Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman, took this opportunity to welcome Councillor Nick Wright to his first meeting of the City Deal Joint Assembly as one of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s representatives, who had been appointed in place of Councillor Tim Wotherspoon.  Councillor Bick agreed to write to Councillor Wotherspoon and thank him for his contributions, on behalf of the Assembly.

An apology for absence was received by Anne Constantine (Cambridge Regional College).

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 7 October 2015 as a correct record.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 7 October 2015 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members of the Joint Assembly.

No declarations of interest were made.

To receive any questions from members of the public.  The standard protocol to be observed by public speakers is attached.

A request to speak had been received from Cambridgeshire County Councillor Susan van de Ven in respect of the prioritisation of schemes for tranche 2.  It was agreed that Councillor van de Ven would make her speech during consideration of this issue under item 7.

To consider any petitions received since the last meeting.

The Joint Assembly NOTED that a petition relating to the A428/A1303 Madingley Road corridor scheme had been considered by the Executive Board at its meeting on 3 November 2015.  As the Executive Board had already received the petition and agreed to include it as a response as part of the public consultation process, it was agreed that there was no requirement for it to be considered again by the Joint Assembly.

To consider a report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council), scheduled for consideration by the Executive Board on 3 December 2015.

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED to the Executive Board that it:

(a)        Notes the findings from the early Western Orbital technical report.

(b)        Approves the development of further work on the scheme.

(c)        Notes the progress made on assessing standalone bus priority options for M11 Junction 11.

(d)        Amends the public consultation’s timetable so that it commences in the Spring 2016, in order that a draft of the consultation document can be considered by the Joint Assembly and Executive Board at their February and March meetings respectively.

The Joint Assembly considered a report which set out the early development work that had occurred for the Western Orbital project, together with a proposed timetable for further work to link with the emerging A428/A1303 Madingley Road corridor scheme.

Stuart Walmsley, Head of Major Infrastructure Delivery at Cambridgeshire County Council, presented the report and reminded Assembly Members that the Western Orbital had not been included in the list of prioritised schemes for tranche one of the City Deal, but was approved for early development as a tranche two scheme.  There were strategic links between the Western Orbital and the A428/A1303 schemes, so there was a case for bringing forward work for the Western Orbital in order that full consideration could be given to the preferred option for each scheme.

Mr Walmsley emphasised that the scheme was at a very early stage in its development and presented a map, set out as Figure 1 in the report, providing the key locations within the Western Orbital study area and outlining the merits of the scheme.  The report set out provisional options, including high-level key benefits and early estimated indicative costs.  It was noted that the purpose of the project at this stage was to test acceptance of the scheme in terms of viability, deliverability, its business case and whether there were any commercial opportunities.  A detailed feasibility assessment would form part of the next stage, including a public consultation on the principles of the scheme and further stakeholder engagement. 

The following points were noted during discussion by Members of the Assembly and responses from officers:

·         a question was asked about the justification behind the proposal for an additional Park and Ride at Junction 11 of the M11.  Mr Walmsley explained that Park and Ride sites had historically been located on the fringes of the City.  Development had now consumed some of those sites and an additional Park and Ride site in this location could intercept traffic flow at that point, helping alleviate congestion.  He reminded Members, however, that this was an early concept;

·         reference was made to the Atkins Western Orbital technical options report and the fact that it set out the need to investigate use of accommodation bridges over the M11.  A query was raised as to whether this issue could be resolved prior to commencing with the early stage public consultation, in terms of whether it was feasible.  Officers confirmed that this would be addressed prior to the public consultation;

·         the problem along this particular route was with the junctions and not specifically the carriageway, which should be made clearer to members of the public as part of the consultation.  Mr Walmsley agreed that this was an important point but highlighted that an additional Park and Ride site in this area could also potentially make a huge difference;

·         examples were given of pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and other traffic management measures having an impact on congestion along this route, which could potentially be changed or altered to address the problems.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider a report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council), scheduled for consideration by the Executive Board on 3 December 2015.

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED to the Executive Board that it:

(a)        Approves the process and timescales for agreeing the tranche 2 prioritised infrastructure improvement programme.

(b)        Approves preparatory work to support and inform tranche 2 decisions, including scheme assessment and interim work for the Local Plans regarding Cambridge Northern Fringe East, and approve funding from the prioritised ‘tranche 2 programme development’ budget to cover one third of the Cambridge Northern Fringe East work (estimated at £70,000) as part of the pipeline work.

(c)        Agrees to make the following amendments to the list of schemes set out in paragraph 8 of the report:

·         the removal of the word ‘Station’ in respect of the Newmarket Road to Cambridge Science Park Station bus priority scheme;

·         the addition of a city centre bus and coach capacity management scheme;

·         the addition of a Huntingdon Road Park and Ride scheme.

The Joint Assembly considered a report which outlined the proposed process and timescale for making decisions on priority schemes for tranche 2 of the City Deal infrastructure programme. 

Stuart Walmsley, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Head of Major Infrastructure Delivery, presented the report and reminded Assembly Members that the Executive Board had agreed to prioritise £180 million worth of projects in tranche 1 of the City Deal programme for the £100 million of grant funding available over that five year period.  The schemes that remained from the indicative City Deal programme that were not prioritised for investment in tranche 1 were set out in the report at paragraph 8.  It was emphasised that in addition to these schemes other proposals or schemes may come forward from the work underway on the Cambridge Access Study or from the Smart Cities project. 

A proposed approach and timeline for the tranche 2 programme prioritisation was set out in table 1 of the report.

Councillor Susan van de Ven, Cambridgeshire County Councillor for the Meldreth division, referred to the Cambridge to Royston A10 cycle scheme that was not included in the final programme of prioritised schemes for the first tranche of City Deal funding.  She highlighted the overwhelming support for the scheme from all eleven partners of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and over 100 other A10 businesses and education centres.

Councillor van de Ven said that the northern half of the route sat within a convenient radius of Cambridge, for funding purposes, and referred to funding that had been secured through the Cycling Ambition Grant to create a cycle and pedestrian link between Foxton and Harston.  She reported that the southern half of the corridor between Royston and Melbourn had no infrastructure funding source, but stated that as this was a highly desirable corridor for modal shift it had received Local Sustainability Transport funding designed to work with businesses and residents to encourage a change in travel behaviour, which was now taking place through Travel for Cambridgeshire.  She acknowledged that this natural transport corridor crossed county boundaries and reported that Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire County Councillors and officers were working closely together on this issue.  Furthermore, Councillors from both authorities had met with their respective Local Enterprise Partnerships, with the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership characterising the unfunded Melbourn to Royston segment as ‘a missing link in a strong corridor scheme now taking shape’.

Councillor van de Ven said that local residents brought together by the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign were now undertaking community fundraising in order to make the A10 cycle scheme better placed to attract match-funding.  She and colleagues were therefore working to assemble as many resources as possible toward the realisation of this scheme and asked the Joint Assembly to support application of City Deal funding to ensure its completion.

Discussion ensued on the initial prioritisation of schemes for tranche 2, and Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman, proposed the inclusion of a scheme to the list of those carried over from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider a report by Tanya Sheridan, City Deal Programme Director, scheduled for consideration by the Executive Board on 3 December 2015.

The Joint Assembly NOTED the City Deal workstream update.

The Joint Assembly considered a briefing note which set out updates for each City Deal workstream and took this opportunity to consider the Greater Cambridge City Deal Forward Plan.

Tanya Sheridan, City Deal Programme Director, presented the briefing note and highlighted the following points:

·         the Skills Service contract had been extended, further details of which would be reported under item 9 at this meeting;

·         the bid submitted as part of the ‘Innovate UK Internet of Things’ competition under the Smarter Cambridgeshire workstream had progressed to the final bidding round.  The Smarter Cambridgeshire business case would be considered by the Joint Assembly and Executive Board at their February and March meetings, respectively;

·         the A1307 corridor scheme would now be reported to the Joint Assembly and Executive Board later than anticipated and was also scheduled for inclusion on agendas for the February and March meetings, respectively;

·         recruitment for the Strategic Communications Manager position was ongoing, with the post still currently out for advert;

·         the Joint Assembly meeting in December and subsequent Executive Board meeting on 15 January 2016 would consider the outcomes of the call for evidence sessions in relation to City centre congestion.

Councillor Roger Hickford, Vice-Chairman, requested clarity over what the A1307 scheme consisted of, as he felt that the title of the scheme and commentary included in the briefing note did not quite reflect the entirety of the scheme he believed the Joint Assembly and Executive Board had supported.  He was also concerned that this scheme had been further delayed.  Graham Hughes, Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, understood Councillor Hickford’s concerns, but explained that a huge amount of work had been undertaken by consultants which was not yet in a format or of a standard appropriate for reporting into the Joint Assembly or Executive Board to enable sufficient consideration of the issues in order to properly take decisions.  He was confident that the revised schedule would be met and agreed to speak to his team in respect of the details of the scheme to ensure that its specification met with what the Executive Board had approved.

Councillor Bridget Smith informed the Assembly that she had recently met with the Head of Strategic Housing at Cambridge City Council who, further to the last meeting, had given her reassurance in respect of the housing workstream.  She made the point that there were lots of opportunities to deliver housing within the City itself, so it should be made clear that housing delivery would not solely occur on rural exception sites. 

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman, referred to the issue of governance and the anticipation that the City Deal would pursue the establishment of a Combined Authority.  He asked for an update to the Joint Assembly on progress in the formation of a Greater Cambridge Combined Authority, embracing the City Deal, and its relationship to the other current agenda for a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

The Joint Assembly NOTED the City Deal workstream update.

To consider a report by Graham Hughes, Executive Director (Cambridgeshire County Council), scheduled for consideration by the Executive Board on 3 December 2015.

The Joint Assembly NOTED the six-monthly report and progress towards the establishment of a Greater Cambridgeshire Skills Service.

The Joint Assembly considered a report which outlined progress towards a Skills Service for the Greater Cambridge area. 

Graham Hughes, Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council presented the report and highlighted that the Skills Service would help to achieve the City Deal objective of promoting at least an additional 420 apprenticeships in key areas of need over the first five years of the City Deal and generally increase the employability of young people. He reported that ‘Form the Future’ had been appointed to deliver the Skills Service following a tendering process and that it was preparing to launch the service now that the contract had been signed. 

It was noted that routine monitoring of the progress of the service against the achievement of the core objectives would be undertaken by an Advisory Group comprising the City Deal Joint Assembly sub-group with update reports to the Assembly and Board when necessary. 

Appended to the report was a set of key performance indicators for the Skills Service, which had been agreed as part of finalising the contract with Form the Future.  Members of the Assembly agreed that the sub-group should discuss these key performance indicators in more detail with the professionals concerned, as well as consider other aspects of the skills agenda such as supply matching local demand rather than focussing on activity.

Councillor Francis Burkitt asked how the additional 420 apprenticeships were assessed in terms of what quantified them as being additional to those that would have already been in place without the skills workstream of the City Deal.  Mr Hughes reported that data from the Skills Funding Agency was used to assess the number of additional apprenticeships, but he agreed to circulate a comprehensive answer to this question outside of the meeting to clarify the way in which these additional apprenticeships were calculated.

It was suggested that Form for Future be invited to a future meeting of the Joint Assembly to provide a presentation on how it intended to take the Skills Service forward.

The Joint Assembly NOTED the six-monthly report and progress towards the establishment of a Greater Cambridgeshire Skills Service.

To consider the City Deal Executive Board’s Forward Plan, as attached, and the Joint Assembly’s work programme. 

Future meetings of the Joint Assembly are scheduled to be held as follows:

17 December 2015 – 2pm

12 February 2016 – 2pm

24 March 2016 – 2pm

2 June 2016 – 2pm

7 July 2016 – 2pm

25 August 2016 – 2pm

29 September 2016 – 2pm

3 November 2016 – 2pm

1 December 2016 – 2pm

The Joint Assembly NOTED the City Deal Forward Plan.

Consideration was given to the Greater Cambridge City Deal Forward Plan, which the Joint Assembly NOTED.