Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair welcomed attendees to the meeting and apologies were noted as above.

The Mayor wished members a happy new year, and noted that he was looking forward to a year of significant change for South Yorkshire, including working to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport, building greater investment in the region’s economy, and fixing the region’s public transport system.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair is of the opinion should be considered at the meeting; the reason(s) for such urgency to be stated.

None.

To identify where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.  (For items marked * the public and press may be excluded from the meeting.)

None.

Those Members with membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme declared an interest in item no. 12, noting the dispensation granted in accordance with the Constitution.

None.

None.

J Carpenter presented the following questions:

“Bus services in South Yorkshire continue to deteriorate. Reliability is appalling - it is no joke waiting for buses that don't materialise on cold wet winter days. As a member of Better Buses for South Yorkshire I voice our concern at the delayed progress of the franchising process. Please will you disclose the timetable for the stages involved?

Also, as transport was one of the main themes of the SY Citizens' Assembly, please can you say when its findings will be published, or do we have to wait till after the prospective Youth Assembly reports?”

The Mayor responded that he agreed with the concerns raised, and stated his commitment to fixing public transport in South Yorkshire. 

He noted that the MCA funds many services, and tries to keep fares discounted for passengers, but that’s since the pandemic, the cost to South Yorkshire for declining commercial networks has risen from £7m to £21m. He added that South Yorkshire had missed out on Government funding by around £30 per head relative to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, or West Yorkshire.

He stated that the law places limits on the steps which much be followed before a franchised bus system can be agreed, and that it was not possible to predict a timeline due to possible challenges which may arise through both audit and public consultation.

Finally, he stated that the Citizens’ Assembly had concluded in December 2023, and that he hoped that the final report would be published in the next few weeks.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th November 2023 be agreed as a true and accurate record

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th November 2023 be agreed as a true and accurate record.

RESOLVED: to note the update.

An update was presented on the Review of the Assurance Framework, which noted that:

• Systemic changes made to the Framework in the current year had had a positive impact on the development of schemes,
• Any further feedback on the Framework for 2024/25 was welcomed from all Local Authorities.

RESOLVED: to note the update.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1.    Endorses the South Yorkshire Supertram Business Plan, which is attached as Appendix A

2.    Notes that the South Yorkshire Supertram Business Plan has informed the MCA’s 2024/25 budget allocation to subsidise the first year of SYFTL’s operation.

3.    Notes that the Business Plan will be reviewed annually by the SYFTL Board in line with the MCA’s budget planning cycle and will be approved by the MCA Board.

The Supertram Business Plan 2024/5 was presented for approval.

The report noted that:

• The proposed 2024/24 Transport Levy budget was accounted for in the Business Plan,
• The Tram operating organisation would be governed by the MCA, and led by a Board made up of both MCA and operating body representatives.

Cllr Hunt welcomed the item and stressed the importance of the tram as a method of public transport for many communities in South Yorkshire.

Mayor Jones noted that a programme of tram asset renewal would be required, and that Government expects this to be funded through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) monies. She noted that South Yorkshire had received comparatively less transport funding than other regions, and called for greater fairness in funding allocations across regions.

Mayor Jones also noted misinformation which had been circulated on the ‘CRSTS 2’ allocation, and stated that the indicative £1.45bn had not yet been allocated. She again called on the government to provide specific funding for tram renewal, to free up monies for funding bus services. 

Cllr Houghton stressed that bus services are the priority for residents in Barnsley. He agreed with the maintaining the tram system due to its importance to many residents and also possible expansion in the future, but  emphasised that he would like to see greater investment in to the bus network in order to meet the needs of all residents in South Yorkshire.

The Mayor noted that the MCA has always owned the tram network, but that he looked forward to it now being run in the public interest, and not commercial interests. He stated his commitment to working with Government to ensure that the tram is invested in, and forms part of a fully integrated network. He reiterated that buses are his greatest priority for South Yorkshire.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1.    Endorses the South Yorkshire Supertram Business Plan, which is attached as Appendix A

2.    Notes that the South Yorkshire Supertram Business Plan has informed the MCA’s 2024/25 budget allocation to subsidise the first year of SYFTL’s operation.

Notes that the Business Plan will be reviewed annually by the SYFTL Board in line with the MCA’s budget planning cycle and will be approved by the MCA Board.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Note the progress made in the SYMCA’s work to attract further investment into South Yorkshire ; and,
2. Agree the proposal to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Yorkshire Pension Authority.

A report on Institutional Investment by the South Yorkshire Pension Authority was presented for approval by Mayor Jones.

The report set out a proposal to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Yorkshire Pension Authority, which would help to deepen relationships with investors and ensure that investors can play an active role in the economic growth in the region.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Note the progress made in the SYMCA’s work to attract further investment into South Yorkshire ; and,

Agree the proposal to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Yorkshire Pension Authority.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Give in principle agreement to enter into a Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England.
2. Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service, Section 73 and Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Mayor and Leaders to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England to establish a Strategic Place Partnership

A report on a Homes England Strategic Place Partnership was presented for approval by Mayor Jones. She noted that such a partnership would allow the MCA to influence more investment decisions earlier on in the process, and that other regions such as Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire had pursued similar partnerships with success.

Cllr Hunt noted that the existing partnership between Sheffield City Council and Homes England had supported the building of many new homes in Sheffield, and welcomed the proposal as an opportunity to build more housing in the region.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Give in principle agreement to enter into a Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England.

Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service, Section 73 and Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Mayor and Leaders to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England to establish a Strategic Place Partnership

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Approve a 2% increase on the transport levy;
2. Approve the maintenance of local authority subscriptions at current levels;
3. Note the proposal to not set a Mayoral Precept for the coming year; and,
4. Approve the acceptance of £7.80m in BSIP+ Phase 2 funding.

A report on Budget and Business Plan Development 2024/25 was presented.

Members noted that an increase to the transport levy was being proposed, to address inflationary pressures which will lead to further pressure on the bus system.

The Executive Director Resources & Investment noted that agreement had been reached with the South Yorkshire Directors of Finance on the distribution of the levy using verified population data statistics whilst discussions were ongoing with the Office for National Statistics on the latest data releases.

The Mayor noted that the Mayor of South Yorkshire has the ability to raise a Mayoral Precept, a charge on households, but that this does not extend to funding public transport, and one had not been raised for the next financial year.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1. Approve a 2% increase on the transport levy;
2. Approve the maintenance of local authority subscriptions at current levels;
3. Note the proposal to not set a Mayoral Precept for the coming year; and,

Approve the acceptance of £7.80m in BSIP+ Phase 2 funding.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1.    Approve a SYMCA led project change request for “Zero Emission Buses” and commitment of a further £0.28m to be funded from the CRSTS ZEBRA allocation, as detailed in 1.3

2.    Approve a Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council led project change request for “Market Gate Bridge” and commitment of a further £1m to be funded from recycled Local Growth Fund, as detailed in 1.4

3.    Note the update on the ZEBRA 2 submission to the Department for Transport (DfT) and requests approval to accept any resulting grant.

4.    Note the update on Project O0214 detailed in Appendix B and request acceptance of grant award.

5.    Accept £3.99m of additional highways capital maintenance funding from DfT and onward award.

6.    Accept £0.33m of Traffic Signal Obsolescence grant funding from DfT and onward award.

7. Progress “Bike Works Active Travel Hub” from Outline Business Case to Full Business Case and in principle approval to award £0.95m to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council subject to the conditions set out in the Assurance Summary
8. Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service in consultation with the Section 73 and Monitoring Officer to enter into legal agreements for the schemes above

A Programme Approvals Report was presented.

Members welcomed proposals and highlighted the ZEBRA 2 submission in particular as being critical to securing more buses in South Yorkshire.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

1.    Approve a SYMCA led project change request for “Zero Emission Buses” and commitment of a further £0.28m to be funded from the CRSTS ZEBRA allocation, as detailed in 1.3

2.    Approve a Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council led project change request for “Market Gate Bridge” and commitment of a further £1m to be funded from recycled Local Growth Fund, as detailed in 1.4

3.    Note the update on the ZEBRA 2 submission to the Department for Transport (DfT) and requests approval to accept any resulting grant.

4.    Note the update on Project O0214 detailed in Appendix B and request acceptance of grant award.

5.    Accept £3.99m of additional highways capital maintenance funding from DfT and onward award.

6.    Accept £0.33m of Traffic Signal Obsolescence grant funding from DfT and onward award.

7. Progress “Bike Works Active Travel Hub” from Outline Business Case to Full Business Case and in principle approval to award £0.95m to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council subject to the conditions set out in the Assurance Summary

Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service in consultation with the Section 73 and Monitoring Officer to enter into legal agreements for the schemes above

RESOLVED that the decisions and delegations made under delegated authority up to January be noted.

The Board was provided with details of decisions and delegations made by under the Officer Scheme of Delegation since the previous meeting.

RESOLVED that the decisions and delegations made under delegated authority up to January be noted.