Agenda item

Alwen Williams, Portfolio Director and Hedd Vaughan-Evans, Operations Manager to present a proposal and rationale to the Board for the extension of fixed term contracts within the Portfolio Management Office

1.    To approve the principle of extending the fixed term contracts within the Portfolio Management Office until 31 March 2024 and request that the Portfolio Director action this with immediate effect.

2.    To note that costs for this extension will be met from existing funding sources (including reserves) and will result in no additional financial ask on partners.

3.    To note that delegated authority has previously been provided [January 2020] to the Portfolio Director to make changes to the Portfolio Management Office structure in consultation with the Chief Executive of the Host Authority and the Statutory Finance Officer to amend the structure as required within the funding envelope.

4.    To note that the resource requirements of the Portfolio Management Office for the delivery of the Growth Deal post March 2024 will be part of a review of regional resources to be carried out by the Executive Officers Group which will also take into consideration the wider implications of the Regional Economic Framework, Shared Prosperity and other funding sources and the Corporate Joint Committee and the resources required at local authority level to develop and deliver economic development and local regeneration projects and programmes.

The report was submitted by Alwen Williams (Portfolio Director) and Hedd Vaughan-Evans (Operations Manager).

DECISION

1.    To approve the principle of extending the fixed term contracts within the Portfolio Management Office until 31 March 2024 and request that the Portfolio Director action this with immediate effect.

2.    To note that costs for this extension will be met from existing funding sources (including reserves) and will result in no additional financial ask on partners.

3.    To note that delegated authority has previously been provided [January 2020] to the Portfolio Director to make changes to the Portfolio Management Office structure in consultation with the Chief Executive of the Host Authority and the Statutory Finance Officer to amend the structure as required within the funding envelope.

4.    To note that the resource requirements of the Portfolio Management Office for the delivery of the Growth Deal post March 2024 will be part of a review of regional resources to be carried out by the Executive Officers Group which will also take into consideration the wider implications of the Regional Economic Framework, Shared Prosperity and other funding sources and the Corporate Joint Committee and the resources required at local authority level to develop and deliver economic development and local regeneration projects and programmes.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

To present a proposal and rationale to the Board for the extension of fixed term contracts within the Portfolio Management Office.

The Board had a responsibility for ensuring adequate resources were in place for the delivery of the North Wales Growth Deal.

The Portfolio Management Office had initially been established in January 2020 with a small compliment of staff. Following a successful bid for a European Structural Funds (ESF) grant, the team had been expanded and the current structure recruited to over the past 18 months.

The ESF grant secured was until the end of June 2023 and the majority of staff within the Portfolio Management Office were on fixed term contracts until 30 June 2023.

This represented a significant risk for the Portfolio Management Office as staff who were key to delivering the North Wales Growth Deal were approaching the final 12 months of their contracts and could seek other opportunities with a greater degree of contractual certainty.

As a result of a number of factors including the pandemic, project development delays and recruitment challenges the Growth Deal was approximately 12 months behind the original delivery timetable. With one project already in delivery, the next 24 months were crucial in terms of moving the remaining projects forward to the delivery phase where we would begin to realise the benefits for North Wales.

DISCUSSION

Details were provided about the background and relevant considerations and the consultations held.

With reference to the decisions sought, the Operations Manager asked the Board to consider making the adding the following to the end of point 2.4:- 

"..and the resources required at local authority level to develop and deliver economic development and local regeneration projects and programmes."

During the discussion, the following matters were raised:-

·         Officers were thanked for the presentation and it was believed that the request was a reasonable and logical one.

·         It was acknowledged that there was a significant risk in losing members of the team as well as their knowledge and experience.  It was noted that this request was a sensible one.