Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board:

(a)     AGREED that the following options in relation to the functions set out in the report be adopted and that budgetary provision be made within the 2015/16 Greater Cambridge City Deal non-project costs budget for:

·      central coordinating functions in the sum of £150,000 per year for two years;

·      strategic communications in the sum of £60,000 for two years;

·      economic assessments in the sum of £10,000 per year for two years;

·      Smart City in the sum of £20,000 per year for two years;

·      inward investment team to a maximum sum of £150,000, subject to the conditions set out in that section of the report and subject to:

-       entering into a Service Level Agreement;

-       clarity of the role, including a job description, and details of the outputs from the investment;

-       a commitment that Cambridge Ahead and Cambridge Network would work together effectively.

·      support for the delivery of additional housing in the sum of £200,000 per year for two years;

·      support for the delivery of the Skills Service, subject to satisfactory agreement of the model at the June cycle of meetings of the Joint Assembly and Executive Board, in the sum of £150,000 per year.

(b)       APPROVED the City Deal budget for non-project costs as set out in section 6 of the report for the financial year commencing 1 April 2015.

(c)                    RETAINED the unutilised funding, as set out in section 8 of the report, for other needs that are expected to arise to progress the City Deal objectives, including potential investment in infrastructure schemes, and AGREED that this be carried forward at the year-end subject to any further demands that may be agreed by the Board within the financial year.

(d)       AGREED that these allocations be reviewed at the mid-year point and any amendments to these sums or additional elements be made at that point.

NOTE – this item was considered after the item on the Greater Cambridge City Deal skills proposals.

Consideration was given to a report which sought approval of a budget for non-project costs for the 2015/16 financial year.

Chris Malyon, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Chief Finance Officer, presented the report and clarified that non-project costs were those costs associated with delivering the broad range of City Deal outcomes beyond the capital costs of delivering the infrastructure investments.  These included the delivery of additional affordable housing in the Greater Cambridge area, the creation of over 400 new apprenticeships, exploration of smart or digital solutions to the area’s economic barriers, assessment of the economic impact of the City Deal programme and the co-ordination, leadership and communication of the initiative overall.

Councillor Tim Bick, Chairman of the City Deal Joint Assembly, presented the outcomes of the Assembly’s consideration of this proposal following its meeting held on 6 March 2015.  In terms of the proposal to appoint a Programme Director for the City Deal, the Assembly urged the Board to give careful consideration around the person specification for this post to ensure that the right person was appointed to lead this significant piece of work.  Members of the Assembly were also keen to clarify that the new posts of Programme Director and Project Manager, together with the new post associated with strategic communications, would be available to support the work of the Joint Assembly as well as the Executive Board.

Councillor Bick referred to the section on inward investment, highlighting that the advantage of the proposed scheme was that it was supported with effort and funding from the private sector and had the opportunity to become a self-sustaining model.  In view of this, and in respect of the other budget proposals, the Joint Assembly supported the recommendations set out within the report.

In considering each section of the report, the following points were noted by Members of the Executive Board:

Central leadership and co-ordinating functions

In reference to the provision of £150,000 to allow for the recruitment of a Programme Director, a Project Manager and associated on costs, a question was raised as to the likelihood of attracting suitable candidates for posts that were fixed for two years, as suggested within the report.  Mr Malyon was of the view that both posts would be extremely attractive due to the unique nature of the City Deal and clarified that they would not be advertised as two year posts.  The two year reference related to the allocation of funding to support the two posts, which was initially set out in the budget for a two year period at this stage.

Strategic Communications

It was noted that specific projects would have communications activity attached to them, the cost of which had already been factored into the cost of delivering schemes.  The additional resources proposed in the report would be used to support overarching communication around the City Deal as a programme.

Board Members highlighted the need for communication and key messages around the City Deal to be co-ordinated.

Smart Greater Cambridge

It was noted that a recent workshop had been held on this issue and the proposed £20,000 per year for two years would be used to lever other funding opportunities to support smart and digital initiatives for Greater Cambridge.

Members of the Board felt that more than £20,000 per year for two years should be made available in the future should it be required to attract further external funding to support the smart and digital agenda.

Inward investment and account management

Councillor Lewis Herbert supported the proposal set out in the report with regard to inward investment, subject to the following conditions:

·         that a Service Level Agreement was in place;

·         that there was clarity over the role, including a job description, and details of the outputs from the investment;

·         a commitment that Cambridge Ahead and Cambridge Network would work together effectively on the project.

During discussion it was emphasised that the Greater Cambridge City Deal should benefit the Greater Cambridge area and not solely Cambridge City.

The Executive Board:

(a)     AGREED that the following options in relation to the functions set out in the report be adopted and that budgetary provision be made within the 2015/16 Greater Cambridge City Deal non-project costs budget for:

·      central coordinating functions in the sum of £150,000 per year for two years;

·      strategic communications in the sum of £60,000 for two years;

·      economic assessments in the sum of £10,000 per year for two years;

·      Smart City in the sum of £20,000 per year for two years;

·      inward investment team to a maximum sum of £150,000, subject to the conditions set out in that section of the report and subject to:

-       entering into a Service Level Agreement;

-       clarity of the role, including a job description, and details of the outputs from the investment;

-       a commitment that Cambridge Ahead and Cambridge Network would work together effectively.

·      support for the delivery of additional housing in the sum of £200,000 per year for two years;

·      support for the delivery of the Skills Service, subject to satisfactory agreement of the model at the June cycle of meetings of the Joint Assembly and Executive Board, in the sum of £150,000 per year.

(b)       APPROVED the City Deal budget for non-project costs as set out in section 6 of the report for the financial year commencing 1 April 2015.

(c)                    RETAINED the unutilised funding, as set out in section 8 of the report, for other needs that are expected to arise to progress the City Deal objectives, including potential investment in infrastructure schemes, and AGREED that this be carried forward at the year-end subject to any further demands that may be agreed by the Board within the financial year.

(d)       AGREED that these allocations be reviewed at the mid-year point and any amendments to these sums or additional elements be made at that point.