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Agenda item

Cyflwynwyd gan:Cyng / Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn

Decision:

¾  The Overarching Business Plan was formally confirmed and it was recommended for the Council to approve it as the document that sets out the arrangements for delivering the North Wales Growth Deal as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments.

¾  The provisions in Governance Agreement 2 weres confirmed, which formally involves the executive functions and recommends that the Council approves the provisions involving non-executive functions and that it (the Cabinet) specifically adopts the delegations and the Terms of Reference in "Governance Agreement 2: Appendix 1" as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments.

¾  Subject to completing Governance Agreement 2, that Gwynedd Council agrees to act as the Host Authority and the Accountable Body and signs the letter of the Grant Funding Proposal on behalf of the Partners through the Chief Finance Officer.

¾  It was formally confirmed and recommended that the Council approves the method used to calculate the cost of borrowing which is required in principle to facilitate the negative cash flow for the Growth Deal, and to include a provision within the Council Budget to pay this contribution and the established core and supplementary contributions as set out in GA2. 

¾  That the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer, be granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the documents with the Partners as necessary to complete the agreement.

 

Minutes:

The report was presented by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn.

 

DECISION

 

¾  The Overarching Business Plan was formally confirmed and it was recommended for the Council to approve it as the document that sets out the arrangements for delivering the North Wales Growth Deal as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments.

¾  The provisions in Governance Agreement 2 were confirmed, which formally involves the executive functions and recommends that the Council approves the provisions involving non-executive functions and that it (the Cabinet) specifically adopts the delegations and the Terms of Reference in "Governance Agreement 2: Appendix 1" as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments.

¾  Subject to completing Governance Agreement 2, that Gwynedd Council agrees to act as the Host Authority and the Accountable Body and signs the letter of the Grant Funding Proposal on behalf of the Partners through the Chief Finance Officer.

¾  It was formally confirmed and recommended that the Council approves the method used to calculate the cost of borrowing which is required in principle to facilitate the negative cash flow for the Growth Deal, and to include a provision within the Council Budget to pay this contribution and the established core and supplementary contributions as set out in GA2. 

¾  That the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer, be granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the documents with the Partners as necessary to complete the agreement.

 

DISCUSSION

 

The report was submitted noting that it was the culmination of three years of hard work on the Growth Plan. The programme team was thanked for working hard to create the documents and the business plans to complete the Final Deal Agreement.

 

The Programme Manager highlighted the main aim of the Growth Plan to build a thriving, sustainable and robust economy in north Wales. It was expressed that the methods would deliver growth in an inclusive and sustainable way that could be extended in line with the Well-being of Future Generations Act. The funding sources which included investment from the Private Sector and the Public Sector were emphasised.

 

Attention was drawn to the Growth Plan’s regional benefits which included growth in regional prosperity and creating better quality jobs for the labour market. The benefits for Gwynedd specifically were emphasised and they included improving digital connectivity for businesses, residents and visitors; access to innovative research and support with sustainable farming techniques; an investment of £20m in the infrastructure of the Trawsfynydd site and opportunities to develop strategic sites as part of the long-term Land and Property programme.

 

The Overarching Business Plan was outlined, emphasising that it set out the arrangements for implementing the North Wales Growth Deal, including an overview of the programmes and projects in order to secure the approval of all partners to the Funding requirements to implement the deal. It was added that the Programme Office had consulted with the UK Government and the Welsh Government throughout the process of developing the documents.

 

In relation to the Final Deal Agreement, it was noted that it was a deal that had been created jointly between the NWEAB and both Governments. It was emphasised that it was currently in draft form and that it would continue to be adapted over the next weeks. It was noted that the Programme Officer had been working hard on the relevant documents, and that the Final Deal Agreement would be secured based on a Portfolio Business Case and Five Programme Business Cases.

 

The Head of Legal Services noted that Governance Agreement 2 moved the partnership to the implementation phase of the Growth Deal. It was added that it was continuing with the governance model adopted in GA1, namely a Joint-committee supported by a host authority and providing for the Partners' commitments and responsibilities to the partnership. Attention was drawn to arrangements noting that the scrutiny work would be shared between the six local authorities to lighten the burden.

 

The Head of Finance Department expressed that GA2 was of crucial importance to having an accountable body. The Income and Expenditure were outlined, noting that the expenditure profile would be over approximately six years, with the governments' funding contributions being equal over 15 years, therefore there would be a negative cash flow.  However, it was noted that the host authority would facilitate this for the partners and would have made reasonable presumptions before spreading the cost equally over the 15 years of the deal, in order to offer an achievable annual cost. It was added that this would commit the partners to the Growth Deal for 15 years.

 

Observations arising from the discussion

¾  Gratitude was expressed for the work and the funding for Parc Glyn Cegin in Bangor was welcomed. A question was asked in relation to fibre internet connections for companies if it was to be developed for all residents in Gwynedd. It was expressed that mapping work had been carried out to seek out the fibre not-spots and that these areas would be targeted by the growth deal.

¾  A question was asked in relation to contributions from the two Governments and if this meant that the deal was accountable to both Governments. It was noted that it did mean this, but the deal was also accountable to all councils in the region and to electors. It was emphasised that accountability to the county's residents would be the main priority.

¾  The report was welcomed as there would be an opportunity to build a stronger economy and an opportunity to create high value jobs that would be crucial for the young people of Gwynedd.

-       It was noted that this was the first time that authorities had volunteered to work together to create something for the benefit of the residents. The Head of Finance Department and the Monitoring Officer were thanked for their work.

Awdur:Sioned Williams and Alwen Williams

Supporting documents: