Issue - meetings

Following Scrutiny the report was noted.

Peter Austin gave members an update on the report.

The focus was on future business case development. City Deal Programme Board had asked officers to focus on future elements of business case development that are construction dependent.

Out of 23 projects, seven have been completed or are about to complete.

There are two main assessments: 1) likely increase in costs due to inflation and 2) risk assessment on how cost increases might affect business case delivery.

Previously, cost assessments were done on a project basis, and the risk/issue assessment at a Business Case level but now they will include forecasted risks and issues for future elements at project level as well.

Officers mentioned Pentre Awel as an example as it has multiple stages which are flexible in delivery timescale and market dependent. Officers want to ensure all stakeholders are aware of deliverability.

There is an anticipated shortfall of £42.6 million for projects yet to be delivered, these are conservative estimates due to some costs yet to be determined.

Members were advised that future iterations of the report will provide more detailed assessments for upcoming projects.

In terms of risk management, officers are breaking down ‘risks’ and ‘issues’ into manageable pieces to address them early in the process and the recent reassessment of risks has led to a reduction in red risks and high amber risks for completed projects.

There are no construction cost concerns for the seven completed projects, but a gap exists for the next set of projects to start being delivered.

Following Scrutiny the report was noted.