Agenda item

Report No: COU/FH/16/012

Council considered Report No COU/FH/16/012, which sought endorsement of the Norfolk and Suffolk Devolution Agreement, support for the Governance Review and agreement for a Scheme of Governance to be published for public consultation.

After extensive negotiations between Government and the Norfolk and Suffolk Leaders, a proposed Devolution Agreement had been developed.  Council was required to assess whether to endorse the Devolution Deal Agreement at Appendix A and authorise the Leader to sign it.

Council was also asked to support the Governance Review and agree the publication of the Scheme of Governance.  This would allow the Council to report to the Secretary of State such views to inform his decision on the Devolution Deal and the Scheme for the Mayoral Combined Authority. 

The Chief Executive drew attention to the following two changes to the report (which would also be considered by all authorities across Norfolk and Suffolk):

(a)     As a direct consequence of the EU Referendum result and following discussions with HM Treasury, Paragraph 12 of the Norfolk and Suffolk Devolution Agreement (which related to the management of EU funding) at Appendix A was no longer valid.  This would not impact the Governance Review or Scheme of Governance; and as this was a corrective change, it would neither affect the recommendations contained in the report.  This paragraph would therefore be removed from the version of the document, which if endorsed, was required to be signed by the Leader of the Council; and

(b)     The third bullet point at Paragraph 4.4 of the report should be amended to read, ‘a guaranteed £225m annual transport budget for the next five four years’.

The Chief Executive added that the decisions taken at this meeting were not the final decisions and did not legally commit the Council to participating in a Combined Authority, as detailed in Section 8 of the report. The final decision about whether the Council joined the Combined Authority would be for Council to take in October 2016, following consideration of the results of the consultation that was scheduled to run between 4 July and 19 August 2016.

The Leader spoke in support of the report before Council and was confident that all Suffolk Authorities would unite in their decision.  The Chairman took this opportunity to thank the Leader on behalf of the whole Council for his ongoing efforts in respect of this item.

In response to comments made by Councillor Reg Silvester with regard to the New Anglia LEP (NALEP) and the Greater Cambridge, Greater Peterborough LEP (GCGP LEP), Councillor Colin Noble spoke at length on the role of the Local Enterprise Partnerships, the value they brought to the region and their role within the Devolution Agreement.

It was moved by the Leader, seconded by the Deputy Leader and with 22 voting for the motion and with 2 abstentions, it was

          RESOLVED:

          That:-

1.   The signing of the Norfolk and Suffolk Devolution Agreement by the Leader, be endorsed by the Authority;

2.   On the basis of the Governance Review, and having regard to any impact on equalities explored in the Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA), it be concluded by the Authority that the establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk is the option which most fully permits the effective discharge of the functions that Government is prepared to devolve to this area;

3.   The publication of the draft Scheme for a Norfolk and Suffolk Mayoral Combined Authority as attached Report No: COU/FH/16/012 for consultation purposes, be endorsed and supported by the Authority, subject to such final revisions as may be approved by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, and prior to the commencement of the formal consultation exercise. Such formal consultation, on the Scheme, to commence once all Norfolk and Suffolk Councils have considered the matters in the report and, in any event, no later than the 4 July 2016. In the event that a Constituent Authority named in the attached Scheme does not agree to endorse the Deal Agreement and/or the Scheme, the Authority authorises, through its Chief Executive the relevant changes to be made to the Deal Agreement, the Scheme and the Governance Review to reflect that Authority’s non-participation;

4.   The outcome of the consultation exercise be submitted to the Secretary of the State by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, by early September 2016;

5.   Council meets by no later than 28 October 2016 to consider giving consent to an Order establishing a Mayoral Combined Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk;

6.   Insofar as any of the matters referred to in Report No: COU/FH/16/012 concern the discharge of functions ancillary to the endorsing and signing of the Norfolk and Suffolk Devolution Agreement and the publication of the Scheme, authority be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, to take all necessary steps and actions to progress the recommendations detailed in the report;

7.   Negotiations on the Deal agreement have only recently been concluded and the Review and Scheme have been subject to last minute change.  In the event that additional powers are required by the Combined Authority to deliver the Deal Agreement, authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in agreement with the other Chief Executives across Norfolk and Suffolk to make the necessary changes to the Scheme; and

8.   Further reports be presented to the Authority, as appropriate, as the Devolution process develops.