Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed everyone to the meeting, and he introduced the Members present.

The Mayor addressed the meeting in respect of the latest position on the coronavirus pandemic.  The country was now 12 days into a new national lockdown.  Prior to the new national restrictions, South Yorkshire had been in the highest level of the regional tiered restrictions.  There was no doubt that South Yorkshire, alongside much of the North of England was, and very possibly would remain, in an incredibly vulnerable and dangerous position in relation to the spread of the virus.  On that basis, it had been agreed with the Government for South Yorkshire to enter into Tier 3.  The same considerations of health and wellbeing for the communities would drive any future decisions about how South Yorkshire must respond as the national restrictions were eased in December 2020.  These were difficult times for the communities, businesses and the public services across local government, together with social care and the health services.

It was hoped that the restrictions would start to bring down the case numbers and enable matters to resume back to normal as soon as possible.  A coronavirus vaccine was now in sight, which for the first time in 2020 was a cause for optimism and hope.  It was considered that science, technology and a great mobilisation of the public health system, army and local government would get us through this difficult time.  The Mayor considered that it was perhaps now the time for the Government to acknowledge that it was indeed the experts, whether they be the scientists or local government, that they should listen to.

In relation to the coronavirus restriction support, the Mayor stated that setting aside the hope for 2021, focus was being given to the here and now.  He was pleased to observe that today’s meeting demonstrated the commitment to deliver real and tangible support to help the economy and weather the shock.  This included extending the employment scheme Working Win to support a further 450 people with mental or physical health conditions to stay in or find work until March 2021, to put in place a £30m package of support for businesses that worked with the national support schemes, to support the local councils with financial support to deliver to the communities across South Yorkshire, to continue getting spades in the ground and cranes in the sky with the capital programme and to agree the investment of a further £45m of resources to deliver business support schemes, skills and employment support and a further programme of capital works to enable the economy to move.

The Mayor stated that in relation to the Flood Summit, that whilst COVID-19 had been a focus, the impact on the communities across South Yorkshire following the flooding that had occurred just 12 months ago had not been forgotten.  The Government had been pressed hard at the long-awaited Flood Summit, on their commitment to South Yorkshire, and they had subsequently been challenged to match the new commitment of £5.5m to protect 860 homes across South Yorkshire and to help  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

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.

Members were informed of the means by which the meeting would be

conducted, to be compliant with appropriate legislation and pursuant of SCR’s own Constitution.

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.

To identify whether there are any items of business that apply only to the South Yorkshire Members of the Mayoral Combined Authority, ie, where it would not be appropriate for non-SY Members to have voting rights.

It was noted that non-constituent Members were welcome to participate in the discussion of every item on the agenda.

Declarations of Interest by individual Members in relation to any item of business on the agenda.

Councillor Read declared an interest in the matters to be considered at agenda Item 13 Gainshare: Emergency Recovery Fund and Item 14 Programme Approvals in relation to the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council schemes, by virtue of being the Leader of the council.

Mayor Jones CBE declared an interest in the matters to be considered at agenda Item 14 Programme Approvals in relation to the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council scheme, by virtue of being the Leader of the council.

Councillor Houghton CBE declared an interest in the matters to be considered at agenda Item 14 Programme Approvals in relation to any schemes relating to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, by virtue of being the Leader of the council.

Councillor Dore declared an interest in the matters to be considered at agenda Item 13 Gainshare: Emergency Recovery Fund and Item 14 Programme Approvals in relation to Sheffield City Council schemes, by virtue of being the Leader of the council.

The Mayor declared an interest at agenda Item 13 Gainshare: Emergency Recovery Fund, by virtue of being a Barnsley MP.

None.

None.

None.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meeting held on

21 September 2020 were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.

A report was presented to update the Board on the outcome of negotiations with Central Government together with an outline of how the funds received would be deployed.

The Mayor stated that on Saturday 24 October 2020, South Yorkshire had entered into Tier 3 of the Covid restrictions as set out by Central Government, which had been at the end of the negotiations with the Mayoral Combined Authority, South Yorkshire local authority leaders and the Government.  The tier system had then been replaced by a month-long national lockdown for England from 5 November 2020.  Nevertheless, there was a need for decisions to be made on the £41.3m support that had been secured comprising of £11.3m support for track and trace and public health related activities, together with a £30m package for businesses and residents to mitigate the economic and social effects of the restrictions.

Councillor Dore stated that this had been an incredibly difficult time for everyone.  The £30m package was very welcome, but she considered that it was definitely not enough when looking at the individuals and organisations in particular the small businesses, freelance workers, sole traders and the self-employed that had fallen through the cracks in the Government’s scheme.  She considered that the work undertaken across South Yorkshire had been incredibly difficult, however she was really pleased that this had collectively and collaboratively concluded with a common scheme across South Yorkshire which would help those people that the Government had allowed to slip through the cracks in the scheme.  She expressed her thanks to colleagues and officers who had worked incredibly hard to get South Yorkshire to this point.

The Mayor stated that he was sure that Councillor Dore’s sentiments would be shared across the MCA.

Councillor Houghton CBE reiterated the positive nature of the Government’s scheme and the help that was required by the businesses.  However, prior to the national lockdown, South Yorkshire had been allocated £30m as a Tier 3 area, but the money had been utilised to support the impact of the national lockdown.  At the same time, the Government had allocated equivalent amounts of funding to other areas within the country going into the national lockdown.  Therefore, South Yorkshire would be no better off than other areas within the country.  The Government had indicated that post lockdown, that the areas would move back into their tiers which would mean that those areas returning back into Tiers 1 and 2 would have a financial advantage over South Yorkshire, as the restrictions placed upon Tier 3 were much more severe than those in Tiers 1 and 2.  It was important for South Yorkshire to receive additional funding to support the position in December 2020.  He had raised the position with the Local Government Association who would address the matter with the Ministers.

Mayor Jones CBE concurred with the comments made by Councillor Dore and Councillor Houghton CBE.  She emphasised the need to press the Government hard that South Yorkshire should not be put at a disadvantage,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

A report was submitted which presented the priority interventions that had been endorsed by the Thematic Boards for implementing the Renewal Action Plan objectives in the immediate term.

The Mayor stated that in response to the social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Renewal Action Plan had been published and submitted to the Government earlier this year.  The Plan had laid out how £1.7bn of investment in the region’s people, businesses and places could kick-start the fightback to the ongoing crisis.  The Plan had also formed the core of the submission to the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, which later this month would be drawn down to a one-year review.  He added that regardless of the Government’s decisions, the process of prioritising and delivering some of the much-needed interventions must commence.

Councillor Read considered that it was correct to provide as much support as possible within the MCA’s gift to support the local economy through what was likely to be an incredibly difficult situation over the next few years, in particularly to help people get into work or to stay in work, and to support local businesses.  He considered that it was correct to agree the report in principle, and he looked forward to helping to develop more detail around the schemes moving forward.

RESOLVED – That the MCA:-

i)       Considered the RAP interventions that had been prioritised by the Thematic Boards as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

Approved the use of £16.5m of gainshare revenue funding and £29m of gainshare capital funding to enable detailed development of the priority interventions.

A report was submitted which sought authority for the award of grant totalling £5.75m to the South Yorkshire local authorities in support of Covid economic recovery efforts, with a proposal that it be funded from gainshare resource.  The report also outlined the proposal to release a further £0.74m of gainshare funding to resource MCA pressures, and sought approval to progress the development of a Project Feasibility Fund and an Investment Framework.

RESOLVED – That the MCA:-

i)       Approved the award of grant totalling £5.75m to the four South Yorkshire authorities to support local Covid economic recovery efforts.

ii)      Approved the release of £0.74m of gainshare resource to support MCA financial pressures related to Covid.

iii)    Approved the creation of a revenue ‘Project Feasibility Fund’ to enable pipeline Development.

iv)    Approved the continuing development of an ‘Investment Framework’.

Delegated authority to the Chief Executive and the Section 73 Officer to transact the grant awards to the South Yorkshire authorities in the most efficient means possible.

A report was presented which sought MCA approval in relation to the following items:-

i)       Approval of three schemes with a total value of £8.18m Getting Building Fund (GBF).

ii)      Approval of one Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) Outline Business Case with a total value of £5,458,141 and early release of up to £546k development funding.

iii)     Approval of five change requests for existing Local Growth Fund (LGF) projects.

iv)    Approval for the acceptance of a grant totalling £40.16m for the A630 Parkway Widening Scheme and the onward award of that grant to Rotherham MBC.

v)      Approval for delegated authority to be granted to the Head of Paid service in consultation with the Section 73 Officer and the Monitoring Officer to enter into legal agreement for the schemes.

An award of £33.6m GBF had been made to the MCA on 30 June 2020 to invest in ‘shovel-ready’ projects that would provide stimulus to local economies, with the funds to be utilised by 31 March 2022.

RESOLVED – That the MCA approved:-

i)       The acceptance of a grant from the Department for Transport totalling £40.16m for the A630 Parkway Widening Scheme, and the onward award of that grant to Rotherham MBC.

ii)      Progression of Heart of the City Breathing Spaces to full approval and award of £4m grant to Sheffield City Council subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table.

iii)     Progression of Rotherham Town Centre Masterplan to full approval and award of £2.18m grant to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table.

iv)    Progression of Century BIC II to full approval and award of £2m grant to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table.

v)      Progression of iPort Bridge to Full Business Case and award of up to £546k business case development costs to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table.

vi)    Project change request from “Digital Engineering Skills Development Network” to agree an extension to works completion from September 2020 to September 2021, reprofile of £1.2m grant from 20/21 to 21/22 and reprofile of outputs and outcomes in accordance with the revised timescales.

vii)   Project change request from “M1 J37 Phase 2” to agree a reprofile of up to £4.07m grant from 20/21 to 21/22 and reprofile of outputs and outcomes in accordance with the revised timescales.

viii)  Project change request from” M1 J36 Phase 1 (Hoyland)” to agree an extension to works completion from 20/21 to 21/22, reprofile of up to £544k grant from 20/21 to 21/22 and reprofile of outputs and outcomes in accordance with the revised timescales.

ix)    Project change request from “Greasbrough Road Corridor” to agree an extension to works completion from April 2021 to September 2021 and reprofile of £1.05m from 20/21 to 21/22 and reprofile of outputs and outcomes in accordance with the revised timescales.

x)      Project change request from “First Group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

A report was submitted to present the MCA with a proposal for the allocation of Transport Infrastructure and Investment Fund - Pothole and Challenge Fund Allocation from the Department for Transport (Dft).

In May 2020, the DfT had announced that it had awarded Sheffield City Region £13.605m from the £1.7bn Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund (TIIF), to improve journeys for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers across England through repairs to local roads.  Following a delay, the settlement letter for the award had been provided on 11 September 2020.

RESOLVED - That the MCA agreed to the proposal for distribution of the funding.

A report was presented to seek approval of the Annual Statement of Accounts and the Annual Governance Statement.

The MCA was required to prepare an annual Statement of Accounts and to perform an annual review of the effectiveness of systems of internal controls through the publication of an Annual Governance Statement by the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015.

RESOLVED – That the MCA approved:-

i)       The Annual Statement of Accounts.

The Annual Governance Statement.

A report was submitted which provided revised budget forecasts to the end of the year, including the adoption of a number of new funding streams.

The economic disruption caused by coronavirus and the resultant fiscal response from the Government had resulted in a significant change to the MCA’s capital and revenue budgets over the course of the year.  The MCA’s financial position had been reviewed by a second budget revision exercise that had been undertaken at the mid-year mark.

RESOLVED – That the MCA:-

i)       Adopted the revised budget estimates.

ii)      Approved the adoption into the capital programme of a gainshare capital fund totalling £18m.

iii)     Approved an increase in the revenue budget ceiling by £42m to accommodate gainshare funded activity and Covid Tier 3 Restriction funding.

iv)    Noted the slower than forecast pace of the capital programme.

Approved the contracting arrangements to secure external support for the delivery of the Adult Education Budget Implementation Plan.

A report was presented which outlined the process for developing the budget and the supporting business plan for the new financial year. The report noted the challenging environment in which the process was taking

place, and the need for engagement with partners.

RESOLVED – That the MCA:-

i)       Noted the budget and business planning process being undertaken within the MCA.

ii)      Noted the significant uncertainties shaping the process.

Noted the proposed approval timeline.

A report was submitted which proposed an amendment to the threshold at which the MCA’s statutory officers were authorised to take decisions under delegation from the MCA for certain types of contracting for goods and services.  The proposal would align the MCA decision making processes to that of SYPTE and reduce the number of operational matters coming before the MCA Board.

RESOLVED – That the MCA approved the increase in the delegation threshold under which statutory officers may accept a tender or quotation for the supply of goods, services, or materials to £200k for matters that could not be otherwise approved by a Thematic Board.

A report was presented which proposed the adoption of a new suite of Contract Procedure Rules as part of the MCA’s Constitutional documents.  The adoption of the new Contract Procedure Rules would ensure that the MCA’s core processes remained fit for purpose as its business evolved.

Mayor Jones CBE requested that wherever possible, the monies should be spent within the procurement processes to ensure value for money with the local authorities within South Yorkshire, in order to help to stimulate its economy, instead of looking further afield.

RESOLVED – That the MCA approved the adoption of the proposed Contract Procedure Rules.

A report was submitted which presented a new risk management policy and process, following a full internal Management Board review and an Internal Audit Report, which had enabled the risk management framework of the MCA to be revised and refreshed.

RESOLVED – That the MCA considered and approved the revised Risk Management Policy.

A report was presented which provided the details of the delegations agreed by the MCA which were in addition to those made under the Scheme of Delegation, together with the details of the decisions taken under the delegation made to the Thematic Boards and the subsequent delegations made to officers where appropriate.

RESOLVED – That Members noted the decisions and delegations made.