Agenda, decisions and minutes

East Midlands Combined County Authority Board - Monday, 16th December, 2024 11.00 am

Venue: Mansfield District Council, Civic Centre, Chesterfield Road South, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. NG19 7BH

Contact: Emma Powley 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor E Radford (Nottingham City Council).

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest.

Minutes:

Councillor Peatfield declared a personal, non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 6, Investment Fund Capital Allocations 2024-25, as a Board Member of Marketing Derby.

3.

Public Participation pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Members of the public may ask questions if they have given notice and provided the text of the question to Governance Services (governance@eastmidsdevo.org.uk) no later than 5pm on Monday 9 December 2024 and include the name and address of the questioner and the name of the Member to whom the questioner would like the question put.

 

The total time set aside for such questions and answers will be limited to 30 minutes with no extension of time, and questions not dealt with in this time will be dealt with by written responses.

 

Minutes:

The Mayor reported that two questions had been received from members of the public and the answers provided had been published on the EMCCA website.

 

Mr Nigel Lee attended the meeting to ask the following question:

 

“At the East Midlands Hydrogen Summit in Loughborough on 8th November, the Interim Executive Director Place gave a presentation on The Regional Strategy for Achieving Net Zero which included projections for demand and production of hydrogen upto 2050. In Q&A he said that the study on which these projections were based could be made available, including the assumptions underlying the projections. Can the Mayor please explain why this information has not yet been circulated to participants. Can she also state what assumptions have been made regarding the thermodynamic efficiency of production, distribution and use of hydrogen, and the associated cost of energy from hydrogen for the end user.”

 

The Mayor gave the following response:

 

“The study was completed by Cadent, is in final production, and will be made available on the East Midlands Hydrogen website in the New Year. A link will be sent to conference attendees once it is available.

 

There are no specific assumptions made on thermodynamic efficiency. This is a piece of work designed to illustrate what the hydrogen economy could look like in the region, based on hydrogen demand forecasts from industrial and power generation companies, as well as assumptions drawn from Government sources and targets. The expectation is that hydrogen prices to the end customer will be the same as, or similar to, natural gas prices. The Government’s Hydrogen Production Business Model is designed to subsidise the cost of hydrogen production to enable this, in the same way that the wind industry was subsidised to help stimulate its growth.”

 

Mr Lee then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Can the Mayor explain why projections beyond 2025 shared at the Loughborough event were deleted from the presentation circulated last week, was this because of overoptimistic predictions based on unrealistic assumptions of hydrogen subsidies in the longer term? Will the mayor ensure that the revised study is explicit about subsidy assumptions and also recognise that using hydrogen to store energy is a lot less efficient than batteries and a lot less efficient for heating than heat pumps so should only be used for applications which are hard to electrify.”

 

Richard Grice, Interim Executive Director for Place, informed Mr Lee that after speaking to Cadent any adaptations to the presentation and the reasons for these would be set out.

4.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the EMCCA Board meeting held on 4 November 2024

Minutes:

The draft minutes of the previous meeting of the EMCCA Board were circulated in advance of the meeting.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

That the minutes of the meeting of the EMCCA Board held on 4 November 2024 be approved as a correct record.

5.

Mayoral Update

To receive Mayoral update on key activity since November EMCCA Board meeting

 

Minutes:

The Mayor spoke about the launch of the English Devolution White Paper, an early statement of intent from the Government on its ambitions for devolution, and what it would likely mean for the future of the Combined County Authority and the East Midlands as a whole.

 

The Mayor welcomed Councillor Sam Smith, as the newly appointed Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, and congratulated him on being elected to this position. The Mayor thanked Ben Bradley, the previous Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, for the critical role that he played in the establishment of EMCCA.

 

The Mayor also thanked Mark Rogers, the EMCCA Interim Chief Executive, noting that it would be his last Board meeting prior to Amy Harhoff starting as Chief Executive on Monday 27th January.

 

The Mayor reported that since the last Board meeting she had attended numerous meetings and events across the EMCCA region and beyond, including;

 

·         Touring the STEP Fusion facility at West Burton.

·         The opening of the Fusion Café in Worksop.

·         Holding a roundtable for MPs across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

·         Touring the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

·         Holding the inaugural meeting of the Homelessness taskforce.

 

11:13 AM – Councillor Hezelgrave entered the meeting.

6.

Investment Fund capital allocations for 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 173 KB

To agree a set of capital projects that will support economic growth are added to the EMCCA investment pipeline for subsequent business case development

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    agreed to the economic growth projects outlined in Appendix A be added to the EMCCA pipeline with a view to allocating around £9.5m capital from the EMCCA investment fund.

 

b)    Noted the work underway to identify projects for longer-term funding in future years through an investment pipeline under development.

 

 

Minutes:

Damien Dacey, Interim Deputy Chief Executive, introduced a report which sought agreement to add a set of economic growth projects to the EMCCA pipeline for the deployment of capital funding from the Investment Fund in the 2024-25 financial year. It was noted that, subject to agreement, the investment proposals would be subject to the business case approval process.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

a)    That the economic growth projects outlined in Appendix A to the report be added to the EMCCA pipeline with a view to allocating around £9.5m capital from the EMCCA investment fund.

 

b)    That the work underway to identify projects for longer-term funding in future years through an investment pipeline under development be noted.

7.

Transport Transition pdf icon PDF 144 KB

To agree the approach to a phased transition of public transport functions following consideration by the Transport & Digital Connectivity Committee, starting from April 2025 and the principles to guide the detailed work on transition, specifically on (a) operating model and staffing, (b) funding and finance, and (c) decision making and governance. To also consider and agree additional funding and finance core principles to apply to the transition.

 

 

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

1.    Noted how the transition of Public Transport fits within the broader transport ambition facilitated by devolution.

 

2.    Agreed the approach to the transition of public transport functions which must occur by 31 March 2026, with an ambition to initiate in April 2025 and achieve the majority of the transition by October 2025, as recommended by the Transport & Digital Connectivity Committee

 

3.    Agreed the core principles underpinning the transition of transport functions to the East Midlands Combined County Authority

 

4.    Noted the recommendation in the Budget report for the immediate release of £1million Capacity Funding to support the transport transition programme.

 

5.    Approved the glide path to October 2025, including approval of the transport transition plan.

 

 

Minutes:

Richard Grice, Interim Executive Director for Place, introduced a report which served a number of key purposes to support the transition of public transport functions from the four Constituent Councils to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMMCA).

 

The report set out how the transition of public transport functions would sit within the broader ambitions for transport in the region following devolution. Board agreement was sought for the approach to the transition of public transport functions, to commence from 1st April 2025 and conclude no later than 31st March 2026. The report also sought endorsement of the core principles that would inform the detailed work to take place in support of the transition and provided details of the developing glidepath to take the transition to the point of approval and beyond.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

(a)  That the details of how the transition of public transport fits within the broader transport ambition facilitated by devolution be noted.

 

(b)  That the approach to the transition of public transport functions which must occur by 31 March 2026 be agreed, with an ambition to initiate in April 2025 and achieve the majority of the transition by October 2025, as recommended by the Transport & Digital Connectivity Committee.

 

(c)   That the core principles underpinning the transition of transport functions to the East Midlands Combined County Authority be agreed.

 

(d)  That the recommendation in the Budget report for the immediate release of £1million Capacity Funding to support the transport transition programme be noted.

 

(e)  That the glide path to October 2025, including approval of the transport transition plan be approved.

8.

Devolved Adult Skills Fund mobilisation pdf icon PDF 156 KB

To consider the progress made on the mobilisation of the Devolved Adult Skills Fund (ASF) and endorse those plans, as set out in the Strategic Skills Plan (SSP).

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Noted the progress made with mobilisation of the Devolved Adult Skills Fund and approve the final version of the Strategic Skills Plan (Appendix 1) of the report.

 

b)    Agreed to delegate authority to the EMCCA Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and Portfolio Holder for Skills and Employment, to approve the detailed arrangements for the commissioning and allocations related to the delivery of Devolved ASF as set out in section 3 of this report.

 

Minutes:

Craig Moffatt, Head of Adult Skills Programme, introduced a report which considered the mobilisation of the Devolved Adult Skills Fund (ASF). It was noted within the report that EMCCA’s devolution deal included a fully devolved ASF of circa £53m, with an additional ringfenced allocation for the delivery of a Level 3 Adult Skills offer ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ (FCFJ).

 

The Board were informed of the progress made on the mobilisation of the Devolved Adult Skills Fund. Approval was sought for the final version of the Strategic Skills Plan and agreement was sought for the delegation of authority to the EMCCA Chief Executive to approve the detailed arrangements for the commissioning and allocations related to the delivery of devolved ASF.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

a)    That the progress made with mobilisation of the Devolved Adult Skills Fund be noted and that the final version of the Strategic Skills Plan, included at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved.

 

b)    That authority be delegated to the EMCCA Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and Portfolio Holder for Skills and Employment, to approve the detailed arrangements for the commissioning and allocations related to the delivery of Devolved ASF as set out in section 3 of the report.

9.

Draft EMCCA Budget 2025-26, Draft Mayoral Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan 2025-2030

9a

Draft Budget 2025-26 and Medium-Term Financial Plan pdf icon PDF 328 KB

a.    To review draft EMCCA Budget for the next financial year and the draft MTFP in advance of final decision in February.

 

b.    To review draft Mayoral Budget for the next financial year

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Approved the draft budget 2025-26 and MTFP 2025-30 for consultation and the proposed consultation timetable

 

b)    Approved the creation of a Public Transport Transition Capacity Fund of £1m for use in 2024/25 and subsequent years from unallocated EMCCA reserves as noted in paragraph 3.5 of the report.

 

c)    Noted the other proposed changes to Earmarked Reserves for which approval will be sought at the February Board following the consultation process.

 

d)    Approved the receipt of the Connect to Work and Skills Bootcamp Grant Funding for 2025-26 as noted in paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9 in the report.

 

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Approved the draft Mayoral budget 2025-26 and MTFP 2025-30 for consultation and the proposed consultation timetable. (The Mayor did not vote on this item)

 

Additional:

 

Following the allocation announcement by Government regarding Shared Prosperity Funding, EMCCA Board agreed to reconfirm its commitment to the mixed model approach and confirm identified initial allocations agreed at Board on 4 November 2024 as set out in the 4 November Board report. This allows officers to confirm initial funding allocations based on the agreed approach prior to the next meeting of Board (as set out in paragraph 2.5 of the 4 November Board report)

 

a)    Confirm support for the ‘mixed model’ approach to be structured through three delivery channels: single regional commissioning, coherent co-commissioning, and local re-commissioning

 

b)    Noting the concerns to ongoing operational delivery of key institutions in the regional architecture, including Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and Investment Promotion Agencies

 

 

Minutes:

Nick Bell, Interim Director of Finance, introduced a report which presented the draft revenue budget and capital programme for 2025-26, together with the draft Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2025-2030, to the Board for consideration. Subject to approval of the draft budget, a six-week consultation timetable was proposed, with the outcomes to be reported back to the Board meeting in February 2025.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

(a)  That the draft budget 2025-26 and the MTFP 2025-30 be approved for consultation as per the proposed consultation timetable.

 

(b)  That the creation of a Public Transport Transition Capacity Fund of £1m be approved for use in 2024/25 and subsequent years from unallocated EMCCA reserves as noted in paragraph 3.5 of the report.

 

(c)   That the other proposed changes to Earmarked Reserves be noted, for which approval be sought at the February Board meeting following the consultation process.

 

(d)  That the receipt of the Connect to Work and Skills Bootcamp Grant Funding for 2025-26 be approved.

9b

Draft Mayoral Budget 2025-26 and Medium-Term Financial Plan 2025-2030

Minutes:

Nick Bell, Interim Director of Finance, introduced a report which presented the Mayoral draft revenue budget for 2025-26, together with the draft Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2025-2030, to the Board for consideration. Subject to approval, it was also proposed to undertake a six-week period of consultation on the draft budget and MTFP, with the outcomes to be reported back to the February meeting of the Board.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

It was noted that the Mayor did not vote on this item.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

That the draft Mayoral budget 2025-26 and MTFP 2025-30 be approved for consultation as per the proposed consultation timetable.

 

Additional:

 

Following the allocation announcement by Government regarding Shared Prosperity Funding, the Board was asked to consider reconfirming its commitment to the mixed model approach and the identified initial allocations as agreed at the Board meeting on 4 November 2024. This would allow for officers to confirm the initial funding allocations based on the agreed approach prior to the next Board meeting.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

a)    That support for the ‘mixed model’ approach be reconfirmed, to be structured through three delivery channels: single regional commissioning, coherent co-commissioning, and local re-commissioning.

 

b)    That concerns regarding the ongoing operational delivery of key institutions in the regional architecture, including Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and Investment Promotion Agencies be noted.

10.

Budget monitoring report to 30 September 2024 pdf icon PDF 328 KB

To provide an update on the revenue and capital budgets at quarter 2 reporting for the current financial year.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Noted the forecast underspend on the revenue budget for 2024/25 of (£1.43m) based on quarter 2 information. This is a reduction of £2.32m compared to the quarter 1 forecast outturn.

 

b)    Noted the forecast underspend on the latest approved capital budget for 2024/25 of (£9.5m) and the plans to ensure that the currently forecast capital spend is utilised in year.

 

c)    Approved the changes to the Capital Programme in paragraph 2.16 and 2.17 of the report, which reflect:

 

1)    The addition of a programme to supply IT equipment to EMCCA staff and the announcement in the UK Government budget of 30th October 2024 regarding the capital tranche of the first-year funding for the East Midlands Investment Zone.

 

2)    The reprofile of the 2023/24 Capital Project Gigahubs of £0.896m to 2025/26.

 

Minutes:

Sarah Thirkettle, Interim Head of Finance, introduced a report which informed the Board of the spending position for the period up to 30September 2024 for the Combined County Authority’s revenue and capital budgets and updated Members on any significant variances to the budget.

 

The report also provided an update on the level of reserves carried forward from 2024/24 for both revenue and capital budgets, including anticipated reserves transferring from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

(a)  That the forecast underspend on the revenue budget for 2024/25 of £1.43m based on quarter 2 information be noted as a reduction of £2.32m compared to the quarter 1 forecast outturn.

 

(b)  That the forecast underspend on the latest approved capital budget for 2024/25 of £9.5m and the plans to ensure that the currently forecast capital spend is utilised in year be noted.

 

(c)   That the changes to the Capital Programme in paragraph 2.16 and 2.17 of the report be approved, which reflect:

 

1)    The addition of a programme to supply IT equipment to EMCCA staff and the announcement in the UK Government budget of 30 October 2024 regarding the capital tranche of the first-year funding for the East Midlands Investment Zone.

 

2)    The reprofile of the 2023/24 Capital Project Gigahubs of £0.896m to 2025/26.

11.

VCSE Associate Board membership pdf icon PDF 140 KB

To agree the approach to identify and appoint the final Associate Member of the Board as a representative of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

 

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Agreed to invite Expressions of Interest for the vacant position Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Representative, who will be an Associate (non-voting) Member of the Combined County Authority.

 

Minutes:

Damien Dacey, Interim Deputy Chief Executive, introduced a report which sought agreement on the steps to identify an individual to be appointed as an Associate Member of the Combined County Authority as the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) representative.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

That Expressions of Interest be sought for the vacant position of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Representative, who will be an Associate (non-voting) Member of the Combined County Authority.

12.

Recommendations from EMCCA Committees pdf icon PDF 135 KB

To receive recommendations from the Committees of the Combined County Authority:

 

§  Transport and Digital Connectivity Committee: Recommendation to endorse the principles of the grant funding allocations for EMCCA Board consideration as part of its budget setting

 

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Considered and approved the principles endorsed by the Transport & Digital Connectivity Committee to apply to the allocation of funds for regional transport initiatives, ensuring coordinated investment and improved transport services that align with the region’s priorities and best interests.

 

b)    Delegated detailed funding allocations to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Mayor, in alignment with the principles to apply to the allocation of funds for regional transport initiatives once the funding position has been announced by Government.

 

Minutes:

Jodie Townsend, Interim Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer, introduced a report which presented to the Board recommendations made by its Committees for consideration, in line with the governance framework as set out in the constitution.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

a)    That the principles endorsed by the Transport & Digital Connectivity Committee be approved, to apply to the allocation of funds for regional transport initiatives, ensuring coordinated investment and improved transport services that align with the region’s priorities and best interests.

 

b)    That detailed funding allocations be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Mayor, in alignment with the principles to apply to the allocation of funds for regional transport initiatives once the funding position has been announced by Government.

13.

Transparent Decision Making pdf icon PDF 125 KB

This report provides a further mechanism to inform Board and the public of delegated decisions that have been taken in-between Board meetings.

 

Decision:

EMCCA Board:

 

a)    Noted decisions taken via urgency provision, Officer Decision Notice and Mayoral Decision Notice

 

Minutes:

Jodie Townsend, Interim Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer, introduced a report which informed the Board of all delegated decisions that had been taken since the last Board meeting.

 

The Board discussed the report and asked questions of the officers present.

 

The Board RESOLVED to unanimously agree:

 

That all decisions taken since the previous Board meeting via urgency provision, Officer Decision Notice and Mayoral Decision Notice, be noted.

14.

Forward Plan

To note the Combined County Authority Forward Plan for December 2024.

 

The Forward Plan for December has been published and can be accessed here

 

Minutes:

The EMCCA Forward Plan had been published, a link to which was included within the agenda. This item was for noting purposes only.