Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive (CX/17/26) on approval and proposals for a Heart of the South West Joint Committee, attached.

(Councillors Atkinson, Biederman, Connett, Dewhirst, Hannaford and Shaw attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Chief Executive (CX/17/26) on proposals for and seeking approval for a Heart of the South West Joint Committee.

The report outlined that since August 2015, Devon and Somerset County Councils, all Somerset and Devon Districts, Torbay Council, Plymouth City Council, Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks, the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the three Clinical Commissioning Groups had worked in partnership towards securing a devolution deal for the HotSW area focusing on delivering improved productivity.

On 16 February 2017 (Minute 86 refers) the Council gave ‘in principle’ approval to the establishment of a HotSW Joint Committee, subject to approving the Joint Committee’s constitutional arrangements and an inter-authority agreement necessary to support the Joint Committee. The report set out the necessary documentation for that to be considered. It was noted that a Joint Committee had a much more limited role than a Combined Authority and did not have the statutory or legal status of a Combined Authority, but had the potential to provide cohesive, coherent leadership and a formal governance structure.

It was reported that Government was keen to engage with areas across a wider footprint than single county boundaries and that the key role of the HotSW Joint Committee was to develop, agree and ensure the implementation of the Productivity Strategy. It further reported the proposed functions of the Joint Committee and how it would operate (appendix A), and the Arrangements document (appendix B) which set out an Inter-Authority Agreement for consideration, including how the Joint Committee would be supported and the obligations of the Council if it agreed to become a constituent member.

It was also clear that if the remit of the Joint Committee expanded to take on more decision-making responsibilities, the Arrangements and Inter-Authority Agreement would be revisited and any expansion of the functions and / or responsibilities would require the approval of the constituent authorities.

In terms of budgets, the report estimated that the operating cost of a Joint Committee would be £89,000 in 2018/19 (and to cover the remainder of 2017/18), which was recommended to be met by contributions from constituent authorities. The contribution rates were outlined in the report as County Councils - £10,500, Unitary Councils - £4,000 and District Councils and National Parks - £1,400.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Chief Executive’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor Barker, and

RESOLVED that Council be recommended to

(a) approve the recommendation of the HotSW Leaders (meeting as a shadow Joint Committee) to form a Joint Committee for the Heart of the South West;

(b) approve the Arrangements and Inter-Authority Agreement documents as set out in appendices A and B for the establishment of the Joint Committee with the commencement date of 22 January 2018;

(c) appoint the Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills as the Council’s named representative and substitute named representative on the Joint Committee;

(d) appoint Somerset County Council as the Administering Authority for the Joint Committee for a 2 year period commencing 22 January 2018;

(e) approve the transfer of the remaining joint devolution budget to meet the support costs of the Joint Committee for the remainder of 2017/18 financial year subject to approval of any expenditure by the Administering Authority;

(f) approve an initial contribution of £10,500 for 2018/19 to fund the administration and the work programme of the Joint Committee, noting that any expenditure will be subject to the approval of the Administering Authority;

(g) agree that the key function of the Joint Committee is to approve the Productivity Strategy (it is intended to bring the Strategy to the Joint Committee for approval by February 2018);

(h) authorise the initial work programme of the Joint Committee aimed at the successful delivery of the Productivity Strategy;

(i) agree the proposed meeting arrangements for the Joint Committee including the timetable of meetings for the Joint Committee as proposed in para 2.14 of the report.