Issue - meetings

To consider the attached City Deal Forward Plan.

(Changes to the Forward Plan document made since the previous meeting are purposely highlighted using tracked changes).

The Executive Board NOTED the City Deal Forward Plan.

The Executive Board considered the latest version of the City Deal Forward Plan, noting those changes made since the last meeting.

Councillor Francis Burkitt queried the item on the City Deal’s tranche 2 programme scheduled for consideration at the next cycle of meetings and asked what this would entail.  Tanya Sheridan, City Deal Programme Director, explained that the item would set out a proposed timescale and methodology for considering the prioritisation of schemes for inclusion in that programme.  She also made reference to the devolution proposals and made the point that if the seven local authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough agreed to a deal it may be necessary to consider how that investment aligned with the City Deal.

Tanya Sheridan also highlighted that, as part of the tranche 1 programme, the Board had made a decision to develop tranche 2 schemes early in order that they were ready for development and could be delivered as soon as that further funding became available. 

In terms of initial timescales, it was anticipated that analysis of scheme prioritisation subsequent to tranche 2 being considered at the next cycle of meetings would be brought back to the Joint Assembly and Executive Board for approval in the autumn 2017.  Councillor Burkitt requested a more comprehensive Forward Plan for future Board meetings in order that items such as this scheduled for consideration in the autumn of 2017 were clearly set out.  He cited examples such as the Smart Cambridge project, the Greenways project and the transport schemes at Histon Road and Milton Road where he felt it should be clearer in the Forward Plan when updates or reports on these issues were due to be reported back to the Joint Assembly and Executive Board. 

Councillor Burkitt suggested including an item on on-street parking, further to a question by Nicki Marrian earlier at this meeting, by way of an update of progress.  It was suggested that this could be included as part of the City Deal progress report in March 2017, but Councillor Burkitt was of the view that this should be an item in its own right.

With regards to Histon Road and Milton Road, it was noted that the Local Liaison Forums associated with these transport schemes had met on 8 November 2016 and would be meeting again two or three times before early December.  Officers confirmed that they were aiming to bring a report on these schemes to the Joint Assembly and Executive Board at the January 2017 cycle of meetings.

The Executive Board NOTED the City Deal Forward Plan.

To consider the attached City Deal Forward Plan.

(Changes to the Forward Plan document made since the previous meeting are purposely highlighted using tracked changes).

The Joint Assembly NOTED the City Deal Forward Plan.

The Joint Assembly considered the latest version of the City Deal Forward Plan, noting those changes made since the last meeting.

Councillor Maurice Leeke queried whether changes to the scheduling of the item entitled ‘city access and tackling peak time congestion’, now due for consideration at the January cycle of meetings, was as a consequence of the last meeting of the Executive Board or the subsequent statement by the Chairman of the Board.  He also sought clarity as to what the item entitled ‘change control process’ entailed.

Tanya Sheridan, City Deal Programme Director, explained that the changes had occurred to the 'city access and tackling peak time congestion' item as a result of the necessary analysis of significant consultation responses to the proposed measures, including Peak Congestion Control Points and the Workplace Parking Levy.  There would not be time to give sufficient consideration to over 10,000 responses that had been received in accordance with the scheme's original programme so a decision had been made to refer the item to the January 2017 cycle of meetings. 

The change control item would look at project management principles across the City Deal programme, similar to the way in which the City Deal's Risk Management Strategy had recently been considered and approved by the Joint Assembly and Board.  This would enable the process to be formalised and placed into the public domain, setting a clear process for managing changes that may occur within specific projects.

Councillor Dave Baigent queried what the 'tranche 2 initial prioritisation' item scheduled for consideration at the next meeting would consist of.  Tanya Sheridan reminded Members that the Joint Assembly and Executive Board considered a long list of schemes for inclusion as part of the tranche 1 programme in January 2015.  The report for tranche 2 at the next meeting of the Assembly and Board would solely set out the process as to how schemes would be assessed and considered for the tranche 2 programme, rather than giving consideration to the inclusion of specific schemes at this stage.

Councillor Baigent queried whether consideration would be given to light railway schemes as part of the second tranche of the programme.  Tanya Sheridan reported that the City Deal was co-investing in a piece of research work regarding shuttles and light railway systems.  She said that it would be important to have that analysis and better understand how such modes of transport could be used as part of the local transport network.

The Joint Assembly NOTED the City Deal Forward Plan.