Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Mayor welcomed Leaders and apologies were noted as above.

The Mayor addressed the concerns regarding the former Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner accounts and noted that:

·         Due diligence from the Mayoral Combined Authority finance team had found that £65m had been borrowed but no amount had yet been paid back.

·         The MCA was working at pace with external auditors, South Yorkshire Police, and the Government to identify a sustainable solution.

·         An independent review would be conducted.

The Mayor noted that he would be attending the first meeting of the Prime Minister’s Council of Nations and Regions later that week. The Council aimed to strengthen central Government’s relationship with Mayors and devolved administrations.

The Mayor’s Economic Advisory Council met in Rotherham in September and visited the transformative Forge Island regeneration project, as well as Factory 2050. The Mayor noted these projects as examples of the work taking place to grow the South Yorkshire economy.

The Mayor had attended the Labour Party Conference and engaged with senior Government ministers, including the Aviation Minister and the Business Secretary, to discuss South Yorkshire projects.

US nuclear energy company Holtec had announced their plans to make South Yorkshire the home of their new Small Module Reactor factory, pending a successful bid.

Cllr Jones stated that City of Doncaster Council were continuing to progress due diligence in procuring an operator for Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and that a full business case would be brought to the Mayoral Combined Authority Board as soon as possible.

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.)

There were no exempt items on the agenda.

The Mayor highlighted that Appendices B, C and D of Item 10 had been identified as exempt from publication, but that the substantive item remained open.

Leaders declared interests in schemes approved in their Local Authority area.

None.

G Hume presented the following petition:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am here today to present a petition of over 800 signatures to the Mayor in which we ask that the No 11 bus service be reinstated immediately. This bus route which was previously the No 47 has served people in the Herdings, Gleadless and Heeley communities for over 30 years.

The negative effects of the withdrawal of this vital transport link cannot be underestimated. Anecdotally we have heard from desperate workers who cannot get to their employment, care workers who cannot get to their service users, Parents who cannot get their children to school, Students who cannot get to college, Elderly and disabled people who are unable to access shops and vital services and residents who cannot get to clubs’ groups or their places of worship.

The arbitrary cancellation of this bus service happened effectively overnight, with no notice given, and no discernible consultation with community groups or other stakeholders.

This bus route not only runs through an area which is high on the deprivation index but also an area which is currently under a local regeneration plan. How is withdrawing a bus service that is a lifeline to so many people reasonable and proportionate? In addition, it's withdrawal is in flagrant breach of equality regulations as a high proportion of passengers are vulnerable elderly and/or disabled.

There should be a clear duty of care to residents in Sheffield to provide a regular and reliable service in order that they can go about their everyday lives. Therefore, we ask that remedial action is taken to restore this basic entitlement.

The Mayor thanked those who had taken time to prepare and sign the petition. He stated that as the network was run by private operators, a solution could not be provided at the moment, and that the current system needed improvement. Bus Reform was suggested as one example of improvement.

The Mayor agreed that bus routes through the communities affected were vital and offered to visit those impacted by the loss of service to speak with them directly.

None.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10^th September 2024 be agreed as a true and accurate record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10^th September 2024 be agreed as a true and accurate record.

RESOLVED That the Board considered:

1.1   The independent review letter, setting out the conclusions from the independent review of the bus reform assessment undertaken by PwC (Appendix A);

1.2   The independent review report prepared by PwC (exempt Appendix B).

1.3   The updated bus reform assessment (exempt Appendix C); and

That the Board approved:

1.4   Progression of the proposed bus franchising scheme to consultation in accordance with the provisions of sections 123E -123G Transport Act 2000.

1.5   Giving notice of the proposed bus franchising scheme, and to publish and make copies available for inspection of the proposed franchising scheme, consultation document, bus reform assessment and independent review report inaccordance with sections 123E(2)(d) and 123E(3) of the Transport Act 2000.

1.6   The delegation of all the tasks required to finalise the consultation document and other required material, ready for publication at consultation launch, to the Head of Paid Service, Section 73 Officer and Monitoring Officer.

The report on the independent review of the bus franchising assessment was presented.

The Mayor welcomed the report and the progress made on Bus Reform.

It was noted that:

• An assessment had been completed of how Bus Reform could be implemented, and an external audit had found this to be accurate.
• If the Board was in favour, the next step would be to undertake a 12-week statutory consultation between 23^rd October 2024 and the 15^th January 2025.
• Various stakeholders would be included in this consultation, including but not limited to, bus operators, bus user groups and Local Authorities.
• An independent report would be created following the consultation, and a response to this report would be considered by the MCA Board meeting in March for a final decision on whether to proceed with a franchised bus network.

Leaders expressed the importance of a strong public transport network for South Yorkshire, highlighting the need for improved connectivity as well as further funding and support.

RESOLVED that the Board:

1. Considered the independent review letter, setting out the conclusions from the independent review of the bus reform assessment undertaken by PwC (Appendix A).

2. Considered the independent review report prepared by PwC (exempt Appendix B).

3. Considered the updated bus reform assessment (exempt Appendix C).

1.    4. Approve progression of the proposed bus franchising scheme to consultation in accordance with the provisions of sections 123E -123G Transport Act 2000.

2.    5. Approve giving notice of the proposed bus franchising scheme, and to publish and make copies available for inspection of the proposed franchising scheme, consultation document, bus reform assessment and independent review report in accordance with sections 123E(2)(d) and 123E(3) of the Transport Act 2000.

6. Approve the delegation of all the tasks required to finalise the consultation document and other required material, ready for publication at consultation launch, to the Head of Paid Service, Section 73 Officer and Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED that the Board considered and approved:

1.    Progression of City Centre Cycling / Cross City Bus to post Outline Business Case (OBC) in principle approval for up to £21.01m grant to Sheffield City Council, subject to the conditions set out in Assurance Summary A

2.    Progression of FourJaw Growth & Innovation Support to full approval and award of £0.28m grant to FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics Ltd, subject to the conditions set out in Assurance Summary B

3.    Progression of South Yorkshire Strategic Transport Model to full approval and an initial award of £2.92m grant to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority as detailed in 2.3.

4.    Acceptance of £3,500 grant from Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire (HeppSY) for the development of a partnership Uni Connect project with Careers Hub for academic year 2024/25.

5.    Change request for Hybrid Air Vehicles project and,

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

A Programme Approvals report was presented to the Board.

Leaders welcomed the schemes and highlighted the improvements that would be seen in their respective Local Authority areas.

RESOLVED that the Board considered and approved:

1.    Progression of City Centre Cycling / Cross City Bus to post Outline Business Case (OBC) in principle approval for up to £21.01m grant to Sheffield City Council, subject to the conditions set out in Assurance Summary A

2.    Progression of FourJaw Growth & Innovation Support to full approval and award of £0.28m grant to FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics Ltd, subject to the conditions set out in Assurance Summary B

3.    Progression of South Yorkshire Strategic Transport Model to full approval and an initial award of £2.92m grant to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority as detailed in 2.3.

4.    Acceptance of £3,500 grant from Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire (HeppSY) for the development of a partnership Uni Connect project with Careers Hub for academic year 2024/25.

5.    Change request for Hybrid Air Vehicles project and,

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

RESOLVED That the Board note the decisions and delegations made.

The Delegated Authority Report was presented.

RESOLVED That the Board note the decisions and delegations made.