Agenda item

To update on the overall programme and headroom.

The Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED to REFUSE officers’ recommendation to:

1)     Return the £4.1m balance of the previous allocations for the Land Acquisition and Development Infrastructure Funds and Love Our High Streets to create further headroom.

The Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

2)     To approve the Full Business Case for the Bath Local Centres High Street Improvement scheme and the award of £295k subject to confirmation of the match funding.

3)     To approve the Full Business Case for Bath River Line Phase 1 and the award of £1.048m subject to securing necessary planning consent and the value for money assessment for both phases presenting high value for money

4)     To allocate £79k to the Mini-Holland Pilot Scheme and delegate the approval of a Feasibility and Development Funding Application to the Combined Authority Chief Executive in consultation with the Chief Executives of the constituent Councils.

5)     To approve a further allocation of £10m for the development of an Outline Business Case for new public transport from the Investment Fund headroom.

6)     To approve the Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the B&NES Strategic Masterplanning and award of £1.345m.

7)     To approve the South Gloucestershire Council Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the Evidence to support Transition from Spatial Development Strategy to Local Plan Making programme and the award of £900k.

8)     To allocate a further £750k for Strategic Masterplanning subject to this being drawn down at the next Committee and delivery being completed by 2023/24.

9)     To approve the Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy – Active Travel & Green Infrastructure Greenway and the award of £482k.

The Combined Authority Committee considered this report which contained the following recommendations:

·        A proposal to remove the balance of the allocations previously approved for the Love Our High Streets programme, Land Acquisition Fund and Development Infrastructure Fund to increase headroom.

·        An approval of Full Business Case for the Bath Local Centres High Street Improvement scheme and Bath River Line Phase 1.

·        An allocation of £10m is requested for the development of an Outline Business Case for new public transport.

·        An approval for development funding applications for B&NES Strategic Masterplanning, and South Gloucestershire’s Evidence to support Transition from Spatial Development Strategy to Local Plan Making, and an increased allocation for Masterplanning of £750k.

·        An approval of the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy – Active Travel & Green Infrastructure Greenway funding application.

Voting arrangements:

Recommendations 3 & 7 – Metro Mayor abstained.

Recommendations 1,2,4,5,6,8,9 - Majority vote of the constituent councils including the Metro Mayor

Metro Mayor took separate vote on each recommendation.

Recommendation 1 – Moved by the Chair and seconded by Councillor Savage.

Councillor Toby Savage expressed his concerns with this recommendation and said that he would not support it today. Councillor Savage felt that there were projects across the region that could use these funds, such as acquisition of the former hospital site. The Love Our High Streets funding would be used to kick start he wider regeneration of Kingswood and how to use some initial funding from America through this fund in order to lever in a much more significant programme and investments for a number of different funds into Kingswood.  Councillor Savage felt that it was premature to be talking about closing those programmes down when some other parts of the region could benefit from these interventions Councillor Savage concluded that there was a need for more strategic piece of work around the use investment funds to best effect across the region.

Councillor Kevin Guy commented that he would not support the recommendation by saying that he would not take away valuable money from the Love Our High Streets regeneration. Councillor Guy added that projects should be delivered quickly and efficiently.

Metro Mayor commented there was a need to differentiate through projects that were slow, those really good projects and address the ones that were late. There was a lot of money in certain bank accounts not doing what it needed to do and if this recommendation is rejected then the proposal would be a delay to deal with delays.

Voting: 1 in favour (Metro mayor) and 3 against.

The Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED to REFUSE officers’ recommendation to:

1)     Return the £4.1m balance of the previous allocations for the Land Acquisition and Development Infrastructure Funds and Love Our High Streets to create further headroom.

The Chair moved the rest of the recommendations (abstaining from voting on recommendations 3 & 7).

Seconders for each recommendation, and their comments were:

Recommendation 2 - Councillor Guy welcomed this recommendation as much needed investment for Bath.

Recommendation 3 – Councillor Guy commented that this was part of B&NES delivering sustainable corridor.

Recommendation 4 – Councillor Savage welcomed this recommendation which would secure funding to support active travel ambitions in the area.

Recommendation 5 – Councillor Cheney welcomed the recommendation as progress towards transport network.  Councillor Savage added that there was a need for clarity on what the allocation of £10m for the development of an Outline Business Case for new public transport would buy.

Recommendation 6 – Councillor Guy welcomed the recommendation by saying that would allow putting together a quality team that would help deliver quicker and better strategic sustainable transport systems path for decades.

Recommendation 7 – Councillor Savage welcomed this recommendation by saying that this would properly resource technical work needed to achieve the development of South Gloucestershire.

Recommendation 8 – Councillor Guy seconded.  Councillor Savage commented that the region would have to grow irrespective of the SDS plans.

Recommendation 9 – Councillor Cheney welcomed the recommendation by saying that some 1,300 properties were at risk of flood and if we do not act the situation would become worse due to climate change.  

The Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED:

2)     To approve the Full Business Case for the Bath Local Centres High Street Improvement scheme and the award of £295k subject to confirmation of the match funding.

3)     To approve the Full Business Case for Bath River Line Phase 1 and the award of £1.048m subject to securing necessary planning consent and the value for money assessment for both phases presenting high value for money

4)     To allocate £79k to the Mini-Holland Pilot Scheme and delegate the approval of a Feasibility and Development Funding Application to the Combined Authority Chief Executive in consultation with the Chief Executives of the constituent Councils.

5)     To approve a further allocation of £10m for the development of an Outline Business Case for new public transport from the Investment Fund headroom.

6)     To approve the Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the B&NES Strategic Masterplanning and award of £1.345m.

7)     To approve the South Gloucestershire Council Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the Evidence to support Transition from Spatial Development Strategy to Local Plan Making programme and the award of £900k.

8)     To allocate a further £750k for Strategic Masterplanning subject to this being drawn down at the next Committee and delivery being completed by 2023/24.

9)     To approve the Feasibility and Development Funding Application for the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy – Active Travel & Green Infrastructure Greenway and the award of £482k.