Agenda and minutes

The Chairperson welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The following Member declared a personal interest at the start of the meeting:

The minutes of the meeting held on the 22 October 2024 were approved as an accurate record.

The Committee was provided with an update on the development of the Strategic Development Plan (SDP) which each of the Corporate Joint Committees (CJCs) across Wales are required to produce.

It was mentioned that the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC) had previously written to Welsh Government, indicating that Officers across the region were not prepared to commence the preparation of the SDP without sufficient resources. In terms of a response, it was noted that the Minister at that time stated that any spare money left over from the preparation of the Regional Transport Plan (RTP) could be utilised to deliver the SDP; however, the funding that was provided for the development of the RTP was insufficient, which meant that there was no left over funding available.

The circulated report highlighted that the envisaged cost of developing the SDP over the five year period was approximately £2.5million; this money would be to cover staffing and specialist services, which in total was six members of staff covering the whole of the region.

A discussion took place in regard to the SDP Manual that was being prepared by Welsh Government, which should have been published earlier in the year. Officers confirmed that as of this meeting, the Manual was still yet to be published.

In regard to the current position, Officers advised to not progress with the development of the SDP in the absence of the Manual and appropriate funding to deliver the SDP. It was stated that not only was the process expensive to undertake, but there was also a lack of resource in terms of staffing; Councils across the region were not currently able to redeploy staff to undertake this piece of work due to the development of their Replacement Local Development Plans (RLDPs). It was noted that Officers would continue to lobby Welsh Government for the resource required to deliver the SDP.

Officers confirmed that they were in consultation with other CJCs throughout Wales; the most recent discussion was pertaining to writing a joint letter to Welsh Government with the purpose of lobbying for appropriate funding. It was highlighted that the SWWCJC had received confirmation from North Wales Corporate Joint Committee and Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee; Officers were yet to receive a response from Cardiff Capital Region.

Members were informed that not progressing with the development of the SDP was a breach of legislation; however, as previously mentioned, it wasn’t feasible to progress with this work without having the necessary documentation from Welsh Government.

Further to the statement above regarding legal implications, Members asked what Officers would advise should the documentation be made available but not the funding. It was explained that once the SDP Manual had been prepared, Welsh Government would be releasing it for consultation before they publish the final version; once the final document was published the risk would increase, if at that point CJCs failed to commence delivery of the SDP. Officers highlighted that the fact that other CJCs across Wales were in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Members were presented with a proposed scheme of delegation for the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC).

Officers explained that since the establishment of the SWWCJC, most of the decision making had been vested in the CJC itself; however, there were now operational matters which Officers needed to progress as the work associated with the SWWCJC moved forward. It was noted that in order to support this, Officers were proposing a scheme of delegation; this will also ensure appropriate transparency in respect of how decisions were being made. It was highlighted that the proposed scheme of delegation was included at Appendix A of the circulated report; this document set out the system that Officers would be following and the record keeping that would be established, as well as when there would be consultation with the respective lead Officers and the Chairperson.

RESOLVED:

·       That the Scheme of Delegation, presented at Appendix 1 of the circulated report, be approved.

·       That authorisation be granted for the Monitoring Officer to make any minor amendments required for clarity or consistency.

·       That it be agreed to review of the Scheme of Delegation at each Annual General Meeting of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee to ensure its effectiveness.

An update was provided in terms of the appointment of additional advisors to support the Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB) to the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC).

A discussion took place in regard to taking these matters forward now that the advisors had been formally agreed; one of the first steps would be to hold an introductory meeting in January 2025, whereby the terms of reference and duties of those advisors will be clarified.

RESOLVED:

·        That it be noted that fourteen additional advisors have been offered to support the Private Sector Advisory Board (PSAB) and South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC), subject to the Advisor Agreement.

·        That the complete list of Advisors, outlined within Appendix C of the circulated report (subject to the acceptance of the Advisor Agreement), be noted.

·        That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive of the SWWCJC and the Monitoring Officer SWWCJC to ensure that suitable and sufficient measures are adopted to ensure compliance whilst working in collaboration with Advisors to develop the PSAB.

·        That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive of the SWWCJC and the Monitoring Officer SWWCJC to reserve the right to withdraw offer/s of appointment whereby either the Advisor Agreement is not accepted or criteria is not satisfied.

·        That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive of the SWWCJC and the Monitoring Officer SWWCJC to publish details of Advisors, contained within Appendix C of the circulated report, with the prior consent of appointees, to promote the development of PSAB and SWWCJC.

Members were presented with the Quarter 2 Financial Monitoring for year ended 2024/25.

The Chief Financer Officer highlighted the key points from the detail of the circulated report, one of which being that the forecast outturn identified a surplus at the end of the year; a summary of the overall position could be found in Appendix A of the circulated report. 

A discussion took place in regard to the individual work streams and their impact on the outturn. It was confirmed that the SWWCJC received £100k transport grant from Welsh Government which had been allocated and committed. The circulated report detailed that the Sub-Committee expenditure showed a forecast underspend of £86.7k, in respect of an underspend on Planning and Programme management expenditure; this was partly to be expected on the basis that the allocation set aside was a contingency in the budget, as Officers did not know how the work streams were going to progress in the current financial year.

It was explained that when setting the budget, Officers considered the contribution from reserves towards the levies to try and keep the levies at a more palatable level; Officers would not need to draw on the sum brought in from the levies given the surplus. Members were informed that by the year end there will be a balance of £179k to carry forward; this will get captured within the reserves, and the surplus will add to the cumulative surplus which will carry forward for the future commitments.

Members queried if grant funding received from Welsh Government was specifically targeted or could it be used elsewhere within CJCs. It was confirmed that funding was specifically targeted; when signing the grant application, Officers commit to utilising the funding in respect of what was set out in the terms and conditions. However, it was mentioned that there was always opportunity to discuss this matter with Welsh Government should this situation occur.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Committee was advised of the proposed applications submitted for Transport Grants to Welsh Government to fund the development and delivery of a number of transport schemes and initiatives.

It was explained that the Welsh Government transport grant application process requires that the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC) has knowledge of the applications submitted by each of the four Local Authorities in the region; in addition, that the SWWCJC confirmed that the scheme or initiative aligned with the aims and objectives of the emerging Regional Transport Plan (RTP).

Officers highlighted that the schemes were listed in Appendix B of the circulated report; the detail was split per Local Authority and contained information on progress and funding.

Members asked for further clarity in terms of the potential success of the various bids listed, to which it was confirmed that some of the bids will not be successful; the funding indicated that they'll be reduced somewhere in the region of 50% compared to previous years. It was stated that the bids included in the circulated report were the strongest from each of the Local Authorities across the region and demonstrated alignment with the key objectives; Officers had been working hard to get a strong justification against the criteria.

It was added that Officers were hoping to get confirmation of the outcome of this process early in the new year; work will then be able to commence on delivery approaches in order to deliver the successful schemes during the next financial year.

In terms of challenges, it was noted that there were some larger bids that spanned more than one year and there may not be certainty that funding will be provided for future years.

The Committee recognised the match funding difficulties that Local Authorities faced in terms of these projects. It was agreed that a letter should be written to the Transport Minister in order to address these concerns.  

RESOLVED:

That it be acknowledged that the transport schemes and initiatives, proposed to be submitted to Welsh Government for Transport Grant Funding, aligned with the aims and objectives of the emerging Regional Transport Plan (RTP).

The Forward Work Programme was noted.

Any urgent items at the discretion of the Chairperson pursuant to Section 100BA(6)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

There were no urgent items received.