Agenda and minutes

Mayor Jarvis MBE welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were noted as above.

Mayor Jarvis congratulated Cllr Read and his partner Emma on the recent birth of their baby.  He welcomed Cllr Denise Lelliott who was attending in Cllr Read’s place.

With regard to Covid-19, Mayor Jarvis commented that infection rates across South Yorkshire were rising rapidly which was concerning.  Whilst thanking all those involved in the effort to combat the pandemic he reminded everyone of the need to remain vigilant.

The government had decided last week to announce changes to the healthcare boundaries in South Yorkshire, with Bassetlaw being removed.  Mayor Jarvis had spoken to Ministers on the issue to ensure the decision did not come at a cost to the region’s communities.

The MCA and the local authorities had acted quickly to get the Additional Restrictions Grant into the economy.  Figures showed that £45.64m had been moved into the South Yorkshire economy in just 231 days.

Mayor Jarvis informed the Board that the Government had confirmed revenue funding up to April 2022 to support Supertram.

A solution to the issue of direct rail connectivity to Manchester Airport from South Yorkshire had still not been received.  Mayor Jarvis had made his position clear that a solution must be found.  The Integrated Rail Plan had also still not been published.

Following the decision of the MCA at its June 2021 meeting to change the name of the MCA, Mayor Jarvis confirmed that the Chief Executive had agreed that the date for the legal name change from the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority to the ‘South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’ would be 17^th September 2021.

Mayor Jarvis offered his congratulations to Dame Sarah Storey on her selection for the GB Paralympic Squad at her 8^th Olympics and wished her the very best of luck in Tokyo.

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.

There was one urgent item entitled ‘Summer Travel Concessions’ which would be taken at item 18.

Mayor Jarvis commented that, as Members were aware, the effects of Covid-19 had caused a significant impact on bus patronage which had fallen to crisis levels and there was an urgent need to encourage people to use public transport.

The proposals set out in the paper were time-limited and designed to coincide with particular opportunities and challenges over the summer period. As the school holidays were now starting and the proposal was designed to assist families during the holidays, the matter couldn’t wait until the September MCA.  On that basis an urgent item had been brought forward for discussion today.  Mayor Jarvis thanked the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for his agreement in accordance with the 2017 Regulations to bring the paper at short notice and outside of the agreed MCA Forward plan framework.

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.

Cllr Houghton, Mayor Jones and Councillor Lelliott declared an interest in the matters to be considered at agenda item 14 entitled ‘Programme Approvals’.

None.

F Postlethwaite presented a petition entitled ‘Bring South Yorkshire buses back into public control.’

The petition read:

“We the undersigned call on Dan Jarvis to take South Yorkshire buses into public control - that means committing to franchising now.  We cannot allow private companies to continue cutting services, putting up prices and not meeting the needs of the travelling public.”

Mayor Jarvis thanked Ms Postlethwaite for her contribution stating that he was conscious that a Public Question had also been received on the issues set out in the petition.  He would review the content of the petition but hoped his response to the public question would go some way to demonstrating the MCAs commitment to the issues raised.

Two public questions had been received from F Postlethwaite.

Question 1

The Tory bus strategy stresses the need to “take into account the view of local people” in formulating the Bus Improvement Plan.  Are there plans for public forums to take place over the next couple of months across our communities, where bus users can be properly consulted?

Mayor Jarvis replied that extensive public consultation had taken place during the Bus Review in 2019 with 5,000 responses as well as a series of roadshows, public meetings and engagement with stakeholders across the region.

As part of the process to introduce a statutory partnership there was a requirement to consult on the proposals. Dates for the consultation were yet to be confirmed but would follow Department for Transport feedback on the Authority’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which was due for submission in October this year.

Question 2

Franchising is also being “actively looked at”.  The Betts review recommended that “the procurement of the necessary expertise to financially and legally investigate the process off franchising should begin immediately”.  Will that investigation involve looking at the financial savings which could be made by bringing our bus services into public control?

Mayor Jarvis replied that the MCA were fully committed to the transformation of the region’s bus services.  £3.2m had been invested to make an early start on upgrading the bus network in South Yorkshire, £6m had been invested to extend cheaper fares to 18-21 year olds through the Zoom Travel Pass and the urgent item on today’s agenda sought to do more.

Further investment would be planned through the City Region Sustainable Transport Fund which would increase investment in bus infrastructure further.

Before it could be decided which model of governance was right, there was a need to be clear on what a good bus service actually meant for South Yorkshire.  The MCA had published a Seven Point Plan in July 2020 which set out how the Region would respond to the recommendations made in the Bus Review.

The first steps of this plan were designed to identify what a good bus network looked like for South Yorkshire taking into account factors such as the design of routes, service frequency, environmental standards and service quality.  The work programme was well underway and would form the basis of the Bus Service Improvement Plan in October.

Once there was a clear picture of what good looked like an informed decision about which model would best deliver the Authority’s aspirations could be made, taking into account the benefits, costs and affordability of each model.

Mayor Jarvis stated that this was the right approach and he was confident that it would deliver the right outcome.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 7^th June 2021 be agreed as a true record.

P Zanzottera presented a report which set out the principles of the Department for Transport (DfT) Active Travel Fund 2021/22 and sought approval to proceed and submit the bid.

P Zanzottera informed the Board that he had spoken to Dame Sarah Storey who had sent best wishes to all and had reflected on the fact that it was just over a year since the SY Active Travel Plan had been passed and what amazing progress had been made despite the pandemic.

The Board noted the proposed submission packages.

1.        Business grants – approximately £1m of grants to go directly to businesses to assist active travellers when they arrive at work e.g. cycle parking.

2.        Loan bikes and ebikes - £0.25m for access bikes.  The MCA were leading in the country by having a regional co-ordinator and were ready to set up three additional centres to add to the one in Sheffield.  The aim was to buy equipment that could be loaned to anyone with an impairment.

3.        Pedestrian crossings – this would have an emphasis on access to nature.  During the pandemic a lot more local journeys had been made and research showed that 20% of people expected to walk more after the pandemic.

The last packages were concerning road infrastructure and would be approximately £7m.

The first was the extension of existing routes and the second was the off-road network with the aim of making routes accessible to all.

The Board was also informed of two national pilot schemes for Mini-Hollands and GP Social Prescribing which were asking for expressions of interest.

RESOLVED – That the Board:

i)         Approve the submission of a bid to the Department for Transport.

ii)        Approve delegated authority to the MCA Statutory Officers in consultation with the Mayor and Co-Chairs of the Transport and Environment Board to make final amendments to the bid.

A report was submitted with regard to the South Yorkshire Intra City Transport Settlement submission to Government.

M Swales informed the Board that since the report had been written the name had been changed to the City Region Sustainable Travel Settlement.

Funding for eight Mayoral Combined Authorities of £4.2bn had been announced available from 2022-23.  The MCA was required to submit proposals to Government by the end of August 2021.

Programme objectives had been set out by HMT, these were:

• Growth and productivity
• Levelling up
• Decarbonisation
• Local contribution

Government had also confirmed that the MCA would also be able to access bus reform funding, local roads funding, Major Road Network and Large Local Majors, cycling and walking investment and local electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Limited time had been available between publication of the guidance and bid submission date.  Therefore, delegated authority was sought to approve the programme for submission by the end of August 2021.

RESOLVED – That the Board approve delegated authority to the MCA Chief Executive Officer and Group Finance Director, in consultation with the Mayor, Leaders of the Local Authorities, private sector co-chair of the Transport and Environment Board, to develop a bid for the City Region Sustainable Travel Settlement to submit to DfT by the end of August 2021.

A report was submitted which provided revised budget forecasts to the end of the financial year 2021/22.

The report took account of the latest financial information available and proposed a number of adjustments.  It also requested approval for the adoption of a number of new grants and provided an update on negotiations with the Treasury around a debt-cap which would allow the Authority to take advantage of some of the powers available under the Devolution Deal.

Members were informed that the funding proposals included at item 18 on the agenda were not included in the report.

G Sutton informed the Board that there had been a proposed extension to bus and tram support to the end of the current financial year.  Further details were awaited.

To reiterate what the Mayor had mentioned earlier, over £46.5m of financial support had been moved into the local economy through the locally designed and delivered South Yorkshire Business Support Programme which had provided a lifeline to local businesses and traders.

Expenditure at that level would allow the drawdown of the third, and possibly final, tranche of funding and proposals would be brought to Members in the coming weeks as to how the residual amount of funding could be deployed.

The budget had again been adjusted for additional money that had been made available by Government.  A further £12.5m of Growth Deal money dating back to 2018 had been drawn down following lobbying of the Secretary of State for Transport by the Mayor.  Proposals would be brought back in the coming weeks on how that money could be used taking account of bids that were already in the system and also taking the opportunity to address some systemic weaknesses and funding gaps that it had not been possible to bridge in previous years.

The budget had also been adjusted to take account of new money made available for the Made Smarter programme and money to build an extension to the Skills Bank programme.

With regard to the Capital Programme, this was showing some signs of slippage.  MCA officers and partners were working collaboratively to identify mitigations.

RESOLVED – That the MCA Board:

i)         Adopt the revised budget estimates.

ii)        Accept £12.5m of LEP City Deal transport capital funding secured by the Mayor.

iii)       Accept £0.4m of grant from the Careers and Enterprise Company.

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

v)       Note the ongoing negotiations with government around the agreement of a ‘debt-cap’ ahead of the receipt of borrowing powers.

A report was considered that requested approval of three Transforming Cities Fund funded schemes, subject to conditions set out in the Assurance Summary, early release of up to £2.35m development cost funding, subject to any conditions set out in the Assurance Summaries and approval of one project change request.

RESOLVED – That the MCA Board approve:

i)         Progression of Doncaster Road, Dalton OBC  to FBC and the release of development cost funding of £0.51m to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council subject to the conditions set out in the Assurance Summary attached at Appendix A to the report.

ii)        Progression of A61 Wakefield Road OBC to FBC and the release of development cost funding of up to £1.35m to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) subject to the conditions set out in the Assurance Summary attached at Appendix B to the report.

iii)       Progression of Tram Train Magna OBC to FBC and the release of development costs funding of up to £0.49m to SYPTE subject to the conditions set out in the Assurance Summary attached at Appendix C to the report.

iv)       One project change request as detailed in Appendix D to the report.

v)       Delegated authority be given to the Head of Paid Service in consultation with the Section 73 and Monitoring Officer to enter into legal agreements for the schemes covered above.

A report was submitted which sought approval to amend the Officer Scheme of Delegation to ensure that the Mayoral Combined Authority and SYPTE could take decisions relating to operational/organisational management in an efficient and effective manner.

Members were informed that it was important that the governance of the MCA was reviewed in light of changes to the organisation, in particular the wider remit following the 2020 devolution deal and the decision to dissolve the SYPTE and integrate public transport functions into the MCA.

Without changes to the Officer Scheme of Delegation there would be a significant increase in routine operational/organisational decision–making reports being brought to the Thematic Boards and the MCA.  This was because the present delegations scheme stated that all contract awards and spend decisions over £100k had to be determined at either a Thematic Board or the MCA.  With the integration of the SYPTE, which was an operational type of organisation, this would mean many contract award decisions being brought to Members despite the spend being part of the already MCA approved budgets and programmes.

The report also recommended that the Constitution be amended to clarify how external grants were applied for and accepted.

RESOLVED – That the MCA Board approve:

i)         The changes to the Officer Scheme of Delegation as set out in the report.

ii)        The changes to the Constitution as shown in the Appendix to the report.

A report was considered which presented a revised Code of Corporate Governance which reflected the findings of the Annual Governance Review which concluded in June 2021.

In line with the commitment to review the Code of Corporate Governance annually tthe Code had been reviewed, proposed amendments were shown as tracked changes in appendix A.  The Audit and Standards Committee considered the revised Code at its meeting on 15^th July and had recommended the revised version to the Combined Authority Board.

The report contained a summary of the proposed changes and details of a number of commitments that had been strengthened or amended.

RESOLVED:  That the MCA Board note the revised Code of Corporate Governance.

A report was considered which updated the Mayoral Combined Authority on:

• Decisions and delegations made by the MCA.
• Decisions and delegations made by the Thematic Boards.

RESOLVED – That the MCA Board note the decisions and delegations made by the MCA and the Thematic Boards.

This was an Urgent Item, as discussed at agenda item 3, and with reference to a Case of Special Urgency notice published on 21^st July 2021.

A report was considered which set out a request to approve the subsidy of multi-operator tickets during August and September 2021 to encourage patronage return to the public transport network and generate footfall in the region’s towns and cities.

The report considered two options.  The first option suggested a discount of 25% applied to the new ‘Flexi-5’ ticket range at an estimated cost of £60k.  The second option would see a 25% discount applied to all TravelMaster products at an estimated cost of £0.4m.  Both options would be for an 8-week period over August and September.

Cllr Lelliott supported Option 1 which would help people who were returning to work.

Option 2 was not supported because:

• The proposal had not been discussed by the Transport and Environment Board.
• There as a lack of detail given the level of spend.
• Concerns about a universal subsidy.
• Uncomfortable that the proposal encouraged non-essential travel when Covid-19 cases were rising rapidly.

Cllr Lelliott suggested that the matter be deferred and referred to the Transport and Environment Board (TEB).

Cllr Houghton supported Option 2 because of the potential bigger impact.  Whilst understanding Cllr Lelliott’s points, especially with regard to the TEB, measures were needed urgently to encourage people back onto public transport.

Mayor Jones also supported Option2, agreeing with Cllr Houghton that increased patronage on public transport was a priority.

Cllr Fox echoed the comments of Cllr Houghton and Mayor Jones and, whilst understanding Cllr Lelliott’s concerns, supported Option 2.

RESOLVED – That the MCA Board approve Option 2 as set out in the report.