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Agenda and minutes

Venue: 16, Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD

Contact: Carl Craney Governance Services Officer West Midlands Combined Authority 

Items
No. Item

14.

Apologies for Absence (if any)

Presented By: Chair

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Jim O’Boyle (Coventry City Council), Councillor Brett O’Reilly (Birmingham City Council), Councillor Roger Lawrence (City of Wolverhampton Council) and Gary Taylor (Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership).

 

An apology for absence had also been received from David Cockroft (Coventry City Council).

15.

Nomination of Substitutes (if any)

Minutes:

No substitutes had been nominated.

16.

Declarations of Interests (if any)

Members are reminded of the need to declare

any disclosable pecuniary interests they have in

an item being discussed during the course of the

meeting. In addition, the receipt of any gift or

hospitality should be declared where the value of

it was thought to have exceeded £25 (gifts) or

£40 (hospitality).

Minutes:

Nick Abell declared a Non Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in Agenda Item No. 8. -  Full Business Case (FBC) – Coventry South and A46 Link Road Phase 1 insofar as his company represented various companies who would benefit from the construction of the road improvement scheme.

 

The Chair (Councillor Bob Sleigh) and Councillor Robert Hulland declared Non Disclosable Pecuniary interests in Agenda Item 9. – Full Business Case (FBC) – A45 to Solihull Town Centre and UKC Strategy Cycle Link and Agenda Item No. 10. – Strategic outline Business Case (SOC) – UKC Infrastructure Package Phase 2 insofar as they were elected members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.   

17.

Minutes of last meeting pdf icon PDF 157 KB

[For approval]

Minutes:

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 July 2018 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

18.

Matters Arising

Minutes:

With reference to Minute No. 7. (Investment Programme Update) and in particular to the spending pressures on the East Birmingham and Solihull Metro extension and the Wednesbury – Brierley Hill Metro extension schemes, Councillor Mike Bird sought clarification as to the ceiling within which the Officers were working on in excess of the approved budgets. Sean Pearce assured the Board that the Officers were working within the approved budgets and that the Forward Plan for this Board included a review of the two schemes on 10 December 2018 in the case of the East Birmingham Solihull scheme and 21 January 2019 in the case of the Wednesbury – Brierley Hill scheme when the Outline Business Case and the Full Business Case would be considered respectively. Councillor Robert Hulland commented that it should not be assumed that additional funding would be made available for these schemes.

19.

Investment Programme - Update pdf icon PDF 215 KB

Minutes:

Sean Pearce presented a report on the status of the Investment Programme to help set out the context for any decisions made by the Board.

 

Resolved:

That the status of the Investment Programme delivery as detailed in the report be noted.

20.

Exclusion of the Public and Press

[To pass the following resolution:

That in accordance with Section 100(A) of the

Local Government Act, 1972 the press and

public be excluded from the meeting for the

following items of business as it involves the

likely disclosure of exempt information relating to

the business or financial affairs of any particular

person (including the authority holding that

information)]

 

Minutes:

Resolved:

That in accordance with Section 100A4 of the Local Government Act

1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the

consideration of the following items of business as they involve the

likely disclosure of exempt information relating to the business affairs

of any particular person (Including the authority holding that

information).

 

21.

Full Business Case (FBC) - Coventry South and A46 Link Road Phase 1

Minutes:

Nicola Van der Hoven presented a report which outlined a request for the award of £6.6 million of Devolution Deal funding for the A46 Stoneleigh Junction (A46 Link Road Phase1), subject to the successful confirmation from the Department for Transport of Local Growth Fund grant. She explained that the application was promoted by Coventry City Council working in collaboration with Warwickshire County Council and fell within Coventry City Council’s ‘Coventry South Package’.

 

She responded to various questions posed by members of the Board.

 

Resolved:

            That the WMCA Board be recommended to approve the award of £6.6 million Devolution Deal funding for the A46 Stoneleigh Junction (A46 Link Road Phase 1), subject to a successful confirmation from the Department for Transport of Local Growth Fund grant.

22.

Full Business Case (FBC) - A45 to Solihull Town Centre and UKC Strategy Cycle Link

Minutes:

Sean Pearce introduced a report and advised that following the approval of funding for the UK Central Infrastructure Package (SOC Phase 1), two cycle links had been brought forward to Full Business Case stage. He drew to the attention of the Board issues which had been raised at the Investment Advisory Group and the WMCA Leadership Team including funding and sharing of best practice with other local authorities with regard to delivering cycle link schemes.

 

Liz Grove, Lucy Lee and Mark O’Connell presented the report and responded to questions raised by members of the Board including means of promoting use of the cycle links, monitoring and evaluation of usage, provision of CCTV, encouraging behavioural change and links to neighbouring local authority schemes.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the Full Business Case (FBC) for the UKC Hub Strategic Cycle Links and A45 to Town Centre (Damson Parkway) Cycle Link be approved;

2.    That the funding position be noted with any underspend being considered as part of the work being undertaken across the Investment Programme;

3.    That the experiences gained by Solihull MBC in encouraging behavioural change to increase cycling be shared with other local authorities in the West Midlands.

 

 

23.

Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC) - UKC Infrastructure Package Phase 2

Minutes:

Alan Smith presented a report on Solihull MBC’s Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC) for Phase 2 of the UKC-IP. He explained that this consisted of 12 projects that complemented the existing Phase 1 projects that were already underway, as well as the wider investment programmes which were being brought forward within the WMCA to deliver the HS2 Growth strategy and Strategic Economic Plan. The report requested funding of £10.295 million through the SOC to bring Phase 2 of the UKC-IP forward. He drew to the attention of the Board that this request for funding was from the total investment to be made in UKC-IP forming part of the WMCA Devolution Deal of £288 million.

 

David Harris responded to various questions from members of the Board including the need for WMCA funding rather than local funding and the inter-relationship with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Strategic Economic Plan.

 

Resolved:

That The Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC) for Phase 2 of UKC-IP for £10.295 million, to bring forward 12 projects with a total estimated value of £753.589 million, of which the total WMCA contribution was expected to be £123.493 million be approved.

24.

MACC Homes Ltd.

Minutes:

Nick Oakley presented a report which sought approval to provide £2.350 million of senior and mezzanine debt via the Collective Investment Fund (CIF) to assist with the acquisition and subsequent development of a 10x open market houses and a care home in Sutton Coldfield. He advised that a further application would be submitted in due course to assist with the construction costs of the care home and on the current position with planning permission. The Board noted the risk associated with the planning position but was satisfied that the interests of the Fund would be protected sufficiently.

 

Resolved:

That approval be granted to £2.350 million of senior and mezzanine debt for the acquisition of the property by the Company subject to the conditions detailed in the report.

25.

WMCA Collective Investment Fund (CIF) - Dashboard

Minutes:

Nick Oakley presented the Collective Investment Fund (CIF) Dashboard as at 15 August 2018.

 

The Chair suggested that the Officers investigate the use of information contained within the Dashboard to promote the work of the WMCA in investing in economic activity in the area. Sue Summers reported that an annual review of both the Collective Investment Fund and Brownfield Land and Property Development Fund had been compiled and would be available shortly. She undertook to ensure that this document was circulated to members of the Board.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the Dashboard be received and noted;

2.    That the Officers investigate using the information from the Collective Investment Fund (CIF) and Brownfield Land and Property Development Fund (BLPDF) Dashboards to promote the work of the WMCA in investing in economic development activity in the area;

3.    That the annual review of both the Collective Investment Fund and Brownfield Land and Property Development Fund be circulated to this Board.

26.

WMCA Brownfield Land and Property Development Fund (BLPDF) - Dashboard

Minutes:

Nick Oakley presented the Brownfield Land and Property Dashboard as at 15 August 2018.

 

Resolved:

            That the Dashboard be received and noted.