Agenda and minutes

Venue: via Microsoft Teams

Contact: Mike Jones, Principal Committee Officer 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the new Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee.

2.

APOLOGIES

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No apologies had been received.

3.

MEMBERS' CODE OF CONDUCT - DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or any other relevant interest and to state the nature of the interest.

 

Councillor Tony Jones declared a non-pecuniary interest by virtue of his membership of the Wirral Growth Company  Board.

4.

PUBLIC AND MEMBER QUESTIONS

4a.  Public Questions

 

 

Notice of questions to be given in writing or by email, by 12noon, Thursday 22 October 2020 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer and to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 10.

 

4b.  Statements and Petitions

 

 

Representations and petitions to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 11.

 

4c.  Questions by Members

 

 

Questions by Members to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Orders 12.3 to 12.8.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair reported that no questions or statements from members of the public had been submitted.

5.

2021/22 BUDGET PROCESS pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Regeneration and Place introduced a report on the budget setting process in this transition year to a committee system of governance for 2021/22 and described the financial position for 2021/22 which, as at Quarter 1, showed a deficit of £45m, and the actions being put in place to mitigate the gap.

 

These actions included a phased approach of five stages and also the timeline for the 2021/22 budget setting process of when budget proposals were presented to the Policy and Services Committees for recommendation to Full Council to set the 2021/22 budget.

 

As this was a transition year, proposals had been identified and would be presented to the Committee by officers due to the tight timescale to approve the budget in a series of budget workshops. However, the Committee was encouraged to identify their own proposals for officers to work up, if within the timescale, to be included for the 2021/22 Budget. For future years this would become the usual process and throughout the year the Committee would be identifying proposals for officers to work up for the following year’s budget.

 

Resolved – That the Council’s current financial position and process for the 2021/22 budget in this transition year, be noted.

6.

Budget and Performance Monitoring pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Director of Regeneration and Place advised that that through the development of Wirral Council’s new Governance arrangements and the approval of the Wirral Plan 2025 (currently being refreshed to reflect strategic priorities, as a result of Covid-19) the Authority had committed to developing a budget and performance monitoring framework, which honoured the Council’s dedication to a more accountable, transparent way of conducting business, policy formation and decision making.

 

The report proposed that the Performance Framework was modelled on the Covid Dashboard set up at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Committee were advised how this would enable clear and accessible data to be presented in a timely and meaningful way.

 

The report informed that there were a very wide range of data sets that could be included in the Dashboard, and it was proposed that the specific selection would be co-created with members to ensure it was of most relevance and benefit to members.

 

On a motion by Councillor Andrew Hodson, seconded by Councillor Steve Hayes, it was -

 

Resolved – That the proposals outlined in the report for shaping future Performance monitoring reports be noted, and that further discussions take place with the Committee Chair and Group Spokespersons in early November so that they can shape monitoring reports for the purposes of this Committee.

7.

Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee Work Programme Update Report pdf icon PDF 84 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Director of Law and Governance, advised how the Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee, in co-operation with the other Policy and Service Committees was responsible for proposing and delivering an annual committee work programme. The work programme should align with corporate priorities of the Council, in particular the delivery of the key decisions that were in the remit of this Committee.

 

It was envisaged that the work programme would be formed from a combination of key decisions, standing items and requested officer reports. The report provided the Committee with an opportunity to plan and regularly review its work across the municipal year. The work programme for the Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee was attached as an appendix to the report.

 

In response to Members’ comments, the Director of Regeneration and Place assured the Committee that a number of the suggested themes of environment, social benefits, local procurement creating local jobs and future energy schemes did run through the Council’s regeneration proposals and he would ensure that there was a particular focus on these issues.

 

Resolved – That the comments of Members and the proposed Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee work programme for the remainder of the 2020/21 municipal year, be noted.

8.

Exempt Information - Exclusion of the Press and Public

The following items contain exempt information.

 

RECOMMENDATION:  That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The Public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In response to a Member’s comment, the Director of Law and Governance stated that the Council would always do its utmost to ensure no report coming before a committee was totally exempt, by means of an open report with exempt appendices. However, there were some rare occasions when the Council’s business affairs and the business affairs of other persons should not be put in to the public domain at all because that in itself would alert people to negotiations which the Council was having and could damage the Council’s business position and that was the position with the next agenda item.

 

On a motion by Councillor Steve Hayes, seconded by Councillor Gillian Wood, it was -

 

Resolved - That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act.

9.

Hind Street: Collaboration Agreement

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Regeneration and Place on proposals for the regeneration of Hind Street, Birkenhead.

 

After a debate and the Director having responded to questions from Members, it was moved by Councillor Tony Jones, seconded by Councillor Andrew Hodson and then -

 

Resolved (unanimously) – That,

 

(1)  the project objectives for Hind Street, Birkenhead, be agreed;

 

(2)  the complexities of the project are noted and support is given for working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and other partners;

 

(3)  the agreement between the Council, and those bodies as detailed in the report and appendix, be approved, and the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to complete a Collaboration Agreement;

 

(4)  it be noted that, subject to agreement in principle being reached with the other stakeholders, a further report will be brought to a future meeting of this Committee.