Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Jason McLellan (Denbighshire Council), Yana Williams (Coleg Cambria), Askar Sheibani (Business Delivery Board) and Professor Edmund Burke (Bangor University).

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Alwen Williams (Portfolio Director) declared a personal interest in item 6 as the report involved her secondment as Interim Corporate Joint-Committee Chief Executive.  She was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and withdrew from the discussion on the item.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chair for consideration.

None to note.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the meeting held on 3^rd February, 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 3 February 2023, as a true record.

Dewi A Morgan, Host Authority Head of Finance (Statutory Finance Officer) and Sian Pugh, Host Authority Assistant Head of Finance to present the report.

To approve:-

1.    The 2023/24 Revenue Budget as presented in Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    Funding contributions to include the partner contributions, local authorities’ supplementary contributions and partner interest contributions.

3.    The Capital Budget for the Growth Deal as presented in Appendix 2.

The report was presented by Sian Pugh (Assistant Head of Finance, Host Authority).

RESOLVED

To approve:-

1.         The 2023/24 Revenue Budget as presented in Appendix 1 to the report.

2.         Funding contributions to include the partner contributions, local authorities’ supplementary contributions and partner interest contributions.

3.         The Capital Budget for the Growth Deal as presented in Appendix 2.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

1.         In order to operate effectively within the funding available, the NWEAB requires an annual budget to be approved.

2.         Appendix 1 to the report sets out the proposed budget per expenditure heading and the corresponding funding streams for the year.

3.         Appendix 2 sets out the proposed capital budget per project and the corresponding capital funding for the Growth Deal of £240m.

4.         To authorise the Portfolio Director to incur expenditure in accordance with the approved budget.

Dylan Williams, North Wales Councils’ Lead Chief Executive for the Economic Ambition Board to present the report.

1.       That the Board supports the extension of the arrangement to release the Portfolio Director’s time for two days per week until 30 September, 2023 on a part time secondment basis to undertake the Interim Chief Executive role.

2.       That all employment and associated costs are covered by the North Wales CJC.

The report was submitted by Dylan Williams (North Wales Councils' Lead Chief Executive for the NWEAB).

RESOLVED

1.              That the Board supports the extension of the arrangement to release the Portfolio Director’s time for two days per week until 30 September, 2023 on a part time secondment basis to undertake the Interim Chief Executive role.

2.              That all employment and associated costs are covered by the North Wales CJC.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

1.              The arrangements recommended are consistent with the 6 Councils’ decisions, in principle, to the transfer of Ambition North Wales’ functions to the Corporate Joint Committee.

2.              By fulfilling the CJC Chief Executive's role, the Portfolio Director will assist the region to develop an effective CJC, while being uniquely positioned to ensure that Ambition North Wales’ interests are safeguarded in this year of transition.

DISCUSSION

It was suggested that it would be beneficial for those members of the Board who were not a part of local government to be briefed on what was happening in terms of the Corporate Joint Committee, and the implications for the Board.  In response, the Chair noted that it was important for everyone to have an understanding of what was going on, and that it could be arranged for information to be shared with everyone in the most effective way.  The Monitoring Officer noted that the work of creating a plan for the process was starting now, and that there would be communication with the colleges, etc., along the way.

It was noted that extending the secondments of the Portfolio Director as Interim CJC Chief Executive was a sensible and pragmatic step in the circumstances, but that a more permanent arrangement was needed as soon as practicably possible.

Elgan Roberts, Energy Project Manager to present the report.

1.       That the Board approve the Outline Business Case for the Smart Local Energy project subject to Welsh and UK Governments’ approval of the assurance process undertaken, and the Portfolio Management Office addressing the matters set out in the report, as set out in Section 7 request that a Full Business Case is prepared for the Board to consider following the completion of the procurement process and the consenting process.

2.       That the Board delegate to the Portfolio Director, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, final approval of the procurement specification and social value criteria prior to commencing procurement.

3.       That the Board note that the final funding arrangements for the project will be agreed at the Full Business Case stage and authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Host Authority Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to agree draft terms for approval by the Board.

Councillor Llinos Medi Huws (Anglesey County Council) said a few words at the beginning.  She noted:-

·         That this exciting project was a part of an original application by the Board, and that it was good to report that the plan had matured significantly over the past year, and that we had brought many of our stakeholders with us on the journey.

·         That this was a project to support the full region, where there were gaps in funding, supporting smart energy in the community and possibly more ambitious schemes as well.

·         That it was hoped that those members who were not on the Energy Programme Board could see that there was a vision here, that there was buy-in from many partners, and also that there was an opportunity here to make a difference on the community level and on the regional level.

·         That it was accepted that there were some risks involved with the project, but in order to set an ambition, there must also be some risk.

Henry Aron (Energy Programme Manager) then provided details on the context and history of the project, providing an outline of the assurance process, and Elgan Roberts (Energy Project Manager) presented further details about the project.

RESOLVED

1.              That the Board approve the Outline Business Case for the Smart Local Energy project subject to Welsh and UK Governments’ approval of the assurance process undertaken, and the Portfolio Management Office addressing the matters set out in the report, as set out in Section 7 request that a Full Business Case is prepared for the Board to consider following the completion of the procurement process and the consenting process.

2.              That the Board delegate to the Portfolio Director, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, final approval of the procurement specification and social value criteria prior to commencing procurement.

3.              That the Board note that the final funding arrangements for the project will be agreed at the Full Business Case stage and authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Host Authority Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to agree draft terms for approval by the Board.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

To seek the Board's approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Smart Local Energy project.

DISCUSSION

The Chair thanked the Team for the incredibly detailed background work, and noted that this was a very exciting project that would directly touch our communities across north Wales as well as be visible to our residents.

It was asked why the report referred to the creation of 156-193 new jobs in north Wales linked to the delivery and implementation of clean energy solutions, as we had previously stated our desire to create 2,400 new jobs through this process.  In response, it was explained:-

·         That the jobs in the Outline Business Case were based on what had been modelled in the Programme business case, so those targets had been carried forward and included direct and indirect jobs in the supply chain.

·         That the economic modelling for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.