Agenda and minutes

To elect a Member to act as Chair of the meeting.

Resolved: That Councillor Fenton be elected as Chair of the meeting.

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An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see the attached sheet for further guidance for Members.]

Members were asked to declare 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.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the last meeting, held on 15 January 2024 be approved as a correct record, subject to the insertion of the word ‘proposed’ at minute 4, line 10, to read ‘Members proceeded to review the draft constitution raising concerns and proposed amendments’.

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meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report provides the Audit and Governance Committee and the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee with a further opportunity to consider the contents of the draft Constitution for the Combined Authority.

The Chair outlined what had happened at the meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority held on 22 January 2024 noting that the recommendations, made at the joint committee meeting, 15 January 2024 had been presented in full.

Members proceeded to review those parts of the draft constitution that had not been covered in the previous meeting (Parts 6 and 7), raising concerns and proposed amendments as they went through the document by section.

The following was agreed by Members:

Part 6 – Financial procedures

Section A

·        Para 1.3 – amend to read “The Section 73 Officer, as the officer responsible for the proper administration of the Y&NYCA’s financial affairs, shall report to the Y&NYCA and the Audit & Governance Committee any significant failure to comply with these Regulations which comes to his/her attention.”

·        Para 3.5 – reference here and elsewhere to the ‘Audit Committee’ should be revised to read ‘Audit & Governance Committee’

·        Para 5.2 – members commented that business plans should be available to Audit & Governance and the public for oversight.

·        Para 6.2.4 and 6.2.5 – members requested clarification on the circumstances in which the Mayor’s proposed budget could be vetoed, and whether any subsequent revision made by the Mayor would need to meet some form of materiality threshold before the Y&NYCA is obliged to approve it.

·        Para 7.3.2 – amend to read “For revenue expenditure any likely overspending shall be reported by Officers to the Y&NYCA and the Audit & Governance Committeeas soon as practicable to the Section 73 Officer. Where it is not possible to finance an overspending by a transfer between expenditure heads (see virements below) the matter shall be referred to the Mayor for consideration.”

·        Para 7.4 – remove reference to ‘Y&NY Districts’

·        Para 8.3 – there is reference to seeking the prior approval of the Y&NYCA or the Mayor, but there needs to be clarity about the circumstances in which prior approval will be sought from the Y&NYCA and the circumstances in which prior approval will be sought from the Mayor.

·        Para 11 – members asked that the text here be amended to incorporate CYC’s ethical investment policies, or at the very least a commitment to ‘have regard to’ these policies.

·        Para 11.1.2 – clarity needed as to who will receive reports on treasury and investment management policies.

·        Para 13.7 – amend to read “In respect of any item acquired by lease the inventory must be marked with the value of the lease, the name of the leasing company and the date of expiry of the lease agreement.”

·        Para 13.17 – amend to read “The Section 73 Officer shall be authorised to write off or make adjustments in respect of deficiencies or surpluses of stock. Requests to write off items more than £50,000 must be reported to the Y&NYCA and the Audit & Governance Committee for information.”

·        Para 14.6 - members queried the basis on which £100k has been set as the threshold value above  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.