a result of the need for additional services diversion work to be carried out.

To approve the change request to the Beech Hill Phase 1 scheme to increase the timeframe for Decision Point 6 (Delivery) to 31 August 2023.

To approve that the Combined Authority enters into an addendum to the existing funding agreement with Calderdale Council for the changes in timeframe.

Approval for the scheme to progress through Activity 3 (Outline Business Case)

Approval for the scheme to progress through Activity 5 (Full Business Case with finalised costs) and work commence on Activity 6 (Delivery).Ro

Approval for the scheme to progress through Activity 5 (Full Business Case with finalised costs) and work commence on Activity 6 (Delivery).

To ensure funding is in place to enable property acquisition to take place on the Castleford Growth Corridor scheme which will deliver highway improvements as well as provision of new and enhanced cycle way and pedestrian footpaths along the corridor.

To approve that
•The change request to the Castleford Growth Corridor scheme for an additional £0.4 million development costs from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund is approved, taking the total approval from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund to £2.239 million.
•The Combined Authority enters into a funding agreement with Wakefield Council for expenditure up to £2.239 million from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund.

In accordance with the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, the consent of each Constituent Council and the Combined Authority is required to the draft Order.
The Constituent Councils are the City of Bradford MDC, Borough Council of Calderdale, the Council of the Borough of Kirklees, Leeds City Council and the Council of the City of Wakefield.
The draft Order reflects the “minded to” devolution deal and Scheme and includes the expected functions and supporting legislation, with exception of those matters already noted by the Combined Authority and the Constituent Councils at their meetings in November 2020.
The Government proposed some very minor amendments to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Election of Mayor and Functions) Order 2021. No substantive amendments were proposed by Government; the amendments are minor and for technical purposes or clarification only.

Following the meeting of the Combined Authority on 27th November 2020, the Combined Authority resolved to delegate authority to the Managing Director of the Combined Authority, in consultation with the Leader and Chief Executive of each Constituent Council and the Chair of the Combined Authority, to finalise and consent to the final draft of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority
(Election of Mayor and Functions) Order 2021 (the Order) further to any technical issues which may arise.
The Constituent Councils had previously also delegated authority to the Managing Director to finalise and consent to the final draft of the Order further to any technical issues which may arise, on the same terms at meetings in November 2020.
Further to consideration of the draft Order at the meetings in November, further amendments were proposed by Government, and the Managing Director has consulted the Leader and Chief Executive of each Constituent Council and the Chair of the Combined Authority about those proposed amendments. No objections were raised during this consultation to any of the proposed amendments.
The Managing Director has finalised and consented to the final draft of the Order on behalf of the Combined Authority and the Constituent Councils, attached as Appendix 1 to this report.

To enable development work to be accelerated on the proposed new rail station to be located between Cottingley and Morley, and adjacent to the White Rose Office Park, on the Leeds to Huddersfield line.

To approve the change request to the White Rose Station project to release an additional £1,346,200 of LPTIP funding taking the total
approval to £4,457,200.
The Combined Authority enters into a grant agreement with the developer for expenditure of up to £4,457,200 from the LPTIP
Fund.

To ensure funding is in place to enable property acquisition to take place on the Castleford Growth Corridor scheme which will deliver highway improvements as well as provision of new and enhanced cycle way and pedestrian footpaths along the corridor.

To approve that
•The change request to the Castleford Growth Corridor scheme for an additional £0.4 million development costs from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund is approved, taking the total approval from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund to £2.239 million.
•The Combined Authority enters into a funding agreement with Wakefield Council for expenditure up to £2.239 million from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund.

To ensure funding, from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme, is in place to allow for a 50% deposit to be placed for the order of 7 electric vehicles to operate the East Leeds DRT service, which is being developed in response to gaps in the core bus network, particularly in some of the more deprived areas of the city where unreliable and inconsistent bus services result in low overall bus patronage.

To approve that the change request to the East Leeds DRT project to increase development costs by £0.600 million to £0.900 million is approved, to allow for a 50% deposit to be placed for the order of 7 electric vehicles to operate the East Leeds DRT service

To ensure that funding is in place to support design, development and early construction works (as well as land acquisition) on the A629 Phase 1b scheme which would ultimately lead to improvements to the A629 between Elland Wood Bottom and Salterhebble Hill to the south of Halifax.

To approve that
•The A629 Phase 1b (part 1) scheme proceeds through decision point 5 of the Combined Authority’s assurance process and work commences on activity 6 (delivery).
•Approval to the A629 Phase 1b (part 1) scheme value of £5.810 million is given from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund (WY+TF), taking the total approval from the WY+TF to £11.48 million.
•An indicative approval to the A629 Phase 1b (part 2) scheme value of £15.32 million is given from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund (WY+TF), with full approval to spend being granted once the scheme has fully progressed through decision point 5 (Full business case with finalised costs) of the assurance process.
•The Combined Authority enters into an addendum to the existing funding agreement with Calderdale Council for expenditure of up to £11.48 million from the WY+TF fund.

To approve that
•The change request to the LPTIP Real Time Phase 2 to increase costs by £0.300 million is approved.
•Approval to the LPTIP Real Time Phase 2 scheme value of £0.300 million is given from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme, taking the total approval from the LPTIP to £5.860 million.

To ensure funding is in place to deliver 37 additional real time screens at bus shelters along The Headrow in Leeds city centre. This is in addition to the procurement and installation of 1,000 screens, to present Real Time bus information, at stops and shelters across the Leeds City Council area.

To approve that the next (and final) phase of the following Corporate Technology Programme (CTP) work packages:
oB06 Data Platform
oB07 Meeting Room Technology
oC01 Cyber Security
oC02 ICT Disaster Recovery
oE02 Digitising Services
proceeds through decision point 5 of the Combined Authority’s assurance process as a programme of work and work commences on activity 6 (Delivery).
To approve the total value of these packages of £577,959 from the allocated programme budget.

To enable work to commence on the delivery of the final packages of work as included in the Combined Authority’s Corporate Technology Strategy (CTS) as approved in March 2018.

To enable development work to continue on the scheme which aims to deliver cycle links from Halifax town centre towards Mixenden, Ovenden and Illingworth, as identified in the Calderdale Cycling Strategy, while also creating greater and safer space for walking within residential neighbourhoods of Ovenden and Holmfield.

To approve the change request to the Transforming Cities Fund: North Halifax Improved Streets for People scheme to release £0.420 million additional development funding for outline business case scheme costs. This brings total development funding approved to £0.630 million.

To approve that the Combined Authority enters into an addendum to the existing funding agreement with Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (CMBC) for expenditure of up to £0.630 million from the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF).

Approval for the scheme to progress through Activity 5 (Full Business Case with finalised costs) and work commence on Activity 6 (Delivery).