Agenda item

The Executive Leader, Councillor R B Howe to provide an update.

The Executive Leader, Councillor R B Howe, provided an update to Members on progress to date with the work of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Whereupon it was noted that the second meeting of the Combined Authority had met earlier that day and approved a provisional budget for 2017/18 to 2020/21. It was noted that the costs of the Mayor’s office had risen to £1m and the Mayoral election costs risen to £1.2m to accommodate the costs for distribution of the candidates address booklet. A further two posts had been created to facilitate the Housing Development Strategy as currently no officer capacity existed.

Members noted that the Combined Authority had been tasked with the development of new policies, fulfilling the legal and governance arrangements and developing the assurance and monitoring framework to ensure the processes are transparent and robust. Councillor Howe further highlighted the work streams that would be covering major project areas of governance, fiscal policy, infrastructure, housing and skills and work programmes would be developed to allow housing and infrastructure related projects to progress.

Councillor Howe referred to the unblocking of sites allocated for housing to allow for the development of affordable housing and a number of large infrastructure projects under consideration that would be considered by the new Investment Board, Chaired by Councillor Howe with external expertise to adjudicate on infrastructure plans to come forward with recommendations for investment. Attention was also drawn to the Market Town Strategy and development of the Masterplan for St Neots, whereby it was reported that contact had already been made with Councillor Ms A Dickinson and St Neots Town Council.

It was noted that although the organisation was working very well, the Officers involved had been very stretched across all the local authorities and work had begun to recruit to the Chief Executive and other paid posts at the Combined Authority. Councillor Howe explained that through the smart management of resources and better use of public service, including health, social care, fire and police, economies and efficiencies could be achieved by the Combined Authority through the leverage of funding from other agencies.

In referring to the eight sites allocated for housing, Councillor Ms S J Conboy enquired as to whether they had been identified in addition to the Local Plan, whereby Councillor Howe explained that they had already been identified in the Local Plan and it was hoped that growth could be accelerated on thiese site through the unblocking of infrastructure that currently impeded some developments.

In response to questions from Councillor M F Shellens, Councillor Howe explained the background to the changes in the budget and overall costs to the Combined Authority and reported that a reserve level set at £800k may be deemed a little excessive and the intention was to ensure that the allocation of £20m was depleted as little as possible with the establishment of the Mayor’s office but was confident that income generated in five years’ time would far outweigh the original allocation of funding.

Arising from a question by Councillor B S Chapman, Councillor Howe explained that the focus of the Combined Authority was within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area only but development taking place on the fringes of these boundaries needed to be taken into consideration in the development of projects such as the St Neots Masterplan and would ensure that infrastructure kept pace with housing development.