Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Chief Executive which seeks the Executive Board’s consideration and consent to the Order required to establish a mayoral combined authority for West Yorkshire.

An initial covering report is provided to the Board which presents an update regarding the next stage of the process to implement the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal, as agreed between the region and Government in March 2020.

The substantive report and appendices on such matters will follow at the earliest opportunity.

Further to Minute No. 31, 1^st September 2020, the Chief Executive submitted an initial report supplemented with a substantive report and appendices which provided an update on the latest stage of the process to implement the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal as agreed between the region and Government in March 2020. Also, the reports provided details on the final stages of the process and sought the Board’s in principle consent to the draft Order, as submitted, which would establish a Mayoral Combined Authority for West Yorkshire together with other associated changes. The reports also noted that the four other West Yorkshire Councils together with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) were also being asked to provide their respective consent through their own decision making processes.

As referenced above, prior to the meeting Board Members were in receipt of supplementary information to the submitted report in the form of a substantive covering report and appendices for their consideration as part of this item.

As part of the introduction to this item, the Chair outlined the next steps in the process, highlighting that should all constituent Councils and the Combined Authority consent to the draft Order, the Secretary of State was scheduled to lay the Order before Parliament in December 2020. 

Board Members’ attention was drawn to the two areas where the draft Order differed from the ‘minded to’ devolution deal previously considered. Specifically this was regarding the Strategic Infrastructure Tariff and the Spatial Development Strategy, with it being highlighted that the Council had made additional representations to the Secretary of State in relation to the latter, following a resolution of full Council at its Special Meeting on 1^st September 2020. Members discussed and noted that both of these had been removed from the draft Order, with specific reference being made to the ongoing national planning reforms that were underway through the Planning White Paper. The second area to change was in respect of Highways powers, specifically regarding the roads that constitute the Key Roads Network (KRN) and the greater flexibility that the draft Order afforded in terms of agreeing the KRN.

Also, the Chief Executive explained that the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments was currently considering the draft Order, and may make minor technical amendments, with the Board being assured that such amendments would not change the content or substance of the Order. However, it was noted that this was why the Board was being asked to provide in principle consent to the Order today and delegate final approval, as detailed within the submitted report.

In noting that a special meeting of full Council had been scheduled for 26^th November 2020 to consider the resolutions made by Executive Board today, Members discussed the ordering of these special meetings, and how such matters were being considered by the other West Yorkshire Authorities.

The Board welcomed the initial gain share funding arrangements for the financial year 2020/21.

Members briefly considered the overall arrangements for devolution and the relationship between Government and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91