Venue: Council Chamber, Bodlondeb, Bangor Road, Conwy, LL32 8DU
Contact: Lowri Haf Evans 01286 679878
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: David Jones (Coleg Cambria), Dafydd Evans (Grŵp
Llandrillo Menai), Maria
Hinfelaar (Glyndŵr University), Judith
Greenhalgh (Denbighshire Council) and Sasha Davies (Business Delivery Board) |
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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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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 70 KB The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the meetings held on 21.6.19 and 28.6.2019 be signed as a true record. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the previous meetings, held on 21 June 2019 and 28 June 2019, as
a true record. |
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UPDATE ON THE EAB WORK PROGRAMME AND RISK REGISTER PDF 176 KB Report by Iwan Trefor Jones – Lead Director. Additional documents:
Decision: The RAG
status of each task within the Work Programme was reviewed and approved,
subject to updating the acts that are slipping into the red. The
content of the Risk Register was reviewed, and the assessment criteria for each
task was approved. It was
agreed that 'Programme Office' should be added to the register. Minutes: The
report was presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director. RESOLVED ·
Review and approve the RAG status of each task
within the Work Programme, subject to updating those actions that are slipping
to red. ·
Review the content of the Risk Register and
approve the assessment criteria for each task. ·
Agree that 'Programme Office' should
be added to the register. REASONS FOR THE DECISION Update the progress
of the tasks on the Work Programme along with the submission of the latest
version of the Risk Register DISCUSSION The report was
submitted and attention was drawn to those matters in the work programme which had been completed as well as those
requiring attention over the coming months. It was explained
that tasks and timescales had been allocated to specific officers as well as a
RAG status. Reference was made to the risk register which had
been appended to the report and members were reminded that the document
was reviewed on a monthly basis by the Executive Officers Group. Business Deliver
Board Askar Sheibani
(Vice-chair of the Business Delivery Board) gave an update on his vision for
the Board to strengthen its relationship with the NWEAB so that it could take
advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the Private Sector to attract
wealth, target more contributions and generate business for North Wales. He
reiterated the need to work together and to seek the best deal. Observations
arising from the discussion: - That
the private sector was a fundamental part of the deal - That
the board's minutes should be a standing item on the NWEAB's agenda - That
the NWEAB's work would be scrutinised with clear messages and direct
recommendations - That
members of the Board be invited to attend / speak at meetings - That
joint meetings be held in order to build on the feeling of a team - That
the Board be consulted prior to advertising for Project Managers - That
the private sector and public sector culture needed to be integrated - That
an open dialogue, clear communication and effective information sharing were
needed In response to a
question regarding adapting the terms of reference of the Business Delivery
Board to reflect the above-mentioned observations, the Monitoring Officer
suggested that the terms of reference could be adapted so that a procedure which would work for all could be established. Appointment of
Business Delivery Board Chair It was reported that the appointments process was in place
together with a (draft) job description for the Chair of the Business Delivery
Board. The need to consult with both governments regarding the appointment was highlighted. Observations
arising from the discussion - That
the Chair would have an independent role - That
the person needed to be passionate about the area, well-known, a leader and
have good connections In response to a comment that the appointment would be a 'public appointment', the need to ensure an understanding of the financial limitations in the discussions was suggested, and that the local government ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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REVENUE BUDGET 2019/29 - FIRST QUARTER REVIEW (June 2019) PDF 536 KB Report by Dafydd L Edwards, Host Authority Statutory Finance Officer Additional documents: Decision: The First Quarter
Review of the Joint-Committee for 2019/20 was noted and accepted. Confirmation was
received from the Joint Committee to use the Reserve Fund (that was allocated
for this purpose) to fund any income deficit in 2019/20 Minutes: The report was
submitted by Dafydd Edwards, Section 151 Officer RESOLVED To
note and accept the First Quarter Review of the Joint-Committee for 2019/20. To
obtain the Joint Committee’s confirmation to use the Earmarked Reserve (set
aside for this purpose) to fund any income deficit in 2019/20 REASONS
FOR THE DECISION To note forecast
expenditure on project planning (externally sourced and staff) in 2019/20,
while capitalisation of those project costs would not be possible until
2020/21, and the forecast overspend on recruitment costs. DISCUSSION The report was
submitted in order to provide the details of the actual expenditure and income
for the first quarter of the 2019/20 financial year together with a projected
full year out-turn against the annual budget. The Section 151
Officer noted that the financial procedure had been challenging and that the
budget for this year had been prepared with the information available at the
time. He added that there were still assumptions as no confirmation had been
received of the ESF grant therefore money was being moved between budgets to
reflect the staffing decisions. Nevertheless, he did not anticipate any obvious
concerns on the horizon. Reference was made
to the programme office structure report which had been approved at the NWEAB
meeting in June 2019 on grounds that the structure was affordable within the
core financial contributions. It was explained that this could be implemented
by using the agreed core contributions together with reserves carried forward.
It was added that affordability for 20/21 would be dependent on a successful
deal and capitalisation of projects' staffing costs. In response to an
observation regarding a reserve fund for redundancies, it was noted that
discussions had been held and that the matter would be considered in full when
forward-planning and setting a three year budget Observations
arising from the discussion - That
there was a need to build reserves - That
Councils needed to be invoiced for contributions - That,
when setting the budget, it must be outlined that the contributions remained
the same - Gratitude
was expressed for the work |
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ESF INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING APPLICATION PDF 192 KB Report by Iwan Trefor Jones – Lead Director Decision: It was agreed that the Executive Officers Group would · continue to develop the WEFO Business Plan Welsh European Funding Office) and support their bid for funding from the European Social Fund · establish a Task and Finish Group to lead on the development of the Business Plan · submit quarterly reports on the progress to the Ambition Board Minutes: The report was presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director RESOLVED
that the Executive Officers Group would, ·
continue to develop a
Business Plan to WEFO (Welsh
European Funding Office) to support its bid for funding from the European
Social Fund ·
establish a Task and Finish Group to lead on the development of
the Business Plan ·
provide quarterly progress updates to the NWEAB REASONS FOR THE DECISION Money from the
fund would contribute towards funding posts within the Programme Office up to
June 2023, back-dated to June 2018 DISCUSSION A report was submitted detailing the work of the Executive Officers
Group on the European Social Fund application to design and build the necessary
capacity to deliver the North Wales Growth Deal. It was intended to receive £3m which would allow the funding of posts within the
Programme Office until June 2023. This would lead to a self-funding programme
office. In response to a
question regarding the details of funding the programme office posts, it was noted that estimates had been provided in the report and
that full details would be provided in the business plan. In response to a
question regarding the timeframe of submitting the application, it was noted that it was intended to submit an application by
the end of October 2019. It was confirmed that, should Britain leave the European Union
at the end of October, UK Government would provide the funding. |
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EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC The report relates to draft Heads of Terms for
the North Wales Growth Deal which has been designated as confidential
information by a Government Department for the purposes of Section 100A(2) of
the Local Government Act 1972. As a consequence
it is a requirement that the report is excluded from publication as this would
disclose the confidential information. Minutes: Resolved
to exclude the press and public from the meeting as the report relates to draft
Heads of Terms for the North Wales Growth Deal which has been designated as
confidential information by a Government Department for the purposes of Section
100 (A)(2) of the Local Government Act 1972. As a consequence it is a requirement that the report is
excluded from publication as this would disclose the confidential information. |
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HEADS OF TERMS To consider the report (Seperate copy for
Members only) Decision: That the Economic
Ambition Board welcomes the Draft Heads of Terms as a positive sign of the
commitment of the UK Government and Welsh Government to the North Wales Growth
Deal, by looking to closing the Heads of Terms before 6.9.19 Minutes: The
report was presented by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director RESOLVED That
the Economic Ambition Board welcomes the Draft Heads of Terms as a positive
sign of the commitment of the UK Government and Welsh Government to the North
Wales Growth Deal, with a view to closing the Heads of Terms before 6.9.19. REASONS FOR THE DECISION To approve the Heads of terms for the North
Wales Growth Deal |