Agenda and decisions

That apologies be received and noted from GM Mayor Andy Burnham, Cllr Arooj Shah, Geoff Little, Tony Oakman and Steve Rumbelow.

1.        That it be noted that the GMCA issued a statement on the 11 March regarding the war in the Ukraine and that Greater Manchester remained stood in solidarity with all who have been impacted by the invasion from Russia.

2.        That the GMCA urge for an end to the hostilities in the Ukraine, in the meantime, efforts to provide humanitarian aid would continue and those seeking asylum would be welcomed.

3.        That the GMCA request that Central Government review the immigration system to create greater capacity and ensure that nationally all Local Authorities play their role in the humanitarian effort through a mandated equitable dispersal arrangement.

4.        That it be noted that the GM Mayor had written to the Prime Minister on the 3 March outlining Greater Manchester’s position and aspirations for moving forward with a non-charging Category B Clean Air Zone, however, to date there had been no reply from Government, resulting in a lack of certainty for residents.

5.        That the GMCA express their thanks and support for those officers of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service who were currently supporting a humanitarian aid convoy to the Ukraine.

To receive declarations of interest in any item for discussion at the meeting. A blank form for declaring interests has been circulated with the agenda; please ensure that this is returned to the Governance & Scrutiny Officer at least 48 hours before the start of the meeting.

There were no declarations received in relation to any item on the agenda.

To consider the approval of the minutes of the meeting held on 11 February 2022.

That the minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 11 February 2022 be approved.

To note the minutes of the meeting held on 11 February 2022.

That the minutes of the GMCA Resources Committee meeting held on 11 February 2022 be noted.

To note the minutes of the meeting of the Housing, Planning & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 8 March 2022.

That the minutes of the meeting of the Housing, Planning & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 8 March 2022 be noted.

1.      To note the appointment of Cllr Luthfur Rahman (Manchester) as the substitute member to the GMCA.

2.      To approve the appointment of Cllr Elaine Taylor (Oldham) to the Corporate Issues Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

1. That the appointment of Cllr Luthfur Rahman (Manchester), as the substitute member to the GMCA, be noted.

2. That the appointment of Cllr Elaine Taylor (Oldham) to the Corporate Issues Overview & Scrutiny Committee be approved.

Report of Cllr Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Education, Skills, Work & Apprenticeships.

1.  That the closure and performance of the 2020/2021 academic year, as set out in Section 2 of the report, be noted.

2.  That the planned approach for the commissioning of the extension and increase to National Skills Fund Adult Level 3 offer for GM from April/May 2022 through to July 2023 be noted.

3.  That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer, in consultation with the Portfolio lead for Education, Skills, Work and Apprenticeship, to take forward the commissioning of the National Skills Fund Adult Level 3 offer, including contract awards, as set out in Section 3 of the report.

4.  That the following be approved:

·     An increase of the GMCA management fee from 1.5% to 1.8% for 2022/2023 onwards.

·     The proposed indicative allocations and subsequent expenditure for the GM grant-funded further education institutions and contract for services skills providers.

·     To grant delegated authority to the GMCA Treasurer to agree any minor changes that arise during discussions between each institution and GMCA.

5.      That the list of proposed indicative allocations including the current 2021/22 allocation by provider and the indicative allocation for 2022/2023, excluding funds applicable for continuing learners, as set out in Section 4 & Annex 1 of the report, be noted.

6.      That the proposed approach for taking forward the new Multiply Scheme for the 2022/2023 academic year onwards be noted and that authority delegated to the GMCA Treasurer, in consultation with the Portfolio Lead for the Education, Skills, Work & Apprenticeships and Digital to agree relevant grant conditions, commissioning route and award of individual grants/contracts, as set out in Section 6 & Annex 3 & 4 of the report.

7.      That the proposed approaches to allocating funding to key initiatives from April 2022 onwards, to increase participation in adult skills across GM, as set out in Section 7 of the report, be approved.

8.      That the GM Mayor be recommended to:

·       Approve the proposed 2022/2023 indicative allocations and subsequent expenditure for the GM grant-funded local authorities and to grant delegated authority to the GMCA Treasurer to approve any minor changes that arise in the course of discussions between each local authority and GMCA, as set out in Section 4 & Annex 2 of the report.

·       Approve the continued £1.5m allocation to Local Authorities for the AEB LA Grant Programme supporting alleviating barriers to adult education, improving digital inclusion through skills, and continue the support of the GM ESOL Advice Service for 2022/2023, as set out in Section 5.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Portfolio Lead for Young People.

1.     That the key findings of the #BeeWell survey be noted.

2.     That a system-wide response to the findings be encouraged, to ensure that young people’s voices were leading the response to the survey findings.

3.     That the existing good practice and strengths of Greater Manchester communities be celebrated during the launch of the survey findings.

Report of Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness & Infrastructure.

1. That the allocation of £4M from the GM Housing Investment Loan Fund Surpluses to fund the activity identified in the report, be approved.

2. That the proposal for the costs of Greater Manchester Delivery Team to be included within the Core Investment Team budget, be approved.

Report of Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness & Infrastructure.

1. That the initial implementation plan, as detailed in the report, be endorsed.

2. That the proposal for work with partners to be commissioned to co-produce a more detailed partnership implementation plan for approval at a future meeting be approved.

3. That the proposal the engagement with Government be a key element of the partnership required to achieve substantial and sustained progress, be approved.

Report of Cllr Elise Wilson, Portfolio Lead for Economy.

That the latest update of the Greater Manchester Economic Resilience Dashboard and response, including delivery of the Local Industrial Strategy and Greater Manchester Economic Vision be noted.

Report of Cllr Neil Emmott, Portfolio Lead for Green City Region.

1. That the proposal for the GMCA to be named as the provisional responsible authority for developing a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Greater Manchester, be approved.

2. That the work that has been delivered by GMCA to date to ensure Greater Manchester is prepared for mandatory BNG, be noted.

3. That the delivery of the Greater Manchester BNG `Need and Supply Assessment’ by GM Ecology Unit be supported.

4. That the pursuit of a range of offsetting options for Greater Manchester be supported and that GMCA works with key stakeholders, including landowners and developers, to continue to develop this understanding.

5. That the development of a Greater Manchester market for BNG Units including the work that is being delivered by the GM Environment Fund be supported.

6. That the development of a policy position on biodiversity offsetting as part of the scope of the forthcoming Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy be supported.

7. That authority be delegated to the Portfolio Lead Chief Executive, Green City Region, to prepare and submit a response to the Government BNG consultation in line with the ambitions/issues raised in this paper.

Report of Cllr Neil Emmott, Portfolio Lead for Green City Region.

1. That the signature of the GM Mayor to the Edinburgh Declaration on Biodiversity, on behalf of the GMCA, be approved.

2. That the declaration of a biodiversity emergency be approved.

Report of Cllr Neil Emmott, Portfolio Lead for Green City Region.

That the report and the proposals for the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund be noted.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

That the Night Time Economy Strategy be noted, and the Implementation Plan be reviewed on an annual basis.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.     That the recommendation to oppose elements of the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, being satisfied that it is expedient to do so, pursuant to section 239(1), (2) and (4A) of the Local Government Act 1972, be approved.

2.     That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA, in consultation with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, to take all such steps as may be incidental, necessary or expedient in connection with GMCA’s opposition to the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, including all steps required for a petition to be submitted, maintained and if considered appropriate modified or withdrawn (in whole or in part) in the event that any petition points have been resolved satisfactorily with HS2 Ltd and/or DfT in respect of the Bill, and to negotiate and/or seek assurances, undertakings and/or agreements to the Bill as well as to appear at any Select Committee considering the Bill.

3.     That authority be delegated to the GMCA Monitoring Officer to agree the final terms of any agreements and enter into and complete any necessary legal documentation.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

NB: views of GM Transport Committee held on 24 March 2022 will be made available at the meeting.

1.     That it ne noted that at its meeting on the 24 March the GM Transport Committee considered the proposal by TfGM to oppose elements of the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill and the reasons for that proposal and resolved to recommend to the GMCA that approval is granted for TfGM to oppose elements of the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, pursuant to s10(1)(xxix) of the Transport Act 1968.

2.     That approval be granted for TfGM to oppose elements of the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, pursuant to s10(1)(xxix) of the Transport Act 1968.

3.     That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, TfGM in consultation with the Mayor of Greater Manchester to take all such steps as may be incidental, necessary or expedient in connection with TfGM’s opposition to the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, including all steps required for a petition to be submitted, maintained and if considered appropriate modified or withdrawn (in whole or in part) in the event that any petition points have been resolved satisfactorily with HS2 Ltd and/or DfT in respect of the Bill, and to negotiate and/or seek assurances, undertakings and/or agreements to the Bill as well as to appear at any Select Committee considering the Bill.

4.     That TfGM and the GMCA would continue to work through addressing the wider impacts of proposals on individual Local Authority transport networks, recognising the significant impact on broader connectivity across the network and the economy of Greater Manchester.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.    That the release of up to £0.594 million of additional development cost funding for the 3 Salford City Council MCF schemes set out in section 2 of this report be approved.

2.    That the release of up to £5.45 million of MCF funding for the Bury and Salford schemes, as set out in section 3 of this report, be approved, in order to secure full approval and enable continued scheme delivery through the signing of the necessary legal agreements, and in the case of Trafford Road, the drafting and signature of a legal deed of variation.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.    That it be noted that GMCA, as requested by Government on 20 July 2021, prepared and submitted to the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Fund in early September, as part of the process to secure up to £1.19 billion of capital funding for the period 2022/23 to 2026/27.

2.    That it be noted that on 22 November 2021, the Secretary of State wrote to the Mayor of Greater Manchester advising that GMCA had been awarded an indicative allocation of £1.07 billion of capital funding conditional on the submission of a programme business case by the end of January 2022.

3.    That it be noted that GMCA subsequently submitted the draft CRSTS Programme Case to government on 31^st January 2022.

4.    That it be noted that GMCA have been informed by the Department for Transport that they intend to grant at least an interim award of CRSTS funding to GMCA in March 2022, in advance of finalising the full award.

5.    That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA and TfGM, in consultation with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, the agreement and allocation of an interim award to ensure that those elements of the CRSTS programme that require funding from April 2022 were able to draw down funds.

6.    That it be noted that the outcome of this process will be submitted to GMCA.

Report of Cllr Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Digital.

1.     That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer and Greater Manchester Digital Portfolio Lead Chief Executive to enter into contract between GMCA and Cisco International for Greater Manchester One Network Integrator Services on behalf of the GMCA including GM Fire & Rescue and TFGM, and Bury, Stockport, Oldham and Rochdale Councils, as described in the report.

2.     That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer and Greater Manchester Digital Portfolio Lead Chief Executive to procure and enter into contracts to deliver BT Openreach Exchange Services and for ServiceNow capabilities as described in this report.

3.     That authority be delegated to the GMCA Monitoring Officer for GMCA to enter into the Greater Manchester One Network Collaboration Agreement with TFGM and Bury, Stockport, Oldham and Rochdale Councils and to review and complete all necessary legal documentation and commend to those organisations that they sign their respective Collaboration Agreements.

4.     That £5.67M of expenditure over 10 years against existing and planned GMCA Wide Area Networking budgets for GMCA(FRS) connectivity via Greater Manchester One Network be approved.

5.     That an investment of £9.546M for Wide Area Networking services, implementation and operation for GMCA / TFGM Urban Traffic Controls Signals and TFGM sites via Greater Manchester One Network to be funded from existing TfGM revenue budget of £4.890m and additional capital and revenue investment of £4.656m in line with the decision made by GMCA in January 2020, be approved. 

6.     That it be noted that this collaborative procurement had secured substantial value for money and social value commitments and creates a platform for future connectivity requirements.

7.     That the progress towards completion of the Greater Manchester Local Full Network Programme and the efforts of officers and commercial partners in its delivery be noted.

Report of Cllr David Molyneux, Portfolio Leader for Investment and Resources.

1.     That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA & TfGM and GMCA Treasurer, in consultation with the Portfolio Lead for Investment and Resources, to approve projects for funding and agree urgent variations to the terms of funding in the period 26 March 2022 to 26 May 2022.

2.     That it be noted that any recommendations that are approved under the delegation will be reported to the next available meeting of the GMCA.

Report of Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness & Infrastructure.

Clerk’s Note: This item has been made exempt from call in :Exemption from Call-In

1. That the Greater Manchester Housing Investment Loans Fund loans detailed in the table below, as detailed further in this and the accompanying Part B report be approved:

2. That the proposal for up to £20m of the loan for the Three60 scheme to be met from GMCA’s Growing Places Fund, if required as a result of a proposed £100m cap on GMHILF lending to Renaker city-centre developments, as detailed further in this report, be approved.

3. That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer, acting in conjunction with the GMCA Monitoring Officer, to prepare and effect the necessary legal agreements.

4. That the decisions recently taken under delegation in respect of GMHILF loans previously approved by the GMCA be noted.

5. That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA & TfGM and the GMCA Treasurer, in consultation with the Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness and Infrastructure, to approve projects for funding and agree urgent variations to the terms of funding in the period 26 March 2022 to 26 May 2022.

6.    That it be noted that any recommendations that are approved under the delegation will be submitted to the next available meeting of the GMCA.

Report of Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.    That the impact of electricity prices on the financial viability of the current Electric Vehicle charging tariff be noted.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA & TfGM, in consultation with the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, determine the electric vehicle charging to tariff.

3.    That the update on the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme Fund bid and that TfGM would commission a study into the future of Greater Manchester and Electric Vehicles to establish how the public sector could best influence the rollout of Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure.

That, under section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public should be excluded from the meeting for the following items on business on the grounds that this involved the likely disclosure of exempt information, as set out in the relevant paragraphs of Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

That, under section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public should be excluded from the meeting for the following items on business on the grounds that this involved the likely disclosure of exempt information, as set out in the relevant paragraphs of Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Report of Cllr Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Digital.

Clerk’s Note: This item was considered in support of the report considered in Part A of the agenda (Item 21 above refers).

That the report be noted.

Report of Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness & Infrastructure.

Clerk’s Note: This item was considered in support of the report considered in Part A of the agenda (Item 23 above refers).

That the report be noted.