Agenda, decisions and minutes

To appoint a Chair for 2024/25.

To appoint Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn as Chair for 2024/25.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn as Chair for 2024/25.

To appoint a Vice-chair for 2024/25.

To appoint Councillor Mark Pritchard as Vice-chair for 2024/25.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Mark Pritchard as Vice-chair for 2024/25.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from:-

·       Councillor Llinos Medi Huws (Isle of Anglesey County Council) with Councillor Gary Pritchard deputising;

·       Councillor Mark Pritchard (Wrexham County Borough Council)

·       Rhun ap Gareth (Conwy County Borough Council) with Fran Lewis deputising;

·       Neal Cockerton (Flintshire County Council) with Andrew Farrow deputising;

·       Graham Boase (Denbighshire Council) with Gary Williams deputising;

·       Emyr Williams (Eryri National Park Authority) with Iwan Jones deputising.

Councillor Edgar Owen was welcomed to his first meeting of the Joint-committee following his appointment as the new Chair of the Eryri National Park Authority. 

It was noted that Emyr Williams (Eryri National Park Authority) would be retiring soon.  He was thanked for his contribution to the work of the Joint-committee and they wished him every happiness for the future.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Alwen Williams, Interim Chief Executive of the CJC declared a personal interest in item 9, but as it was important that she was part of the general discussion on the transfer of the functions of the Ambition Board to the CJC, and that there had been no discussion on the part of the report relating specifically to the extension of her secondment in the Interim Chief Executive role, she did not leave the meeting.

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 previous meeting held on 22nd March, 2024 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 22 March 2024, as a true record.

Dewi A Morgan, CJC Head of Finance (Statutory Finance Officer) and Sian Pugh, CJC Assistant Head of Finance to provide the Corporate Joint Committee’s (CJC)

Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2024/25.

To accept and approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2024/25.

The report was submitted by Dewi Morgan, Chief Finance Officer.

RESOLVED to accept and approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2024/25.

Dewi A Morgan, CJC Head of Finance (Statutory Finance Officer) and Sian Pugh, CJC Assistant Head of Finance to provide the Corporate Joint Committee (CJC) with the final out-turn position for 2023/24 and to obtain approval of the Official Annual Return for 2023/24.

1.    To note and accept the Corporate Joint Committee's actual expenditure for 2023/24 as submitted in Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    To obtain the approval of the underspend in 2023/24 to a reserve fund to be earmarked to fund future one-off costs.

3.    To approve the Joint Committee’s Official Annual Return for 2023/24 (subject to External Audit), in line with the statutory deadline of 30 June 2024. (It has been duly completed and certified by Cyngor Gwynedd's Head of Finance, as the Statutory Finance Officer for the Joint Committee (Appendix 2 of the report)).

The report was presented by Sian Pugh, Assistant Head of Finance.

RESOLVED:

1.          To note and accept the Corporate Joint Committee's actual expenditure and income for 2023/24 as submitted in Appendix 1 to the report.

2.          To approve the transfer of the underspend in 2023/24 to a reserve fund to be earmarked to fund future one-off costs.

3.          To approve the Joint Committee’s Official Annual Return for 2023/24 (subject to External Audit), in line with the statutory deadline of 30 June 2024. (It has been duly completed and certified by Cyngor Gwynedd's Head of Finance, as the Statutory Finance Officer for the Joint Committee (Appendix 2 of the report)).

Dafydd Gibbard, CJC Lead Authority Chief Executive for the Corporate Joint Committee  and Alwen Williams, Ambition North Wales Portfolio Director, and Interim Chief Executive of the North Wales CJC to present a further update on progress to establish the Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), and to respond to its statutory functions and undertake the proposed transfer of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board’s functions into the CJC.

1.    To accept the report on the progress update on work to establish the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee and respond to the tasks that are required by its statutory functions (Appendix 1 to the report).

2.    To accept the updated plan along with ⁠the proposed date from 1 November for transferring the North Wales Growth Deal to the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee.

3.    To approve the interim arrangements to release the Portfolio Director’s time for two days per week to undertake the Interim Chief Executive role until 31 October 2024. (All employment and associated costs would continue to be covered by the North Wales CJC).

4.    Ask for a further report on progress in the transferring and monitoring proses of the timetable.

The report was submitted by Alwen Williams, Interim CJC Chief Executive.

RESOLVED:

1.          To accept the report on the progress update on work to establish the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee and respond to the tasks that are required by its statutory functions (Appendix 1 to the report).

2.          To accept the updated plan and the revised date of 1 November for transferring the North Wales Growth Deal to the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee.

3.          To approve the interim arrangements to release the Portfolio Director’s time for two days per week to undertake the Interim Chief Executive role until 31 October 2024. (All employment and associated costs would continue to be covered by the North Wales CJC).

4.          To ask for a further report on progress in the transfer process and monitoring of the timetable.

DISCUSSION

It was questioned whether the resources and funding of the Corporate Joint Committee went into the procurement work for progressing the Investment Zone for Wrexham and Flintshire.  In response, it was noted: -

·       That an agreement had already been reached to set aside £100,000 of the Joint-committee's budget to facilitate the work of going through the Gateways to deliver the Investment Zone.

·       As we faced a General Election on 4 July, there was an additional arrangement in place and an agreement by Flintshire Council and Wrexham Council to provide up to £25,000 each of funding for any work directed towards the development of the scheme should the new government not follow through on the Investment Zones process.

It was further questioned whether there was any doubt about the future of these policies.  In response, it was noted: -

·       No government had given an indication that there would be a new arrangement in place, but assurances were needed on this once the government was in place.

·       As a result of following the process of going through the Gateways to prepare the application to confirm the Investment Zone, a proportion of the £160 million being provided for the Investment Zone would be a proportion that could be used for administrative costs, so it would be possible to apply for the development costs from those funds once the Investment Zone was approved.

The Leader of Flintshire Council noted that he was disappointed that the Investment Zone was coming through the Corporate Joint Committee and would prefer that there was a body set up between Flintshire and Wrexham and their partners, such as Airbus, to manage the project.  He further noted that it had been asked at two meetings of the Joint-committee where the resources would come from, as this was an Investment Zone for Flintshire and Wrexham, and he suggested to perhaps look at the costs of various projects located in specific geographical areas.

It was noted that it was understood that the operating resource for the Joint Committee by secondment from the Welsh Government had now come to an end, and it was questioned how much of a blow this was to our ability to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer to present the report.

1.    To appoint as co-opted members to the Corporate Joint Committee as follows:

(i)            strategic planning sub-committee

(ii)          strategic transportation sub-committee

2. To authorise the Monitoring Officer to accept (and appoint as co-opted members) changes to the membership of these sub-committees that were informed in writing to the Monitoring Officer, on the condition that this appointment was declared to the Corporate Joint Committee in the next meeting.

The report was presented by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer.

The Monitoring Officer thanked Claire Incledon (Solicitor) for her work in getting the agreements in place and signed.

RESOLVED:

1.          To appoint as co-opted members to the Corporate Joint Committee as follows:

(i)      strategic planning sub-committee

(ii)    strategic transportation sub-committee

2.          To authorise the Monitoring Officer to accept (and appoint as co-opted members) changes to the membership of these sub-committees that were notified in writing to the Monitoring Officer, on the condition that these appointments be declared to the Corporate Joint Committee in the next meeting.

Alwen Williams, Interim Chief Executive Officer, North Wales Corporate Joint Committe, to present the report.

Authorise the Chief Executive to respond to the consultation in consultation with the Chair.

The report was submitted by Alwen Williams, Interim CJC Chief Executive.

In response to a question, it was confirmed that the standards were very similar to the standards imposed on the 6 authorities individually, and that it was also likely that the standards to be imposed on all the joint committees across Wales would resemble each other.

RESOLVED to authorise the Chief Executive to respond to the consultation in consultation with the Chair.⁠

Alwen Williams, Interim CJC Chief Executive to present the pay Policy statement for North Wales Corporate Joint Committee in respect of 2024/25.

To adopt the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee pay policy statement for 2024/25.

The report was presented by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer.

In response to a question, it was confirmed that nothing in the Pay Policy Statement was unusual or different from the pay policy of any other bodies.

RESOLVED to adopt the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee pay policy statement for 2024/25.         

Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer to propose the draft calendar for the period up to May 2025.

To approve the draft calendar for the period until May 2025.

The report was presented by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED to approve the draft calendar for the period up to May 2025.