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Subject: |
Greater Brighton Economic Board Operational Arrangements for 2024/25 |
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Date of Meeting: |
16 July 2024 |
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Report of: |
Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board |
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Contact Officer: |
Name: |
Andy Hill |
Tel: |
01273 291873 |
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Email: |
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LA(s) affected: |
All |
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FOR GENERAL RELEASE
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT:
1.1 This report outlines the preparatory steps needed to support the operational aspects of the Greater Brighton Economic Board (“the Board”) in 2024/25.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Board:
2.1 Agree and secure the budgetary contributions sought to fund the cost of running the Board and delivering its workplan in 2024/25.
2.2 Note that Brighton & Hove City Council shall continue to act as Lead Authority for the Board in 2024/25.
2.3 Approves the 2023/24 Annual Report and Board members submit the report to their respective organisations.
2.4 That the Board notes the content of the One Public Estate Programme’s 2023/24 Annual Report.
2.5 Agree the new Heads of Terms (HOTs) shown in Appendix 1, which reflect changes to the Board’s membership.
3. CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
3.1 The budget to support the running costs of the Board in 2023/24 was £255,121 which included a carry-forward of £49,671 from 2022/23. The budgeted underspend at 31 March 2024 (the actual carry-forward of non-committed funds) was £94,772. This figure includes the allocated contingency (£10,000) and Scrutiny (£2,000) funds, which are required to be included in the budget, but as in previous years were not needed to be called upon. A breakdown of the 2023/24 forecast, budgetary contributions and spend is attached as Appendix 2.
3.2 The £94,772 remaining budget in 2023/24 has been rolled-over into 2024/25. This means that for 2024/25 there is a total budget of £292,252 (including contingency) for the cost of running the Board and the delivery of its work-plan (see table below).
3.3 Given that there is a carry-forward of around £95k from 2023/24, in a bid to ensure that costs for contributing member organisations are kept to an acceptable level, sought contributions will not increase in 2024/25.
3.4 In line with sections 12 and 13 of the HoTs, Brighton & Hove City Council is seeking the following contributions from the Board’s member organisations:
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Organisation
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2024/25 Contribution |
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South Downs National Park Authority
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£7,970.00 |
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University of Sussex
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£7,970.00 |
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University of Brighton
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£7,970.00 |
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Chichester College Group
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£7,970.00 |
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Adur District Council
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£10,000.00 |
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Arun District Council |
£24,700.00 |
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Brighton & Hove City Council
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£52,200.00 |
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Crawley Borough Council
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£20,750.00
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Lewes District Council
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£15,200.00 |
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Mid Sussex District Council
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£24,750.00 |
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Worthing Borough Council
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£18,000.00 |
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Total 2024/25 Contributions
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£197,480.00 |
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Carry-forward from 2023/24
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£94,772.00 |
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Total Budget for 2024/25
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£292,252.00 |
3.5 Appendix 3 outlines the approach used in 2024/25 to determine the contributions that are being sought.
3.6 The budget to support the running costs of the Board in 2024/25 totals £183,549, leaving £108,703 for the 2024/25 workplan, which as in previous years should include £10,000 of contingency funding to be set aside.
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Running Costs 2024/25
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Salary costs (including on-costs) and expenses
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£127,420.00 |
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Finance support
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£8,188.00 |
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Legal support
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£11,213.00 |
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Democratic Services support
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£4,778.00 |
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Scrutiny (charged £500 (excluding venue) on a ‘pay as you go’ basis)
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£2,000.00 |
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GBEB Communications
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£24,950.00 |
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GBEB Annual report, printing and other materials |
£3,500.00
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Venue hire, hospitality, and refreshments
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£500.00 |
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Additional costs e.g. IT, travel |
£1,000.00
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Total running costs |
£183,549.00 |
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Work Plan
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· Sussex Energy · Other projects not yet identified
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£50,000.00 £48,703.00 |
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Total Work Plan
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£98,703.00 |
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Contingency
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£10,000.00 |
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Grand Total
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£292,252.00 |
LEAD AUTHORITY:
3.7 On 18 July 2023, the Board agreed that Brighton & Hove City Council continue to act as Lead Authority for 2023/24. As outlined in section 1.8 of the HoTs, lead authority arrangements are reviewed every two years and therefore this arrangement is maintained in 2024/25.
3.8 In October 2024, each local authority represented on the Board will be invited to submit an expression of interest in fulfilling the role for 2025/26 – 2026/27. The Board shall then instigate a procurement exercise to select the most appropriate authority for that role.
2024/25 BOARD MEETING DATES:
3.9 The Board meeting dates for the new municipal year have been set as follows:
· 16 July 2024
· 22 October 2024
· 28 January 2025
· 25 March 2025
3.10 As in 2023/24, it is proposed that all meetings will commence at 10:00 and meetings will be held at various locations across Greater Brighton.
MEMBERSHIP AND CHAIRPERSON:
3.11 The HoTs for the Board are presented in Appendix 1. They have been updated to reflect two changes to the Membership;
- Coast-to-Capital ceased as a Local Enterprise Partnership on 31 March 2024 and therefore the organisation is no longer a member of the Board.
- To be consistent with all other Members, Brighton and Hove City Council will only be represented by one person instead of two.
3.12 Paragraphs 5.1, 5.3 and 5.4 of the HoT have been amended to account for these changes, and the HoTs at Appendix 1 supersede the last revision as agreed by the Board on 18 July 2023.
3.13 The reporting and accountability arrangements for the Board are set out in the Heads of Terms. These arrangements require the Board to submit an annual report to each of its representative bodies.
3.14 As outlined in section 6 of the HoTs, the Chair will be elected annually by the Joint Committee members. The Chair of the Joint Committee shall, by virtue of their democratic mandate, be the Chair of the Board. It is for the Joint Committee to elect the Chair.
3.15 The Chair must be formally appointed at the Board’s first meeting in the new municipal year. It is proposed that nominations be sought in advance and that the Democratic Services at Brighton & Hove City Council run this process.
ANNUAL REPORT:
3.16 As outlined in section 4.1 of the HoTs, the Board shall submit an annual report to each of the bodies represented on the Board. The annual report for 2023/24 can be found at Appendix 5.
4. ANALYSIS & CONSIDERATION OF ANY ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:
4.1 The proposals are in accordance with the governance arrangements agreed by the Board.
5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION:
5.1 Not applicable.
6. CONCLUSION:
6.1 To ensure that the Board transitions smoothly into the new municipal year, it is important for the Board to agree the new operational agreements and proposed workplan for 2024/25, including the Annual Report and the continuation of existing Lead Authority arrangements.
7. FINANCIAL & OTHER IMPLICATIONS:
Financial Implications:
7.1 The Greater Brighton Economic Board assists with delivering economic development across the region. The Board seeks to secure government and private sector funding and investment in order to deliver this economic development. An annual operating budget is agreed with the Board for the forthcoming financial year to enable the Accountable Body to provide legal, financial, communications and administrative support to allow the Board to deliver its work-plan. Annual contributions are made from member authorities to the Accountable Body toward this budget. The contributions from member authorities totalling £197,480 are detailed within paragraph 3.4 of this report. The apportionment of contributions from unitary, district and borough councils are based upon the size of their working age populations and are detailed within Appendix 3. The budget for the financial year 2024/25 will reflect anticipated spend for the work-streams ahead including a provision for contingency. The estimated spend of £292,252 for the year is detailed in paragraph 3.6. The forecast spend for the year also includes a sum for projected work plan of £98,703 plus a contingency of £10,000. A summary of the budget for 2023/24 together with the spend incurred for that financial year is detailed in Appendix 2. A projected underspend of £94,772 was forecast for 2023/24, subject to confirmation of the outturn position of the accounts, and this will be carried forward to support the budget for 2024/25
Finance Officer Consulted: Rob Allen
Date: 8 July 2024
Legal Implications:
7.2 These recommendations are in line with the Heads of Terms and the One Public Estate Memorandum of Understanding. Changes to the Heads of Terms must be varied by a resolution of the Board and approved by each body represented on the Board.
Lawyer Consulted: Elizabeth Culbert
Date: 04/07/24
Equalities Implications:
7.3 All bodies on the board have their own policies and commitments to equalities.
Sustainability Implications:
7.4 None
Any Other Significant Implications:
7.5 None
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Appendices:
1. Heads of Terms for Greater Brighton Economic Board
2. 2023/24 Forecast, Contributions and Spend
3. Approach for Calculating 2024/25 Funding Contributions
4. Greater Brighton Economic Board Call-In Protocol
5. Greater Brighton Economic Board Annual Report 2023/24
6. Greater Brighton One Public Estate Programme Annual Report 2023/24