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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were received from Cllr Hugh Evans (Denbighshire Council),
Prof Iwan Davies (Bangor University), Yana Williams (Coleg Cambria) and Dilwyn
Williams (Gwynedd Council). |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declarations of Personal Interest Minutes: A declaration of personal interest was received for
item 9 - Chair of the Business Delivery Board from the following: ¾
Dafydd Evans (Grŵp
Llandrillo Menai) ¾
Askar Sheibani
(Business Delivery Board) It was a prejudicial interest and they left the
meeting during this item. |
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URGENT BUSINESS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the
Chair for consideration. Minutes: None to note. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 90 KB The Chair
shall propose that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 November be signed as
a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the NWEAB held
on 15 November 2019, as a true record. |
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PROGRESS UPDATE REPORT PDF 170 KB Report by Jane Richardson – Chair
of the NWEAB Executive Officers Group. Decision: Note the information
within the report. Minutes: The report was submitted by Jane Richardson - Chair of the NWEAB's
Executive Officers Group. RESOLVED To note the information
within the report. REASONS FOR THE DECISION The report was presented in
order to give an update on progress by the Executive Officers Group. An update
was received on the appointment of four members of staff to the Programme
Office, including the Programme Director.
Also, it was noted that a Governance workshop would be held on 14
February 2020, and an update was given on the work of the Chair of the NWEAB. DISCUSSION The report was submitted and it was noted that considerable work had been
done since the previous meeting. It was noted that a clear focus had been
highlighted during the bridging period and the roles of the NWEAB, Programme
Office and Executive Group were outlined. It was noted that the Programme
Director would not be chairing the Executive Group for the time being, and that
Jane Richardson would continue as Chair. It was noted that a Governance Workshop had been arranged for 14
February. It was also noted that work had been done to strengthen the
relationship with Welsh Government's Regional Team and discussions were being
held on how it may be possible to work together on the Regional Economic
Framework and revise the Growth Vision. It was noted that one of the next priorities would be to create a
communication strategy and to decide what the Programme Office wanted to
introduce in North Wales. It was stressed that a narrative was needed for North
Wales and an explanation on how the Growth Vision would tie into the narrative. During the discussion the following matters were raised: ·
A member noted that
they were glad that there was better collaboration with Welsh Government. The
importance of creating a joint framework and the same vision was noted. ·
The Executive Group was
discussed, specifically the chairmanship. The need for the Programme Director
to be a member was stressed, as it would be difficult to present items and
chair meetings. ·
The need to sign the
Heads of Terms by October was stressed. It was added that a discussion would be
needed at a workshop in terms of how flexible the two Governments are with
projects in the first phase and second phase. It was stressed that as projects
were the root of the entire programme, there was a need to be flexible. It was
noted that the Government needed to be entirely clear about when the projects
move to be a programme. |
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REVENUE BUDGET 2019/20 - THIRD QUARTER REVIEW (DECEMBER 2019) PDF 530 KB Report by Dafydd L.Edwards, Host Authority
Statutory Finance Officer. Additional documents: Decision: Receive the third quarter review of the NWEAB
budget for 2019/20, and agree to transfer any underspend in 2019/20 to the
earmarked reserve that will be available for future years. Minutes: The report was submitted by Dafydd Edwards - Statutory Finance Officer. RESOLVED To receive the third
quarter review of the NWEAB budget for 2019/20, and agree to transfer any
underspend in 2019/20 to the earmarked reserve that will be available for
future years. REASONS FOR THE DECISION A report was given on the various budget headings that were overspending
/ underspending and it was noted that there would be an estimated net
underspend of £117,424 at the end of 2019/20, which would be transferred to the
earmarked reserve set up at the end of 2018/19.
In order to work
effectively, the Joint-committee (NWEAB) must be aware of its expenditure
situation to date and this year's spending projections against its annual
budget. DISCUSSION The report was submitted
and it was noted that the budget for 2020/21 would be discussed at the next
meeting. It was added that there had not been any major changes over the last
quarter. Members were guided through the spreadsheet and it was stressed that
the underspend had occurred due to the delay in appointing the Programme
Director. It was noted that additional income had been added for the ESF grant
if the grant was approved. It was noted that the final
position would be discussed in June, and it was accepted that any underspend
would be transferred to the earmarked reserve fund. During the discussion the following matters were raised: It was highlighted
that reserves were for any further costs and to reduce the workload and demand
for funding from partners. ·
It was asked how much money would be transferred for this year and how
much was in reserve, and it was noted that £117,424 would be transferred for
this year which would bring the total to £453,000. |
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Report by Alwen Williams, Programme Director Decision: Approve the Staffing Structure for the
Programme Office, and delegate the authority to the Programme Director in
consultation with the Chief Executive of the Host Authority and the Statutory
Finance Officer to amend the structure as required within the funding envelope. Approve the appointment dates for the
staff within the staffing structure, and appoint to the Programme Office prior
to the Final Deal, where those posts are affordable within the core budget and
the ESF budget (as listed in clause 4.2.5 of the report). Subject to the matters set out in the
report, authorise the Programme Director to proceed with the creation of the
posts and undertake the appointments process in accordance with the Host
Authority’s Policies and Procedures. Delegate the authority to the Programme
Director, in consultation with the Host Authority Chief Executive and the
Statutory Finance Officer, to accept a WEFO grant offer based on 50% of the
total project cost for the period July 2018 up until June 2023. Confirm that
the NWEAB accepts that it will contribute match funding at 50%, primarily by a
combination of capitalisation of project costs and core budget. Minutes: The report was submitted by Alwen Williams, Programme Director DECISION To approve the
Staffing Structure for the Programme Office, and delegate the authority to the
Programme Director in consultation with the Chief Executive of the Host
Authority and the Statutory Finance Officer to amend the structure as required
within the funding envelope. To approve the
appointment dates for the staff within the staffing structure, and appoint to the
Programme Office prior to the Final Deal, where those posts are affordable
within the core budget and the ESF budget (as listed in clause 4.2.5 of the
report). Subject to the
matters set out in the report, to authorise the Programme Director to proceed
with the creation of the posts and undertake the appointments process in
accordance with the Host Authority’s Policies and Procedures. To delegate the
authority to the Programme Director, in consultation with the Host Authority
Chief Executive and the Statutory Finance Officer, to accept a WEFO grant offer
based on 50% of the total project cost for the period July 2018 up until June
2023. To confirm that the NWEAB accepts
that it will contribute match funding at 50%, primarily by a combination of
capitalisation of project costs and core budget. REASONS FOR THE DECISION The ESF grant would provide
funding to the region for the development and delivery of the Growth Vision,
through the establishment of a Programme Office. The Programme Office will start
with a core team of officers partly funded through the ESF grant. In terms of the budget, it
was noted that it would be more cost-effective to appoint officers rather than
appoint consultants on freelance contracts. It was emphasised that no
appointments would be made until confirmation of the funding had been received. DISCUSSION The report was submitted,
noting that it was an update on the grant application. The posts which were
part of the application were noted, as well as the dates for appointing and
starting in post. In terms of the budget, it
was noted that it would be more cost-effective to appoint officers rather than
appoint consultants on freelance contracts. It was emphasised that no
appointments would be made until confirmation of the funding has been received. During the discussion the following matters were raised: ·
It was asked when
confirmation would be given of whether or not the funding would be received. It
was noted that the indications were that the application would be accepted and
Conwy Council was thanked for the work of preparing the application. ·
The difference between
programme manager and project manager was discussed. It was stressed that these
posts continued to be developed and adapted to ensure that there is no duplication,
specifically when looking at the role of officers within the Regional Skills
Partnership which is already operational in the region. · In terms of receiving the funding, it was noted that once confirmation is received that funding is available, an application for back-payment would be made and then the funding would be claimed on a quarterly ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC The Chairman shall propose that the press and public be excluded from
the meeting during the discussion on the following item due to the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 12, Part 4, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. This paragraph is relevant as the report includes information about specific individuals
who have the right to privacy. There is no public interest that calls for
disclosing personal information about these individuals which would outweigh
their rights. Consequently, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. Minutes: RESOLVED to exclude the
press and public from the meeting during the discussion on the following item. |
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BUSINESS DELIVERY BOARD CHAIR - SHORT LIST To draw up a shortlist of applicants for the post of Business Delivery
Board Chair (application forms and supporting documents to be circulated
separately for Board members only). Decision: That four of the candidates are eligible for
short-listing for interview. Minutes: DECISION That four of the candidates are eligible for short-listing for
interview. REASONS FOR THE DECISION Drawing up a short list of
candidates was one of the key milestones in the process of recruiting and
appointing an individual to this key post. |