Terms
of Reference for the WMCA Environment Board
Purpose
To help the WMCA become
‘best in class’ in terms of the delivery of
‘clean, inclusive and resilient growth’.
Success will be measured by
annual improvements in the independent sustainability benchmark of
combined authorities and progress on the Strategic Economic Plan
goals on carbon, renewable energy, fuel poverty, air quality,
waste, the natural environment and the growth of the green business
sector.
The Board will provide advice
and support to WMCA activity, helping engage with wider stakeholder
networks and activity, identify and scale up existing good practice
within the WMCA area, and identify and secure resources to deliver
new opportunities.
Accountability
Accountable to the CA Board and
Mayor and supported by the WMCA lead council CEO and WMCA Director
with responsibility for environment. The Board also provides
progress updates, advice and recommendations to other WMCA
Committees.
Membership
Councillor - WMCA Portfolio
Lead for the Environment
Councillor – Cabinet
member for Environment from each of the 7 constituent
authorities
Councillor – Up to 3
representatives of the sub-regional geography recommended from the
non-constituent group.
Members of the WMCA Environment
Advisory and Delivery Group may also attend in an advisory but
non-decision making capacity. These are currently:
-
WMCA Director (Patrick
White), WMCA Local Authority CEO (Jan Britton)
-
WMCA Interim Head of
Environment (Simon Slater) – Workstream Environment Delivery
Board and Action Plan, Strategy and Monitoring, Benchmarking and
Reporting
-
WMCA Strategic Assets
Manager (Jemma Hodgson)– Workstream WMCA Internal Estates,
Operations, Communications and Environmental Management
-
Chair Energy Capital
(Matthew Rhodes) Workstream Green Energy and Carbon
Emissions
-
Chair of WM Green
Business Clubs Network (Andy Whyle) – Workstream Green
Business
-
SHAP - Sustainable
Housing Action Programme (Rosemary Coyne) – Workstream Green
Buildings and Retrofit
-
Birmingham and Black
Country Wildlife Trust (Georgia Stokes) – Workstream Natural
Environment
-
CENEX (Keith Budden)
– Workstream Air Quality and Low Carbon Vehicle
-
Roy Stokes, Environment Agency (RS) –
Representing ‘Defra Family’ of Forestry Commission
& Natural England
Substitutes
Members of the Board can nominate one substitute to attend
and act on their behalf, if they cannot attend. This needs to be
agreed in advance with the Monitoring Officer.
Chair
This will be the WMCA Portfolio Lead for the
Environment.
Budgets and Voting
The Board will agree an annual work programme, which will
be funded by the WMCA and partners, and progress reported to the
Board.
Where possible recommendations will be reached by
consensus, if a vote is required a majority of members is required.
If there is a tie then Chair has the casting vote.
Quorum
There needs to be the WMCA Board Portfolio Lead and three
other members.
Frequency
Three to four meetings a
year.
Servicing
The WMCA Governance team working with the WMCA Director and
Head of Environment will support the Board in terms of agenda,
papers, and minutes.
The WMCA Environment Board Advisory and Delivery Group
(EADG) will also meet between Board meetings to help drive
particular workstreams.
Functions
Develop and report progress on an annual delivery
plan.
Action Plan workstreams are to include:
-
Strategy, monitoring,
benchmarking and reporting
-
Internal estates,
operations, communications and environmental management
-
Green Energy and
carbon emissions
-
Green Business and
Finance
-
Green Buildings and
Retrofit
-
Natural
Environment
-
Air Quality and Low
Carbon Vehicle Opportunities
The workstreams will be progressed by:
•
Providing advice and
support to WMCA activity
•
Helping engage with
wider stakeholder networks and activity
•
Identify and scale up
existing good practice within the WMCA area
•
Identify and secure
resources to deliver new opportunities
•
Provide constructive
challenge function by feeding into annual independent progress
reports to the WMCA by Sustainability West Midlands.
