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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Executive |
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Date |
14 February 2023 |
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Present |
Councillors D’Agorne (Vice-Chair, in the Chair), Ayre, Craghill, D'Agorne, Mason, Runciman, Smalley, Waller and Widdowson |
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Apologies
In Attendance
Officers in Attendance |
Councillor Aspden
Councillor Kilbane (in place of Cllr Douglas)
Ian Floyd – Chief Operating Officer Bryn Roberts – Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer Debbie Mitchell – Chief Finance Officer Neil Ferris – Corporate Director of Place Sharon Stoltz – Director of Public Health Martin Kelly – Corporate Director of Children & Education James Gilchrist - Director of Environment, Transport & Planning Will Boardman - Head of Corporate Policy & City Partnerships |
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Part A - Matters Dealt With Under Delegated Powers
90. Declarations of Interest (14:36)
Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on the agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests None were declared.
91. Minutes (14:36)
Resolved: That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 26 January 2023 be approved, and signed by the Chair as a correct record.
92. Public Participation (14:37)
It was reported that there had been five registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
The Chair confirmed that he had refused a further late request to speak on Item 4, noting that this was within his discretion and there would be opportunities for people to make their views known on this matter through the consultation process.
Flick Williams spoke on Agenda Item 4 (Local Transport Consultation). She welcomed the commitment to inclusive consultation but queried how the council would overcome ‘consultation fatigue’ and loss of trust from disabled people, whose views had previously been ignored.
Andy Shrimpton spoke on Item 4 on behalf of York Cycle Campaign. He supported the overall vision of the Strategy but expressed concerns around a lack of ambition and failure to implement active travel schemes.
Anthony May spoke on Item 4 on behalf of York Civic Trust. He welcomed the consultation, circulating copies of the Trust’s own Transport Strategy to Members as a contribution, and stressed the need for action in the meantime.
Cllr Vassie spoke on Item 4, supporting the comments of the previous speaker, highlighting the reference to other European cities at page 102 of the papers and stressing the need for viable alternative solutions to achieving a 70% cut in carbon emissions.
Carolyn Frank spoke on Agenda Item 5 (York & North Yorkshire Devolution – Outcome of Consultation) on behalf of the York & North Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses, expressing support for devolution and the opportunities it would bring to local business.
93. York Local Transport Consultation (14:57)
The Director of Environment, Transport & Planning presented a report which sought approval to carry out consultation with stakeholders and residents on a draft Local Transport Strategy that reflected the priorities set out in the 10-Year Strategies and the Local Plan.
The draft Strategy, attached as Annex B to the report, set out the high-level principles and priorities for York that would underpin future transport policies. It had been developed with the help of a cross-party working group and took account of the results of the ‘Our Big Conversation’ consultation carried out in summer 2022’, as summarised in paragraph 14 and detailed in Annex A. As outlined in paragraphs 28-35, under Devolution the Combined Authority would become the new Transport Authority but City of York Council would retain responsibility for highways and be a standing member of the Combined Authority’s transport committee.
In response to comments made under Public Participation, the Chair stressed that this was very much the start of the process. He acknowledged the challenges ahead and encouraged all to take part in the consultation. In supporting the proposals, he thanked officers for bringing the process to this stage, noting that the Strategy reflected the post-Covid world and underpinned compliance with the Climate Change Strategy.
Resolved: (i) That that the Draft Transport Strategy set out in Annex B to the report be approved as the basis for consultation on York’s future local transport policies.
Reason: To ensure that transport policy reflects the priorities outlined in the 10 Year Strategies and the Local Plan.
(ii) That authority be delegated to the Director for Environment, Transport and Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport, to commence a period of stakeholder and resident consultation on the Transport Policy.
(iii) That it be noted that a report will be brought forward to Executive following consultation on the proposed policy context in Annex B, along with a list of schemes and policies which the council will seek to deliver.
Reason: To gain residents’ and stakeholders’ views on the strategy and provide time to respond within the timescale of a new Local Transport Plan by 2024, as prescribed by Devolution and the Department for Transport’s current expectations.
(iv) That it be noted that the guidance from the Department for Transport on Local Transport Plans has not yet been issued.
Reason: To put in context the timelines and challenges for producing a full Local Transport Plan.
(v) That authority be delegated to the Director of Environment, Transport and Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport, to provide a response to the expected consultation by the Department for Transport on future Local Transport Plans.
Reason: To ensure that a response can be made in accordance with government timelines, and that the priorities and policies for York are made clear to Government.
Part B - Matters Referred to Council
94. York and North Yorkshire Devolution - Outcome of Consultation (15:19)
The Chief Operating Officer and the Head of Corporate Policy & City Partnerships presented a report which summarised the outcome of consultation on a Scheme for governance arrangements to implement the proposed Devolution Deal for York and North Yorkshire, suggested amendments to the Deal arising from the consultation, and asked Executive to recommend that Council approve the submission of a consultation summary to Government. North Yorkshire County Council was considering the same matters, as the approval of both councils was needed to progress the statutory process.
Details of the consultation were set out in Annex 1 to the report and summarised in paragraphs 10-92, including suggested amendments to take on board the comments received. The overall response had been positive, with 54% supporting the proposals and 32% opposing them. Three options were presented, as set out in paragraphs 93-101:
Option 1 – submit the consultation summary and Scheme to government without amendment. Not recommended, as the suggested amendments would improve the model of governance.
Option 2 – decide not to submit the summary and Scheme. Not recommended, as the consultation had been robust and the issues raised could be addressed satisfactorily.
Option 3 – amend the Scheme based on information received and submit it to government with the summary, as recommended.
In supporting the recommendations, the Executive Member for Environment & Climate Change highlighted the greater autonomy and access to funding that devolution would bring, while noting the importance of consultation amid concerns around the power of the mayor. The Chair also welcomed the proposals and the significant benefits that devolution would bring to the city. Having noted the comments made under Public Participation on this item, it was
Recommended: (i) That Council approve the submission of a Consultation Summary Report to the Government.
Reason: To inform the Secretary of State of the consultation outcome, allowing him to consider the next stages of the statutory process facilitating the creation of a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
(ii) That Council approve Amendments to the Scheme and proposals for the operating model of the Combined Authority outlined in paragraph 92 of the report, for submission to Government.
Reason: To utilise the information received during the consultation to improve the proposed governance arrangements.
(iii) That Council delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to undertake any action necessary to submit the Consultation Summary Report and Scheme to Government, in line with recommendations (i) and (ii) above.
Reason: To facilitate the submission of the required documents to Government within the required timescales.
(iv) That Council approve Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the York and North Yorkshire Joint Devolution Committee outlined in paragraphs 103-107 of the report and attached at Annex 2.
Reason: To ensure appropriate, robust and transparent decision-making.
(iii) That Council delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to undertake any action necessary to provide consent to the Order facilitating the creation of the Combined Authority in line with the scheme submitted to Government, as outlined in paragraph 115 of the report.
Reason: To allow the progress of the statutory process facilitating the creation of the Combined Authority.
Cllr A D’Agorne, Chair
[The meeting started at 2.36 pm and finished at 3.35 pm].