Decision details

a)  To consent in principle to the regulations to provide the combined authority with the power to borrow for non-transport related functions, set out in the ‘minded to’ Devolution Deal.

b)  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 regulations further to any technical issues which may arise.

c)  To approve that all decisions taken by Executive Board from this report are exempt from call-in on the grounds of urgency.

The Chief Executive submitted a report which brought forward the next steps for the devolution of powers to West Yorkshire, and which sought in-principle consent to an Order which would enable the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to borrow for non-transport related functions.

With the agreement of the Chair, the submitted report had been circulated to Board Members as a late item of business prior to the meeting with the confidential appendix being circulated at the conclusion of the public part of the meeting, for the reasons as set out in the submitted report, and as detailed in Minute No. 87.

Responding to a Member’s enquiry, it was undertaken that arrangements would be made to provide Opposition Members with an opportunity to engage and receive briefings in relation to the matters being proposed.

Overall, Members welcomed the proposals and the further benefits that the devolved powers would bring.

In conclusion, the Leader highlighted that given the late submission of this report, as required by the Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules, the Chair of the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Board had been consulted and had provided his agreement in relation to the reasons for urgency which had been provided. 

Following consideration of the appendix to the submitted report designated as being confidential and therefore exempt from publication under the provisions of Access to Information Procedure Rule 9.2(a), which was circulated at the conclusion of the public part of the meeting and considered in private at that point, it was

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the Board’s in principle consent to the regulations to provide the Combined Authority with the power to borrow for non-transport related functions, as set out in the ‘minded to’ Devolution Deal, be confirmed;

(b)  That the necessary authority be delegated 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 regulations, further to any technical issues which may arise;

(c)  That approval be given for all of the decisions taken by Executive Board from the submitted report be exempt from Call In on the grounds of urgency and for the reasons as set out in paragraph 12 of the submitted report.

(The Council’s Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules state that a decision may be declared as being exempt from the Call In process by the decision taker if it is considered that the matter is urgent and any delay would seriously prejudice the Council’s, or the public’s interests. In line with this, the resolutions contained within this minute were exempted from the Call In process, as per resolution (c) above, and for the reasons as detailed within sections 12 of the submitted report)

As part of the statutory process, a public consultation was previously undertaken and the results were considered by Executive Board in September 2020.