Decision details

Agree to:

·       Undertake a governance review.

·       Prepare and publish a scheme for consultation to establish a combined authority.

Matter for Decision

The Officer’s report presented the outcome of negotiations with government about a Devolution Deal for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

 

Decision of the Leader

i)             Approved the content of the Devolution Deal proposal (attached at Appendix A).

 

ii)            Endorsed the conclusions and outcome of the Governance Review (attached at Appendix B), that the establishment of a Combined Authority with a Mayor for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area would be likely to improve the exercise of statutory functions in that area.

 

iii)          Approved in principle, the Governance Scheme (attached at Appendix C) and requested the Chief Executive to undertake appropriate consultation on its content.

 

iv)          Resolved to convene a meeting of Full Council to take place in October 2016 to consider the results of the consultation exercise and whether to give consent for the Secretary of State to bring forward an Order establishing a Combined Authority with a Mayor covering that area of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

 

v)           Over the next three months to
(a) develop a delivery plan for building at least 500 new council homes using the £70m allocated in the deal for affordable housing in Cambridge (the Cambridge Housing Plan), working with the Government, and in consultation with other partners (see para 11 of the Devolution Deal proposal);

(b) contribute to work by South Cambridgeshire and the other partner councils in the Combined Authority on a plan for delivering 2,000 homes using the £100m allocated in the deal for this purpose (see para 20 of the devolution proposal).          

 

vi)          Requested officers prepared a workable scheme for politically balanced scrutiny by City Council members of decisions taken by its representative on the Combined Authority, including pre-scrutiny where this is practical.

Officers are asked to bring proposals to Civic Affairs after consulting group leaders, before the first full meeting of the Combined Authority, with a view to recommendations to full Council.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

 

Councillor Herbert proposed and Councillor Price seconded the following amendments:

Replace (iv) with

(iv) If the above are approved, resolve to convene a meeting of Full Council to take place in October 2016 to consider the results of the consultation exercise and whether to give consent for the Secretary of State to bring forward an Order establishing a Combined Authority with a Mayor covering that area of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

On a show of hands this was agreed by 24 votes to 0.

 

And add a new clause v):

 

v) Over the next three months

(a) develop a delivery plan for building at least 500 new council homes using the £70m allocated in the deal for affordable housing in Cambridge (the Cambridge Housing Plan), working with the Government, and in consultation with other partners (see para 11 of the Devolution Deal proposal); 

(b) contribute to work by South Cambridgeshire and the other partner councils in the Combined Authority on a plan for delivering 2,000 homes using the £100m allocated in the deal for this purpose (see para 20 of the devolution proposal).  

 

On a show of hands this was agreed unanimously

 

Councillor Bick proposed and Councillor Cantrill seconded the following amendments:

 

(vi) To note that, while the housing measures in the Devolution Deal are moves in a positive direction, they are proportionately small and uncertain contributions mitigating the recent serious destabilisation of affordable and social housing supply in our area in the wider context of both the council's 2012 HRA 30 year Business Plan ambition for 2000 extra social homes and the potential for the gains offered in this Deal to be offset by a national government housing policy, which is still unclear; and to therefore request officers to prepare an updated negotiating position with government to further and more fully meet local needs for approval at or before the October full council meeting which will consider the current Deal.

 

On a show of hands this was lost by 13 votes to 21.

 

(vii) To request officers to prepare a workable scheme for politically balanced scrutiny by City Council members of decisions taken by its representative on the Combined Authority, including pre-scrutiny where this is practical.

 

Officers are asked to bring proposals to Civic Affairs after consulting group leaders, before the first full meeting of the Combined Authority, with a view to recommendations to full Council.

 

On a show of hands this was agreed unanimously.

 

The amended recommendation was therefore put to the vote:

 

    i.          Approve the content of the Devolution Deal proposal (attached at Appendix A).

  ii.          Endorse the conclusions and outcome of the Governance Review (attached at Appendix B), that the establishment of a Combined Authority with a Mayor for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area would be likely to improve the exercise of statutory functions in that area.

 iii.          Approve in principle, the Governance Scheme (attached at Appendix C) and requested the Chief Executive to undertake appropriate consultation on its content.

 

On a show of hands recommendation i-iii were approved by 23 votes to 8.

 

iv.          To resolve to convene, if appropriate, a further meeting of Full Council to take place in October 2016 to consider the results of the consultation exercise and whether to give consent for the Secretary of State to bring forward an Order establishing a Combined Authority with a Mayor covering that area of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

 

On a show of hands this was agreed unanimously.

 

  v.          Over the next three months to
(a) develop a delivery plan for building at least 500 new council homes using the £70m allocated in the deal for affordable housing in Cambridge (the Cambridge Housing Plan), working with the Government, and in consultation with other partners (see para 11 of the Devolution Deal proposal);
(b) contribute to work by South Cambridgeshire and the other partner councils in the Combined Authority on a plan for delivering 2,000 homes using the £100m allocated in the deal for this purpose (see para 20 of the devolution proposal).  

 

On a show of hands this was agreed by 34 votes to 0.

       

vi.          To request officers prepared a workable scheme for politically balanced scrutiny by City Council members of decisions taken by its representative on the Combined Authority, including pre-scrutiny where this is practical.

Officers are asked to bring proposals to Civic Affairs after consulting group leaders, before the first full meeting of the Combined Authority, with a view to recommendations to full Council.

 

On a show of hands this was agreed unanimously.

 

The Leader approved the amended recommendations.

 

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

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.