Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Coughlan, Duggins, Lawrence, Sleigh, Ward and Witherspoon, Sue Ibbotson, Phil Loach, Tom McNeil, Sarah Middleton, Dame Julie Moore and Alison Tonge.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and reported that the board was making tangible progress in shaping its priorities and highlighted the reports for consideration at the meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2017 were agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The board considered a report of the Public Service Reform Chief Executive that set out a draft forward view of the PSR Portfolio for discussion.

The Director of Public Service Reform, Henry Kippin, outlined the report and sought the views of the board on the approach and content of document.

Lola Abudu noted the links between the work of this board and the Wellbeing Board with regards to utilising data/ intelligence that could contribute to the evaluation for projects.

Henry Kippin reported that he welcomed the partnership approach between the two boards and Public Health England that come together to share economic, health and social data as part of the Inclusive Growth Unit and Office for Data Analytics.

Stella Manzie reported of the need to make tangible impacts in a small number of areas given the limited resources of local authorities/the WMCA and considered that 2 or 3 things should be identified as a priority over the next 18 months otherwise there was danger of fragmentation and spreading resources too thinly. She added that the WMCA Board and the Mayor should be asked for their views on the priorities to be taken forward.

The Chair agreed with Stella Manzie and the requirement to prioritise the most critically important elements of work.

Salma Ali considered that the plan felt too generic and enquired whether localism could be injected into the plan to reflect the diverse places and geography of the West Midlands.

Henry Kippin concurred with Salma Ali and the need to have a cohesive narrative for the West Midlands and to ‘keep it real’ as highlighted by Stella Manzie.

Resolved: That the PSR draft portfolio forward view be approved subject to the comments from the board being actioned.

The board considered a report of the Public Services Reform Chief Executive that set out a possible approach to enabling workforce collaboration and leadership in the West Midlands and the proposed next steps.

Henry Kippin outlined the report and asked the board to consider and discuss ‘What role the WMCA should play in enabling workforce collaboration and leadership development in the West Midlands.’

Stella Manzie noted that the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP was having similar discussions with regards to skills and the need to upskill and considered there needed to be a joint discussion between the LEPs and the WMCA so everyone is clear what everyone else is doing.

It was noted that the Health and Wellbeing Board Chairs and STP Chairs are working collaboratively on leadership as part of their work with the LGA

Salma Ali considered that system leadership should be the main area of focus to set values and behaviours as workforce was not the biggest priority in her opinion. 

The Chair reported that this was complex area and considered further work and more dialogue was required with partners.

Henry Kippin reported of comparative work on leadership and workforce that is being undertaken by other combined authorities that the WMCA could learn from.

Henry Kippin thanked colleagues for their comments and advised that further work to define a specific role for the WMCA (mindful of resource constraints) would be undertaken and reported back to the board in due course.

Resolved: That the report be noted.

The board considered a report of the Public Service Reform Chief Executive that outlined a proposed approach to establishing a Social Economy Taskforce.

It was noted that the WMCA Board had agreed to establish a Social Economy Taskforce and supported the next steps at its meeting on 9 February.

The Chair reported that the WMCA Board had agreed to establish a Taskforce and that he would be involved along with the Mayor, the Director of PSR and the WMCA’s economic growth portfolio holder, Councillor Ward. He advised that the next step would be to identify and recruit members of the Taskforce. It was noted that the Taskforce would engage with members of this board.

The Chair reported that he had received an email from Tom McNeil on behalf of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner who was very supportive of the Social Economy Taskforce and circulated a copy of the email to the board which outlined the work that is underway/being explored by the PCC in this area.

Henry Kippin reported that the Taskforce represented a big opportunity for the WMCA to support and add value to work that is already happening in local authorities to benefit the residents and communities of the West Midlands.

Resolved: That the report be noted.