Agenda item

Councillor S J Conboy, Executive Leader to present on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Councillors D B Dew and M A Hassall to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor S J Corney to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Audit and Governance Committee.

Decision summaries for recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Audit and Governance Committee and Board are attached to the Agenda for information. (TO FOLLOW).

In accordance with the Protocol agreed at the February 2017 meeting, this item provides an opportunity for District Council Members to ask questions and comment on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority issues.

If Members wish to raise questions or issues requiring a detailed response, it would be helpful if they can provide prior notice so that the necessary information can be obtained in advance of the meeting.

In conjunction with the decision summaries of the recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Councillor T D Sanderson presented an update of their activities. Copies of the decision summaries are appended in the Minute Book. Attention was drawn to three main issues of the approval of £1.15m of funding for Great Whyte improvements in Ramsey, linked to the Local Growth Fund, reference to the call-in of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee decision relating to the Demand Responsive Transport that operated in the west of the District that was unsuccessful and the Implementation Plan.

Councillor L Davenport-Ray referred to her disappointment with the call-in decision that resulted in contractual risks to the service that operated as a lifeline to many rural residents that affected Huntingdonshire residents alone and not the District relating to the subject Member that called-in the decision and hoped that the Improvement Plan set out to improve the behaviour of Board Members. In response Councillor Sanderson confirmed that the contractual arrangements were found to be in order and shared similar concerns with the call-in and it was hoped that fewer incidents would be seen in future.

In response to an update requested by Councillor J A Gray on the investigation of the Mayor and conveyed his best wishes to the Mayor of the Combined Authority in his recuperation. The Executive Leader, Councillor S J Conboy, shared similar concerns of this impacting on the ongoing functioning of the Combined Authority and reported that the absence of the Mayor after his surgery had not impacted on delay to the presentation of the outcome report but Officers had advised that due process needed to be followed and could not provide a definitive timescale for conclusion of the matter but had urged for this to be quick, but fair and proper. She undertook to share the detail of the timescale when further detail emerged.

In conjunction with a PowerPoint presentation (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) Councillors M Hassall and D B Dew provided an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee, highlighting the Improvement Plan and Improvement Board in place led by Lord Kerslake and consideration of the budget. Attention was also drawn to confusion surrounding the ability of the Mayor to precept at 2% and clarity was being sought on the mechanisms to achieve this.

Councillor T D Alban raised a question in relation to what monitoring is undertaken on the funding provided by the Combined Authority to Housing Associations for housing projects and Councillor Dew undertook to provide a written response after the meeting.

Members were provided with an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Audit and Governance Committee by Councillor M Beuttell and highlighted issues that they had been appraised with the Improvement Plan framework, risk register improvement, Improvement Board led by Lord Kerslake and highlighted issues with the Combined Authorities’ Constitution with the signing off of the draft Statement of Accounts and provision for this in the absence of the Mayor.