Agenda and minutes

In the event of a fire, please await direction from staff who will assist with the evacuation.   Please do not return to the building until instructed to do so by the fire warden(s).

 

The Chair thanked Bristol City Council for hosting the meeting, welcomed attendees to the meeting and introduced his colleagues:

·       Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council and Deputy Mayor of the Combined Authority

·       Mayor Marvin Rees, Bristol City Council

·       Cllr Dine Romero, Leader, Bath & North East Somerset Council

·       Cllr Donald Davies, Leader, North Somerset Council

The Chair then explained that a new approach was being piloted in running this meeting. The Combined Authority Committee and the Joint Committee were separate bodies and, to date, had met separately, albeit usually on the same date.  To streamline the arrangements, a joint meeting of the two committees was being piloted on this occasion; this would enable a single public forum session to be held (rather than a session taking place separately at each committee) without impacting on the total time available for members of the public to present statements to the committee.  It was hoped this would be more user-friendly in assisting members of the public in accessing and participating in the public forum.  These arrangements would also mean that the respective Chairs of the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could make comments to both committees at the same time rather than addressing each committee at separate meetings.  From a practical perspective, an element of duplication could also be avoided as the committees would additionally be able to discuss, under the same agenda item, particular matters that otherwise would have been considered by each committee at separate meetings.  The new approach would be assessed after today’s meeting and kept under review but was likely to be adopted for future meetings.

 

The evacuation procedure for the venue was then announced by the Chair.

 

The Chair then informed everyone present that the meeting was being recorded and that the recording would be available to view after the meeting on the Combined Authority website. Any individuals present who did not wish to be filmed were asked to indicate this.

 

Apologies for absence were received from Professor Steve West, Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership.

 

Members who consider that they have an interest to declare are asked to: a) State the item number in which they have an interest, b) The nature of the interest, c) Whether the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest, non-disclosable pecuniary interest or non-pecuniary interest. Any Member who is unsure about the above should seek advice from the Monitoring Officer prior to the meeting in order to expedite matters at the meeting itself.

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

a. The West of England Combined Authority Committee is asked to confirm the minutes of their meeting held on 4 October 2019 as a correct record.

 

b. The West of England Joint Committee is asked to confirm the minutes of their meeting held on 4 October 2019 as a correct record.

The Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Combined Authority Committee held on 4 October 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

The Joint Committee RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 4 October 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

The Chair shared the following news about the Combined Authority’s recent activities:

 

1. Joint Local Transport Plan 4:  Taking on board comments received from the public consultation, the Joint Local Transport Plan 4 (JLTP4) had been published. This set out the region’s vision for transport up to 2036. It also showed how the West of England authorities aimed to achieve a well-connected, sustainable transport network that worked for residents across the region; the objective was to deliver a network that offered greater, realistic travel choices and encouraged walking, cycling and the use of public transport.?  

 

2. MetroWest phase 1:  The plans for MetroWest phase 1 had reached a key milestone with the submission and formal acceptance of the Development Consent Order application by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. This represented a big leap forward for the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol line and for the new MetroWest railway network as a whole. Major investments were being made in the public transport network that would improve rail services right across the region.

 

3. Maximising opportunities in creative industries:  Two new programmes had been launched to help the region’s creative businesses to grow and offer more career opportunities to people who were currently under-represented in the industry -

a. The Creative Scale-Up scheme gave creative businesses bespoke support to help them grow their business and become ready to take on investment. 

b. The Creative Workforce for the Future programme was working with the University of the West of England and Watershed to give more young people the opportunity to work in the creative sector.  The authority was working to support small to medium-sized companies to develop a more inclusive workforce throughout the region’s cultural and creative industries. Bristol was one of the BBC’s key sites and the BBC Natural History Unit was soon to be expanded as a core part of the region’s production activity. Bristol was also the home of Channel 4’s new Creative Hub, which the Invest Bristol & Bath team continued to support. These businesses needed skilled employees now, and this demand was expected to increase, hence the significance of the authority helping to enable this creative growth. 

 

4. Mentoring for Growth programme:  Together with Be the Business, the Combined Authority had launched a new Mentoring for Growth programme in the region. This new collaboration would help small and medium-sized businesses in the region to grow by connecting them with business leaders from large, multinational companies. Through sharing ideas, knowledge, expertise and experience, it would support businesses to boost their productivity, which was one of the key priorities set out in the Local Industrial Strategy. 

 

5. Green Business Grant scheme:  The Combined Authority had received a great response to the Green Business Grants scheme.  This had seen lots of applications from businesses keen to benefit from the £1m fund to help them make their buildings and activities more energy efficient, and help to protect the climate and environment.  The Combined Authority was also supporting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Questions:

Any member of the public can submit a maximum of 2 written questions. Questions should be addressed to the Chair of the committee and sent to democratic.services@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

 

For the 31 January meeting, questions must be submitted and received by the deadline of 5.00 pm on Monday 27 January 2020. Under the direction of the Chair, wherever possible, written replies to questions will be sent to questioners by the end of the working day prior to the meeting.

 

Petitions / statements:

If you wish to present a petition or make a statement at this meeting, you are required to submit this in writing by 12 noon on the working day before the meeting to democratic.services@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

 

For the 31 January meeting, this means that your petition/statement must be submitted and received by 12 noon on Thursday 30 January 2020.  Please note that one statement per individual is permitted.

 

Statements/petitions will be listed for the meeting in the order of receipt.  In presenting a statement at the meeting, members of the public are generally permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each if they so wish. The total time available for the public session at committee meetings is 60 minutes. Within the time available, every effort will be made to enable individuals to verbally present their statements; at the discretion of the Chair, speaking time may sometimes be reduced depending on how many public items are received.

 

Please note that all public items will be circulated in advance of the meeting to the committee members.

 

37 questions had been submitted in advance of this meeting, as follows:

 

1. Mary Collett - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

2. Hilary Burn - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

3. Rebecca Purslow - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

4. Oliver Owen - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

5. Helen Struthers - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

6. Kevin Tinsley - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

7. Moksa Rava - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

8. David Brenig-Jones - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

9. Sam Morris - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

10. Catherine Gilmore - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

11. Paul Hancock - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport Expansion

 

12. Mark Brown - Subject: Climate emergency/air flights

 

13. Chrissie Aslett - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

14. Helena Garcia - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

15. Jonas Eisenbarth - Subject: Climate Emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

16. Aidan Cassidy - Subject: Bus services / franchising

 

17. Chris Perry - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

18. Tony Jones - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

19. Joanne Bryant (for Stowey Sutton Parish Council) - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

20. Esme Roslin-Sprason - Subject: Bus services

 

21. Alison Allan - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol Airport expansion

 

22. Dave Searby - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

23. Matthew Jones - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

24. Penny Gilg - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

25. Nick Aslett - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

26. Nick Lewis - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

27. Jackie Head - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

28. Sami Goddard - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

29. Bill Roberts - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

30. Mel Cairns - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

31. Cllr Claire Young (South Gloucestershire Council) - Subject: Bus travel

 

32. Richard Baxter - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

33. Cllr Tim Kent (Bristol City Council) - Subject: South Bristol orbital highway

 

34. Cllr Tim Kent (Bristol City Council) - Subject: New MetroBus stop on Bamfield

 

35. Jan Jones - Subject: Climate emergency/Bristol airport expansion

 

36. Cllr Martin Fodor (Bristol City Council) - Subject: 31 January Committee report – Update on climate emergency planning

 

37. Cllr Carla Denyer (Bristol City Council) - Subject: 31 January Committee report – Update on climate emergency planning

 

The Chair advised that written replies had been sent to all questioners in advance of the meeting.

 

53 statements had been received in advance of the meeting, as follows (statements were presented by those in attendance):

 

1. Liz Rees - Subject: Climate emergency / air quality

In response to a question from Cllr Romero in relation to this statement, Liz Rees stated that, in her view, the Combined Authority should oppose the proposed expansion of Bristol Airport.

 

2. Jane Paxton - Climate emergency / air quality

 

3. Mary Collett - Climate emergency / Bristol airport expansion

 

4. Marcus Rees - Climate emergency / Bristol airport expansion

 

5. James Collett - Climate emergency / Bristol airport expansion

 

6. Amber Maloney - Climate emergency  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive any petitions to be presented by any member of the West of England Combined Authority Committee or West of England Joint Committee.

 

None for this meeting.

 

To receive any comments from the Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership.

 

None for this meeting.

 

To receive any comments from the Chair of the Combined Authority’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

The Chair advised that following their meeting held on 29 January, the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had submitted comments for consideration at this meeting. The comments had been circulated in advance of the meeting and would be available to view on the Combined Authority web site.

 

Cllr Stephen Clarke, the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee then presented the comments and highlighted the following points in relation to the report entitled “Update on climate emergency planning” (agenda item 15):

 

Overall, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was disappointed with the report and the rate of progress to date.  Members’ specific comments and recommendations were as follows:

 

a. Immediacy of action: The action taken to date as set out in the report did not indicate, in members’ view, that the authority was taking forward action on the climate emergency with the required pace and urgency.

 

b. Climate Emergency action plan: Members had noted from the report that the “next steps” included the development, in liaison with the West of England unitary authorities, of a Climate Emergency action plan.  A clear date should be set by which the action plan would be available to scrutinise.

 

c. Governance:  The report on today’s agenda recommended that a requirement be added to the terms of reference of all the authority’s governance boards to consider the impact of all decisions and advice on the climate emergency. Whilst Overview and Scrutiny members understood that the rationale behind this proposal was to seek to embed tackling the climate emergency into the authority’s governance, they nevertheless strongly recommended that a new Climate Emergency Board should be established by the Combined Authority to drive forward the regional response and to ensure that effective actions / priorities were taken forward as quickly as possible.  The scrutiny view was that the Cabinet lead portfolio member in each of the authorities should comprise this Board.  Scrutiny had an important role in monitoring progress and holding the authority to account but was not resourced sufficiently to take the responsibility for ensuring that the essential urgent action was in place / maintained.

 

d. Resources:

* Scrutiny members recommended that the Combined Authority should take on an additional employee to concentrate/focus/champion/co-ordinate activity.

* Scrutiny members felt that the £250k currently allocated to support regional climate emergency action was inadequate and should be increased. 

* Scrutiny members were aware that the authority’s £350m investment programme was set before the authority declared a climate emergency in July 2019. Nevertheless, they felt it was essential to maintain an ongoing challenge to ensure that investment priorities were re-assessed in light of the climate emergency declaration.  For example, investment in strategic park and ride sites should be brought forward at the earliest opportunity. Members believed that the Combined Authority should revisit the prioritisation of the major schemes list that was decided before the declaration of the climate emergency and re-assess them in the light of the emergency.

 

e. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also agreed to invite  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive any comments from the Combined Authority’s Boards.

 

The Chair advised that the four Combined Authority Boards (dealing respectively with Planning & Housing, Transport, Business and Skills) had all held meetings in January. The specific comments from the Boards about items on this agenda had been taken into account in terms of report preparation.  The comments had also been circulated in advance of the meeting and would be available to view on the Combined Authority web site.

 

Report enclosed.

The Joint Committee considered the latest Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Invest Bristol and Bath (IBB) revenue budget outturn report (agenda item 11).

 

The Chair advised that the report presented the forecast revenue outturn budget for the Joint Committee for the financial year 2019/20 based on actual data for the period from April to December 2019.

 

The report recommendations were then moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

Cllr Savage drew attention to and welcomed the effective work being taken forward through the Low Carbon Challenge Fund, working with businesses of all sizes to reduce their carbon footprint, for example through the green business grants administered by the Combined Authority.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

a) That £100k be allocated from the LEP general reserve to fund the continuation of support for businesses linked to the Hinkley Point development. 

 

b) To note the LEP Budget as set out in Appendix 1.

 

c) To note the IBB Budget as set out in Appendix 2.

 

d) To note that any underspend from IBB at the end of the 2019/20 financial year is returned to the Economic Development Fund.

 

Report enclosed.

The Joint Committee considered a report seeking approval of the 2020/21 budget in respect of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Invest Bristol and Bath (agenda item 12).

 

The report recommendations were then moved by the Chair and seconded by Mayor Rees.

 

Cllr Romero noted that the report (and the other reports included on the agenda) now included a standard assessment of the climate change implications of proposals.  She stressed the ongoing importance of ensuring that appropriately detailed and proposal-specific comments/assessments were included in all reports.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

a) That the LEP Budget for 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 1 be approved.

 

b) That the contribution required from B&NES, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils to support the LEP Budget be set at £110k each for 2020/21, with contributions needing to be reviewed for 2021/22 and beyond.

 

c) That the IBB Budget for 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 2 be approved.

 

Report enclosed.

The Joint Committee considered a report seeking the latest required approvals in relation to the Local Enterprise Partnership One Front Door funding programme (agenda item 13).

 

The report recommendations were then moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Romero.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

1. To approve the revised Local Growth Assurance Framework

 

2. To approve the Full Business Case for the A4018 Corridor Improvements and award of £3.449m subject to the updating of the economic case and the scheme continuing to present a BCR greater than 2 and confirmation of proposals for safe crossing facilities on Knole Lane or Crow Lane.

 

3. To approve the change requests for schemes within the LG programme as set out in Appendix 2.

 

4. To approve the changes requests for schemes within the EDF and RIF programmes set out in Appendix 3.

 

Report enclosed.

 

The Joint Committee considered a report providing an update on this project and which sought approval to delegate the decision on the commissioning of the Mass Transit Strategic Outline Business Case (agenda item 14).

 

The report recommendation was then moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

Cllr Romero suggested that it would be important to give public clarity as soon as possible about the vision for Mass Transit and about the mode or modes of transport that were likely to be taken forward for further assessment.  It was noted that public communications around this were planned within the next month.

 

In further discussion of this point, Cllr Davies stressed the importance of identifying options that were achievable; the vision for Mass Transit should be placed firmly in this context.

 

Cllr Savage welcomed the report and the progress to date and stressed the importance of moving this project forward and identifying and gaining full understanding of the realistic options that could be available.  In terms of immediate issues, he referred to the recent open letter from James Freeman, MD of First West of England about current traffic congestion, including traffic issues on the A4174 ring road that were being faced by the MetroBus service.  It was important to address these concerns; funding approved at a previous committee meeting would be used to help understand the issues and options for rectifying them as quickly as possible.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To delegate the decision to commission the Mass Transit Strategic Outline Business Case through the WECA Professional Services Framework to the WECA Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the relevant Directors of the constituent authorities.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee and the Joint Committee considered a report setting out an update on climate emergency planning (agenda item 15).

 

In moving the report, in relation to the recommendations for the Combined Authority Committee, Cllr Romero moved an amendment to add an additional recommendation 4 and an additional recommendation 5 as follows:

 

“That an additional recommendation 4 and an additional recommendation 5 be added as follows:

4. The committee highlight the environmental impact of Bristol Airport and call on the Government to provide the necessary support for Combined Authorities and Local Government, including Local Planning Authorities, to lessen this environmental impact in line with WECA’s climate emergency declaration.

5. To note that North Somerset Council is the local decision-maker for planning applications related to Bristol Airport.”

 

This was seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

Mayor Rees commented that in his view, the government needed to clarify its policy in relation to airports, particularly in terms of whether the overall strategy was to increase airport capacity around London, as this could potentially affect decisions taken on capacity at regional airports such as Bristol.

 

Cllr Savage welcomed the recommendations, as amended.  He also stressed the importance of the Combined Authority continuing to work with North Somerset Council and Bristol Airport in improving public transport access and connections to the Airport.  It was important to recognise, however, that the responsibility for determining planning applications relating to Bristol Airport lay with North Somerset Council.

 

Cllr Romero stressed the ongoing importance of ensuring that the consideration of climate change impacts was embedded fully into the Combined Authority’s decision taking.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations as amended.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

1. To note this update report on climate emergency planning.

 

2. That in relation to the agreed £250,000 towards climate emergency actions (WECA Committee - 19 July 2019), authority be delegated to the WECA Chief Executive to allocate funding in consultation with UA Chief Executives, in accordance with the Climate Emergency Plan and Energy Strategy.

 

3. That a requirement be added to the terms of reference of all governance boards, including the Regional Capital Board, to consider the impact of all decisions and advice on the climate emergency.

 

4. The committee highlight the environmental impact of Bristol Airport and call on the Government to provide the necessary support for Combined Authorities and Local Government, including Local Planning Authorities, to lessen this environmental impact in line with WECA’s climate emergency declaration.

 

5. To note that North Somerset Council is the local decision-maker for planning applications related to Bristol Airport.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To note this update report on climate emergency planning.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee and the Joint Committee considered the quarter 3 progress report in relation to the 2019/20 Business Plan (agenda item 16).

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To note the quarter 3 update on the delivery of the 2019/20 Business Plan.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To note the quarter 3 update on the delivery of the 2019/20 Business Plan.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee and the Joint Committee considered a report seeking approval of the 2020/21 Business Plan (agenda item 17).

 

The report recommendation relating to the Combined Authority Committee was moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

The report recommendation relating to the Joint Committee was then moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

As per her earlier comment at the meeting, Cllr Romero stressed the ongoing importance of ensuring that appropriately detailed and proposal-specific comments/assessments of the climate change implications of proposals were included in all reports.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To approve the West of England Combined Authority Business Plan for 2020-21.

 

The West of England Joint Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To approve the West of England Combined Authority Business Plan for 2020-21.

 

The Chair advised that, at this point, the Joint Committee had concluded its business and that the remaining items of business were for consideration solely by the Combined Authority Committee.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered the Combined Authority and Mayoral budget outturn report, which was based on actual data for the period from April to December 2019 (agenda item 18).

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

- To note the Mayoral Fund and WECA revenue forecasts as set out in Appendices 1 and 2.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered a report seeking approval of a budget for the West of England Combined Authority mayoral functions for 2020/21 (agenda item 19).

 

The report recommendations were moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Savage.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

a) To approve the Mayoral Budget for 2020/21 together with the funding contribution from the WECA Budget of £0.640m as set out in Appendix 1.

 

b) To agree the specific Highways and Transport Capital Grant allocations totalling £17.572m to the constituent councils for 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 1.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered a report seeking approval of the Combined Authority budget for 2020/21(agenda item 20).

 

The report recommendations were moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Romero.

 

With reference to paragraph 2.32, which referred to the 2020/21 levy to authorities for integrated transport services, Cllr Romero stressed the importance of securing all possible efficiencies through the transfer of this function to the Combined Authority.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

1. To approve the detailed WECA budget for 2020/21 as detailed in Appendix 1.

 

2. To approve the following new drawdowns against the WECA Investment Fund:

 

a) £1.465m Feasibility and Development Funding Applications for: the Regional Operations Capability – Phase 1 project (£75,000); Strategic Planning Shared Evidence Base (£250,000); North Fringe of Bristol Masterplanning (£500,000); South West Bristol Masterplanning (£500,000); Building Employment and Enterprise Skills (£20,000); Local CEIAG Action Research Activities (£20,000) and Apprenticeship Levy Maximisation (£100,000)

 

b) The conditional approval of the South Bristol Enterprise Support project and award of £483,000

 

c) The conditional approval of the Centre for Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation and a funding award of £5m

 

d) The conditional approval of the LIS Productivity Challenge Delivery Programme and a funding award of £2.737m 

 

Note: these approvals were subject to the consideration of the detailed schemes within the Investment Fund report detailed later on the agenda.  Recommendation (a) was included within the £53.0m WECA revenue budget for approval whereas (b) to (d) are not included until the relevant conditions (linked to the funding) have been met.

 

3. To approve a Transport Levy to the constituent councils of £18.8m to be applied for 2020/21, with a recharge of £1.9m applied to North Somerset Council, as detailed in Figure 6.

 

4. To approve the following virements within the WECA budget:

 

a) £200k from 2020/21 surplus Treasury Management income is allocated to create a transport ‘smoothing reserve’ to manage financial risks in relation to the operational transport services that are transferring to WECA from April 2020;  

 

b) £100k from 2020/21 surplus Treasury Management income is allocated to design and deliver a new WECA website;

 

c) £100k from 2020/21 surplus Treasury Management income is allocated to provide additional short-term capacity to financial services in order to deliver a fully automated financial system for the authority;

 

d) £100k from 2020/21 surplus Treasury Management income is allocated to create a revenue fund in order to respond quickly to potential new grant bids and/or any other inward investment opportunities.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered a report seeking approval of the Capital Strategy for the Combined Authority, including the Treasury Management Strategy and the Investment Strategy (agenda item 21).

 

The report recommendations were moved by the Chair and seconded by Cllr Romero.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

a) To approve the Capital Budget as shown in Appendix 1.

 

b) To approve the Treasury Management Strategy for 2020/21 detailed in Appendix 3.

 

c) To note the WECA Investment Strategy as shown in Appendix 2.

 

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered a report setting out the latest required approvals from the Investment Fund (agenda item 22).

 

The report recommendations were moved by the Chair and seconded by Mayor Rees.

 

Cllr Savage welcomed the proposals, and in particular the proposals to take forward strategic masterplanning for the North Fringe of Bristol; this was essential in the context of the vibrant local economy, the growing leisure and tourism sector in this part of the region and the development of the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood.   He also indicated his strong support for the proposal to approve the Full Business Case for the Centre for Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation and a funding award of £5m subject to the conditions outlined; it was important to recognise that this project included robust commitments in relation to low carbon and clean energy, and also to inclusivity, including engagement with a wide range of schools, including schools located in less affluent areas.  Finally, in the context of the Love Our High Streets project, he drew attention to and welcomed the progression of the Full Business Case to realise the opportunity presented through the Whitfield Tabernacle restoration project.

 

Mayor Rees and Cllr Romero also generally welcomed the report.  Mayor Rees particularly drew attention to and welcomed the proposed Full Business Cases and associated funding for the Lockleaze Sustainable Transport Improvements and South Bristol Enterprise Support projects.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

1. To approve the revised Local Growth Assurance framework.

 

2. To approve the Feasibility and Development Funding Applications set out in Appendix 2 and award of £1.465m.

 

3. To delegate approval of the detailed scoping and commissioning of work within the awards for North Fringe of Bristol and South West Bristol masterplanning (as agreed by the committee at its meeting on 14 June) to the WECA Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the Directors of the constituent Councils and the Transport Board and Planning and Housing Board.

 

4. To approve the Love Our High Streets assessment criteria as set out in Appendix 4.

 

5. To approve the Full Business Case for Lockleaze Sustainable Transport Improvements and a funding award of £3.346m subject to securing necessary consents and resolution of land issues. 

 

6. To approve the underwriting of £200,000 through the Investment Fund to re-establish the 2019-20 AEB growth and exceptions budget.

 

7. To approve the Full Business Case for the South Bristol Enterprise Support project and award of £483k subject to securing ERDF, confirmation that all match funding is in place, supply of an expanded risk register and finalising the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

 

8. To approve the Full Business Case for the Centre for Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation and a funding award of £5m subject to detailing the project work packages and their outputs, confirmation that all match funding is in place and finalising the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

 

9. To approve the Full Business Case for the LIS Productivity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Report enclosed.

The Combined Authority Committee considered the latest report and recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel (agenda item 23).

 

The report recommendations were moved by the Chair and seconded by Mayor Rees.

 

Cllr Romero commented that it was entirely appropriate for the posts covered by this review to be remunerated. It was noted that the Panel intended to conduct a further detailed remuneration review with a view to any further recommendations being presented to the committee’s annual meeting in June.

 

The Chair then moved to the voting on the recommendations.

 

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

 

To approve the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, as follows:

 

Recommendation 1:  Chair of Overview and Scrutiny to receive an annual allowance set at 5% of the Mayoral Allowance, £3,100 to take effect from 1st January 2020.

 

Recommendation 2: Chair of Audit to receive no allowance.

 

Recommendation 3:  Independent Member of Audit to receive an annual allowance set at 1% of the mayoral allowance, £650.

 

Recommendation 4: Independent Chair of the Hearings Sub Committee to receive an allowance of £256 per day when participating in a Hearing.

 

Recommendation 5: The Panel recommends that WECA looks to appoint separate individuals for the Independent roles at recommendations 3 and 4 given the different skill base required.

 

Recommendation 6: The Panel reiterates the point made in their review of September 2019 that there should be a more detailed review when they would wish to revisit the recommendations of both the September report and this report together with interviews with the Mayor, Deputy and Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny and Audit. This full report to be considered at the annual meeting of the West of England Combined Authority scheduled for June 2020.

 

Details of the decisions taken at this meeting and the draft minutes of this meeting will be published on the West of England Combined Authority website as soon as possible after the meeting.

 

In closing the meeting, the Chair advised that details of the decisions taken at this meeting and the draft minutes of the meeting would be published as soon as possible on the Combined Authority website.