Venue: Conference Room 1a & 1b, County Hall, Wynnstay Road, Ruthin. LL15 1YN
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: Prof. Graham Upton (Bangor University), Dr
Gwynne Jones (Isle of Anglesey County Council) and Dilwyn Williams (Gwynedd
Council). |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive
any declarations of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were
received. |
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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 99 KB The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the previous
meeting held on 15th March, 2019 be signed as a true record (attached). Minutes: The Chairman
signed the minutes of the previous meeting held on 15 March 2019 as a true
record, subject to the following corrections:- Attendance - to
note that Dr Gwynne Jones, not Marc Jones, had been present as chief officer on
behalf of Isle of Anglesey County Council. Update on the
NWEAB Work Programme:- ·
To note that the Business Delivery Group had
emphasised the importance of including Adventure Tourism within the Regional
Land and Property Joint Venture project. ·
To note that the North Wales Mersey Dee Business
Council had emphasised the importance of ensuring that Low Carbon Construction
was a part of the Land and Property project. |
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UPDATE ON THE NWEAB WORK PROGRAMME PDF 172 KB Report by
Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director (attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1.
Approve the RAG status of all
actions within the Work Programme, in accordance with the report. 2.
To delegate the authority to the
Programme Director in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the NWEAB
to agree the Job Description and recruitment process for the Digital Programme
Manager. 3.
Commit up to £55,000 (subject to
job evaluation and the success of the Growth Deal) of the “Project, Planning,
Development and Support budget” to finance the Digital Programme Manager post
for a year. 4.
To submit a quarterly progress
report on the work of the Board to the individual partners for the purposes of
report and scrutiny of the individual bodies. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED 1. To approve the RAG status of all actions
within the Work Programme, in accordance with the report. 2. To delegate the authority to the
Programme Director in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the NWEAB
to agree the job description and appointment process for the Digital Programme
Manager. 3. To commit up to £55,000 (subject to job
evaluation and the success of the Growth Deal) of the “Project, Planning,
Development and Support budget” to finance the Digital Programme Manager post
for a year. 4. To submit a quarterly progress report on
the work of the Board to the individual partners for the reporting and scrutiny
purposes of the individual partners. REASONS FOR THE DECISION Update and keep an
overview of the progress of the Work Programme tasks. Approve the
appointment process for the Digital Programme Manager. To ensure a flow
of information about the project to the partnership bodies. DISCUSSION The education
institutions expressed dissatisfaction and concerns regarding the system of
prioritising projects. It was also noted that the letters to Nigel Adams MP and
Ken Skates AM had not been shared with them prior to being sent to both
Governments. Attention was also drawn to the fact that the logos of all
partners had not been included on those letters. They were of the opinion that
this undermined the partnership and their role as advisors to the Board. In response, the
Vice-chair confirmed that it had not been the intention to undermine any aspect
of the partnership and that the partnership was equal. He also confirmed that
no hard decisions had been made regarding individual projects and that the
projects had been scheduled, rather than prioritised. The Lead Director
explained that a letter had been sent to both Governments since the last
meeting of the Board noting that the projects would be scheduled. During the
previous meeting of the Board, it had been recognised that some of the projects
were at a more advanced stage of readiness. It was noted that five
transformational projects had been identified as ones which would be ready for
the first phase: Digital Connectivity Project; Regional Land and Property Joint
Venture project, Holyhead Port; Smart Local Energy Network Project; Trawsfynydd
Power Station Project. It was agreed that the 14 projects would be included
within the Heads of Terms, in two phases. By ‘readiness’ it was meant that the
project met the tests of (a) proof of concept (b) outcomes and impact (c)
private sector investment and leverage and (d) readiness for delivery on
time. |
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Report by
Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director (attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1.
To
approve the format and structure of the Risk Register and agree that the risks
and RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status included are captured accurately and
sufficiently and that the mitigation measures noted are proportionate in view
of the identified risks. 2.
To
report on the risks on a quarterly basis to the NWEAB and on a monthly basis to
the Executive Officers Group. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED 1. To approve the format and structure of
the Risk Register and agree that the risks and RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status
included are captured accurately and sufficiently and that the mitigation
measures noted are proportionate in view of the identified risks. 2. To report on the risks on a quarterly
basis to the NWEAB and on a monthly basis to the Executive Officers Group. REASONS FOR THE DECISION In order to
operate effectively, the North Wales Growth Deal needs a detailed Risk Register
for the Planning and Development phase. It is considered that
reporting on a quarterly basis to the NWEAB is sufficient, as there will be a
monthly report to the Executive Officers Group. |
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APPOINTMENT OF A TRANSPORTATION SUB-BOARD PDF 156 KB Report by
Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer
(attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1.
To
appoint a Transport Delivery Sub-board with the Role and Terms of Reference set
out in Appendix 1 of the report. 2.
To
appoint the Leader of Flintshire Council, Councillor Ian Roberts, to act as a
link member for the Transport Delivery Sub-Board. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer. RESOLVED 1. To
appoint a Transport Delivery Sub-board with the Role and Terms of Reference set
out in Appendix 1 of the report. 2. To
appoint the Leader of Flintshire Council, Councillor Ian Roberts, to act as a
link member for the Transport Delivery Sub-Board. REASONS FOR THE DECISION Following the
commencement of the First Governance Agreement (“GA1”) and the establishment of
the NWEAB as a decision-making Joint-committee, the appointment of a
Sub-Committee requires a formal resolution of the NWEAB. |
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BUSINESS DELIVERY BOARD PDF 184 KB Report by
Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director (attached). Decision: 1.
To
defer a decision on this matter until such time as the outcome of the
consultation with UK Government and Welsh Government on the proposal is known. 2.
That
the discussions with the Governments should commence based on the report
submitted to the NWEAB. 3.
To
address the following matters when providing a further draft of the report:- (i)
The
role of the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council; (ii)
The
accountability of the Chair of the Business Delivery Board; (iii)
The
need to simplify the proposed role and responsibilities of the Board; (iv)
Concern
that there are increasing demands on businesses to participate in similar
arrangements; (v)
Financial
matters. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED 1. To
defer a decision on this matter until such time as the outcome of the
consultation with UK Government and Welsh Government on the proposal is known. 2. That
the discussions with the Governments should commence based on the report
submitted to the NWEAB. 3. To
address the following matters when providing a further draft of the report:- (i) The
role of the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council; (ii) The
accountability of the Chair of the Business Delivery Board; (iii) The need to simplify the proposed role and
responsibilities of the Board; (iv) Concern that there are increasing
demands on businesses to take part in similar arrangements; (v)
Financial matters REASONS FOR THE DECISION In order to seek
clarity regarding specific matters raised prior to placing the Business
Delivery Board on a formal foundation as part of the project's development
structure. DISCUSSION A verbal report
was presented by Sasha Davies regarding a meeting of the Business Delivery
Board held the previous day where the need for clarity about some matters, i.e.
the accountability of the Chair of the Business Delivery Board, the need to
simplify the proposed role and responsibilities of the Board, concern that
there were increasing demands on businesses to take part in similar
arrangements and some financial matters, such as financial remuneration
arrangements for the Board Chairman, had been emphasised. Ashley Rogers
accepted that the role of the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council, and what
was expected of them, also needed to be identified and defined, and he noted
that he had suggestions regarding how to address this. |
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WELSH GOVERNMENT IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT WHITE PAPER PDF 209 KB Report by
Iwan Prys Jones, Programme Manager (attached). Additional documents: Decision: To
receive the summary report on the Welsh Government proposals for Improved
Public Transport and the response to the White Paper consultation, attached to
the report. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED to accept
this summary report on the Welsh Government proposals for Improved Public
Transport and the response to the White Paper consultation, attached to the
report. REASONS FOR THE DECISION To inform the
Board of the regional response submitted. |
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SWANSEA BAY CITY DEAL (SBCD) REVIEW(S) PDF 210 KB Report by
Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director
(attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1.
To
receive the report on the recommendations of both review reports, the “Swansea
Bay City Deal Independent Review” and the “Swansea Bay City Deal Internal
Review of Governance Arrangements”. 2.
To
note the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) assessment of the North Wales Growth Deal’s
status against each of the recommendations. Minutes: The report was
presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED 1. To
accept the report on the recommendations of both review reports, the “Swansea
Bay City Deal Independent Review” and the “Swansea Bay City Deal Internal
Review of Governance Arrangements”. 2. To note the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) assessment of the North
Wales Growth Deal’s status against each of the recommendations. REASONS FOR THE DECISION 1. For the NWEAB to understand the
conclusions and recommendations of the Report(s). 2. For the NWEAB to focus on the lessons
learned and suggested improvements within the Report(s) to move forward with
the North Wales Growth Deal. 3. To assess the NWEAB’s position against
the recommendations and conclusions of the Report(s). DISCUSSION It was noted that
some of these recommendations had not been accepted, and were to be considered
further in the Swansea Bay region. |