Agenda item - Update on Greater Brighton Devolution Bid

Report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board (copy attached).

That the Board:

(1)           Formally approve the Prospectus;

(2)           Agree the continued development of the proposals contained within the Prospectus, delegating authority to the Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board (‘the Officer Board’) working in partnership with the Board, the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (C2C LEP), the Three Southern Counties and other neighbouring authorities, wider partners and stakeholders and in line with feedback and guidance from Government, and;

(3)           Agree the funding of additional consultancy support for the continued development of the proposals and the associated business cases.  The Officer Board will ensure the best use of these resources, drawing these down as required against clear outputs.  Any additional costs will be capped at £50,000.

15.1      The Board considered a report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board that sought formal approval of the Greater Brighton Devolution Prospectus and for agreement on the next steps.

15.2      Councillor Theobald congratulated officers for producing a comprehensive and detailed report in a short amount of time.

15.3      Geoff Raw relayed to the Board that the process of devolution would be a long-term as demonstrated by the process undertaken by Greater Manchester.

15.4      Andrew Swayne stated his agreement that the process of devolution would be long-term.

15.5      The Chair expressed his congratulations to officers who had put together a proposal very quickly and at short notice.

15.6      Councillor Wall reiterated the congratulatory comments made adding that the process could lead to benefit for the local authorities involved in sharing information and achieving best value in the delivery of public services.

15.7      John A. Peel noted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made clear that any transfer of powers under devolution would be to a directly-elected mayor. This would be difficult to negotiate and asked how it was intended to challenge that requirement in the context of the region not sharing that view.

15.8      The Chair stated that he had attended a meeting at Whitehall the previous week and understood there was no set policy on the requirement for a directly-elected mayor.

15.9      John A. Peel thanked the Chair for his assurance and noted that of the 38 devolution bids from various authorities; only 4 had included a proposal for a directly-elected mayor.

15.10   Councillor Theobald stated that he was sure Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) ministers would assess each bid on its merits, subject to the scale of the devolution.

15.11   RESOLVED- That the Board:

(1)       Formally approve the Prospectus;

(2)       Agree the continued development of the proposals contained within the Prospectus, delegating authority to the Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board (‘the Officer Board’) working in partnership with the Board, the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (C2C LEP), the Three Southern Counties and other neighbouring authorities, wider partners and stakeholders and in line with feedback and guidance from Government, and;

(3)       Agree the funding of additional consultancy support for the continued development of the proposals and the associated business cases.  The Officer Board will ensure the best use of these resources, drawing these down as required against clear outputs.  Any additional costs will be capped at £50,000.