Issue - meetings

To consider the joint report of the Director of Resources and the Director of City Development seeking in principle agreement to the Council providing financial assistance to support the delivery of the Leeds Rail Growth Package.

Appendix B to this report is designated as exempt under Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3).

The Director of Resources and the Director of City Development submitted a joint report seeking in principle agreement to the Council providing financial assistance to support the delivery of the Leeds Rail Growth Package.

The Board was informed by the City Solicitor that the relevant legal powers detailed within the report under which the financial assistance was being proposed was Section 3 of the Local Authorities (Land) Act 1963. However, Members noted that those powers only covered loans where the person to whom the money was advanced undertook the work. In this instance it would be Metro who built the rail infrastructure, rather than the owner/developer involved. Therefore, the powers in Section 3 would only be appropriate where the recipient of the loan undertook the works, and insofar as this was not the case, then the appropriate power was the new general power of competence within the Localism Act 2011.

Following consideration of Appendix B to the submitted report, designated as exempt under Access to Information Procedure Rules 10.4(3), which was considered in private at the conclusion of the meeting, it was

RESOLVED – That in principle agreement be given to the Council providing financial assistance to support the delivery of the Leeds Rail Growth Package, but that this be subject to the finalisation of the agreement of terms and conditions which ensure that the Council’s position is as secure as possible, and that final agreement be sought from Executive Board. 

(Prior to the consideration of the exempt appendix to this item and the subsequent resolutions made by the Board, Councillor Wakefield vacated his position of Chair and left the meeting room for the remainder of the discussion. This was due to Councillor Wakefield’s potential decision making role with respect to the Growing Places Fund, and wanted to avoid any perception of bias or predetermination on this matter. Councillor Blake assumed the position of Chair for the duration of the discussion upon the exempt appendix and the subsequent making of the resolutions).