Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.

At this point in the meeting, Members were asked to declare any

disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they

might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.

No additional interests were declared.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 23 May 2022.

Resolved:            That the minutes of the Customer and Corporate Services Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 23 May 2022 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have

registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak

on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines have changed to 2

working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the

management of public participation at our meetings. The deadline for registering at this meeting is at 5.00pm on Thursday 01 September 2022.

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings  to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration

form or the meeting please contact Democratic Services on the

details at the foot of the agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will

be webcast, including any registered public speakers who have

given their permission.

The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at

www.york.gov.uk/webcasts . During coronavirus, we've made some changes to how we're running council meetings. See our

coronavirus updates www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy  for

more information on meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been two registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Geoff Beacon welcomed the new combined authority.  He suggested that CYC should not go ahead with the draft Local Plan.  This was due to concerns about affordability of homes and climate which had not been addressed by the Housing Development Action Plan.

Peter Richardson was due to speak via telephone.  Due to technical difficulties, he was unable to speak to Members and the Chair invited him to submit a written statement which would be distributed to the Committee on receipt.

This covering report provides the context for the draft reports, contained in Annex A and Appendices 1-6, which will be discussed at Executive on 15 September 2022.

Members reviewed the draft reports on the Devolution Deal (the Deal) and questioned the Executive Leader (incorporating Policy, Strategy and Partnerships), the Chief Operating Officer and the Head of Corporate Policy and City Partnerships on a variety of aspects of the agreement.

A joint presentation was given at the meeting.  Firstly, the Executive Leader outlined the process of the Deal and explained that the level 3 devolution deal was the highest level of deal and equivalent to the devolution deals agreed for South and West Yorkshire.  He highlighted that the Deal gave access to powers and funding levels that were of great benefit to the city.  

The Chief Operating Officer then went on to outline the financial gains;

·        £18 million per year in Gainshare funding over 30 years.

·        Revenue moved to capital so as to front load expenditure and capitalise major projects.

·        An additional £50m (subject to the final business case) would be delivered to the York Central project. 

The Head of Corporate Policy and City Partnerships then explained the governance arrangements for the Combined Authority (CA).

The presentation was followed by comments from some key stakeholders.

Helen Simpson, Chair of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNY LEP) explained that the national Government were completely committed to the Deal. It would transform the region’s perception and improve the potential for economic growth.  Decision making would be transferred to the community with transport, in particular, benefiting from this.  The creation of a sizeable investment fund was the starting point to access other additional funding streams. The Deal meant inclusion in central government decisions and a growth in opportunities for the region.

James Farrar, Chief Operating Officer, YNY LEP, added that the Deal was an investment in business. Businesses needed certainty and rather than spending time writing complex bids for additional funding, the Deal meant that they could plan strategically for the long-term future and work with Higher Education and other partners.

Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice Chancellor and President of University of York (UOY), explained that the Deal provided opportunity for growth and integrated partnerships.  He highlighted the Bio Yorkshire programme as an example of the integrated approach that had been taken in the fields of agriculture, food and biotechnology with the aim of generating energy and reducing plastics.  The UOY and Askham Bryan College had developed courses to provide trained graduates in these fields.  The programme was leading the industry in the UK and internationally.

Carolyn Frank, the North Yorkshire Development Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) explained that the FSB had consulted regularly with members on devolution.  The Deal was expected to bring skills to the region through access to a quality workforce and efficient business support with decisions made in West Offices rather than in Westminster.  She identified the opportunity to involve all local businesses to develop a strategic partnership approach.

The stakeholders individually responded to a variety of questions from Members covering Local Authority (LA) planning for investment opportunities, confidence in the Deal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider the Work Plan.

Members considered the corporate scrutiny work plan covering the next meeting of this Committee and the meetings of the other Scrutiny Committees up until 07 November 2022. 

Resolved:            That the work plan be noted.

Reason:               To ensure that the Committee has a planned

programme of work in place and an overview

of the other Scrutiny Committees.