Notes of Shadow Board Meeting Held on Monday 24June 2013At Nottingham City Council

Notes of ‘Shadow’ Board Meeting held on Monday 24June 2013at Nottingham City Council

1. Present

Board Members

Councillor AfzalAsafDerby City Council

Councillor Anne Western Derbyshire County Council

Councillor Joan DixonDerbyshire County Council

Councillor Jane Urquhart Nottingham City Council

Councillor Sam WebsterNottingham City Council

Councillor Kevin Greaves Nottinghamshire County Council

Councillor Steve CalvertNottinghamshire County Council

Councillor John ClarkeGedling Borough Council

Peter Richardson Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership

James NewmanSheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership

Observers

Joshua FoxDepartment for Transport

Officers

Helen RusholmeSheffield City Region

Stephen Bray Gedling Borough Council

David RalphDerby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Christine DurrantDerby City Council

Ian StephensonDerbyshire County Council

Mike AshworthDerbyshire County Council

Geoff PickfordDerbyshire County Council

Jim SeymourDerbyshire County Council

David BishopNottingham City Council

Chris CarterNottingham City Council

Tim GregoryNottinghamshire County Council

Andrew WarringtonNottinghamshire County Council

1. Apologies

Councillor Paul BaylissDerby City Council

Sue FlackNottingham City Council

Adrian SlackHighways Agency

KamaljitKhokarHighways Agency

Elizabeth CharltonDepartment for Transport

1. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

The meeting was being held in ‘shadow’ form in recognition of the need for the Assurance Framework to be agreed both by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Local Transport Body itself before the Board could be fully constituted. For the purposes of the meeting Councillor Joan Dixon (Derbyshire County Council) and Councillor Jane Urquhart (Nottingham City Council) were elected to serve as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively.

1. Presentation and Discussion

The D2N2 Infrastructure Group comprised senior officers of local highway authorities and the Local Enterprise Partnership. On its behalf Geoff Pickford of Derbyshire County Councilpresented the meeting with the key issues needing agreement. Devolution of both budgets and decision-making on local major transport schemes offered an opportunity to bring forward projects designed to support the creation of jobs and economic growth. In order to confirm the arrangements, though, DfT was expecting to see a rigorous process in place to ensure that resources were delivering value for money. This needed to involve the agreement of objectives and a process of weighting criteria and scoring potential schemes. It was also expected that by the end of July a programme of schemes for the period 2015-16 to 2018-19 would have been agreed. Decisions would be taken by the Local Transport Body (LTB), convened for the purpose. This timetable was challenging but there were risks involved in failing to meet it, as the devolution of budgets to local level was yet to be confirmed.

The point of reference for DfT was the LTBs Assurance Framework, the draft if which had been circulated. This was set out in three parts dealing with governance, with the selection of schemes and with the subsequent management of the agreed programme. The third of these did not require signing-off at this stage, but the first two parts did.

With regard to governance Board members were asked to pay specific regard to their responsibilities to act in the interests of the LTB and to declare any relevant interests.

The Infrastructure Group had been in liaison with DfT over a scheme selection process which gave weight to criteria relating to economic growth (taking into account the draft D2N2 Growth Plan) supported by others dealing with carbon reduction and socio-distributional impacts. A supporting officer group, the Prioritisation Working Group, would provide a draft assessment of submitted scheme proposals, which would also be scrutinised independently by consultants URS. It was proposed that the LTB should invite scheme proposals seeking a minimum financial contribution of £2 million.

Discussion over the Assurance Framework highlighted the merits of identifying a longer-term programme, not least to match that of the Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund (SCRIF), the coverage of which overlapped with the D2N2 area. It was clear that there would be schemes seeking support from both funds, but there was consensus that there was no merit in building convoluted processes around the issue and that specific discussions should take place once each LTB had carried out its initial assessment.

With regardto Parts 1 and 2 of the Assurance Framework it was requested that specific reference be made to the need for liaison with the Manchester City Region. With this amendment, though, the meeting agreed to approve the draft.

1. High-Speed Rail (HS2)

The issue of HS2 had been added to the agenda in order to establish whether the LTB would wish to establish a joint view. Discussion around this raised a number of issues, not least the need to maximise local connectivity to the high-speed network in order to harness its regeneration benefits. There would also be a need to ensure that its introduction would be without detriment to other rail services and local connectivity. However, there was consensus that in-principle support could be offered. In the immediate short term, taking into account the need for district and borough views to be canvassed, the LTB would not be able to take a definitive stance. The highway and transport authorities, though, would consider a joint position statement in response to the setting up of the HS2 Growth Task Force and any announcements associated with the Comprehensive Spending Review. HS2 could be the subject of further consideration by the LTB in due course.

1. Any Other Business
2. It was highlighted that the LTB may choose to consider in due course further issues as well as devolved major scheme funding and HS2.
3. Having agreed to approve Parts 1 and 2 of the Assurance Framework the meeting agreed to appoint Councillors Dixon and Urquhart to serve as Chair and Vice-Chair when the Board met in its fully constituted form.

1. Date of Next Meeting

Provisionally, the Board would meet on 22 July at 14:30 at Markham Vale (Derbyshire).

D2N2 Shadow Board Meeting 24 June 2013