Decision details

Matter for Decision

The Officer’s report provided an update on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority since the 25 March Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Strategy and External Partnerships

 

i.                 Noted the update provided on issues considered at the meetings of the Combined Authority held on the 27 March and 29 May and 26 June 2019.

 

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Chief Executive.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Referred to p95 of the agenda, which noted that the non- statutory spatial framework had been withdrawn. Asked whether this would impact on the City Council’s Local Plan process.

     ii.          Referred to p97 of the agenda and queried whether the work being done on skills by the Combined Authority was the same as that done by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP).

   iii.          Expressed their view that the City Council did not need to be part of a Combined Authority to bid for Housing Infrastructure Funding (HIF).

   iv.          Expressed concern regarding the speed and progress of Combined Authority projects.  From March 2019 a significant number of projects that the Combined Authority was involved with were still at an early stage.

     v.          Commented that the Combined Authority had spent a lot of money on consultants and that limited progress appeared to have been made ‘on the ground’. 

 

The Executive Councillor said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          Understood that the non-statutory spatial framework was due to go back to the Combined Authority Board in September. This was not a binding document. The Combined Authority needed to be clearer what its ambitions were regarding housing.

     ii.          Work undertaken by the Combined Authority on skills was a wider skills strategy, they were putting more funding into further education. Their growth company was going to bid for a further £2 million funding. The GCP tended to focus more on apprenticeships.

   iii.          Commented that if members looked in detail at large HIF bids, only a Combined Authority were allowed to bid for this level of funding. ie: over £100 million. The City Council would not have been able to bid for that level of funding had it not been part of a Combined Authority.

   iv.          The Combined Authority had big ambitions; some delays were as a result of the amount of time that Central Government was spending on Brexit. There was no dialogue regarding Cambridge South train station, this was meant to be completed by 2025 but Central Government and Network Rail were silent.  Cambridge needed the Cambridge South train station and proof could be given by the success of Cambridge North train station.

     v.          To be effective in securing funding, the Combined Authority still needs to do much more work on prioritising projects.   

 

The Committee noted the update.

 

The Executive Councillor noted the update.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.