Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Prof. Graham Upton (Bangor University), Dr Gwynne Jones (Isle of Anglesey County Council) and Dilwyn Williams (Gwynedd Council).

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received.

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 15th March, 2019 be signed as a true record  (attached).

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.

Report by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director  (attached).

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.

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. 

Report by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director  (attached).

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.

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.

Report by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer  (attached).

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.

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.

Report by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director  (attached).

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.

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.

Report by Iwan Prys Jones, Programme Manager  (attached).

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.

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.

Report by Iwan Trefor Jones, Lead Director  (attached).

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.

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.