Agenda and decisions

That apologies be received from Councillor Nicholas Peel (Bolton), City Mayor Paul Dennett (Salford), Councillor Tom Ross (Trafford), Sue Johnson (Bolton) & Sara Todd (Trafford).

1.  That Caroline Simpson be welcomed to her first meeting as the Group Chief Executive for GMCA, TfGM & GMFRS.

2.  That the GMCA expresses its best wishes to Joanne Roney in her last meeting as the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council.

3.  That the GMCA expresses it congratulations to Alison McKenzie-Folan following her award of an OBE for services to local government.

4.  That Michael Cullen be welcomed to his first meeting as the Chief Executive of Stockport Borough Council.

5.  That the GMCA expresses its condolences to the family, friends and former colleagues of Sir Howard Bernstein following his sad passing.

6.  That the GMCA expresses its condolences to the family, friends and former colleagues of Paul Argyle, who had served as a Deputy Chief Fire Officer for GMFRS.

7.  That the Mayor’s update on the gathering of Metro Mayors at Downing Street following the recent national election result be received.

8.  That the update from the Deputy Mayor for, Police, Crime & Fire on the plans for Part 4 of the CSE Assurance Review being commissioned through HMICFRS be received.

9.  That it be noted that Oldham MBC welcomed the commissioning of Part 4 of the CSE Assurance Review.

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 48 hours before the start of the meeting.

1.    That the Mayor of Greater Manchester has a financial interest in Item 28 (Independent Remuneration Panel Review of GM Mayoral Remuneration) and will leave the meeting for that item.

2.    That the Deputy Mayor, Police, Crime and Fire declare an interest in Item 19 – GM Investment Zone, as a Governor of Manchester Metropolitan University.

To consider the approval of the minutes of the meeting held on 14 June 2024.

That the minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 14 June 2024 be approved as a true and correct record.

i.                    To appoint Cllr Frankie Singleton (Stockport), as the member, and Cllr Jilly Julian (Stockport), as the substitute member, to the GM Culture and Social Impact Fund Committee.

ii.                   To appoint Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) to the Green City Region Board.

iii.                 To appoint Cllr Colin MacAlister (Stockport) as the member, and Cllr Frankie Singleton (Stockport), as the substitute member, to the GM Homelessness Board.

iv.                 To appoint the following members to the GM Children’s Board

Cllr Wendy Meikle (Stockport)

Cllr Lucy Smith (Bury)

Cllr Julie Reid (Manchester)

v.                   To note the appointment of Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) as the member, and Cllr Grace Baynham (Stockport), as the substitute member, to the GM Clean Air Charging Authorities Committee

vi.                 To note the appointment of Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) as the member, and Cllr Grace Baynham (Stockport), as the substitute member, to the GM Air Quality Administration Committee.

vii.               To note the appointment of Cllr Lisa Smart (Stockport), as the member, and Cllr Jeremy Meal (Stockport) as the substitute member to the GM Clean Air Scrutiny Committee.

viii.             To note the appointment of Cllr Mark Hunter (Stockport) as the member, and Cllr Mark Roberts, as the substitute member, to the Integrated Care Partnership Board.

1.   That Cllr Frankie Singleton (Stockport), be appointed as the member and Cllr Jilly Julian (Stockport), be appointed as the substitute member to the GM Culture and Social Impact Fund Committee.

2.   That Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) be appointed to the Green City Region Board.

3.   That Cllr Colin MacAlister (Stockport) be appointed as the member, and Cllr Frankie Singleton (Stockport) be appointed as the substitute member, to the GM Homelessness Board.

4.   That the following members be appointed to the GM Children’s Board:

Cllr Wendy Meikle (Stockport)

Cllr Lucy Smith (Bury)

Cllr Julie Reid (Manchester)

5.   That Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) be appointed as the member, and Cllr Grace Baynham (Stockport) be appointed as the substitute member, to the GM Clean Air Charging Authorities Committee.

6.   That Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) be appointed as the member, and Cllr Grace Baynham (Stockport) be appointed as the substitute member, to the GM Air Quality Administration Committee.

7.   That Cllr Lisa Smart (Stockport) be appointed as the member, and Cllr Jeremy Meal (Stockport) be appointed as the substitute member, to the GM Clean Air Scrutiny Committee.

8.   That Cllr Mark Hunter (Stockport) be appointed as the member, and Cllr Mark Roberts (Stockport) be appointed as the substitute member, to the Integrated Care Partnership Board.

Report of Gillian Duckworth, GMCA Monitoring Officer & Solicitor.

That the revised constitution accompanying the report be adopted as the Constitution of the GMCA.

Councillor Lewis Nelson, Chair of the Task and Finish Group and Councillor Nadim Muslim, Chair of the GMCA Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

1. That the full list of recommendations within the report be endorsed.

2. That opportunities be sought where the GMCA can support the delivery of the recommendations, specifically:

• to influence the development of the next Affordable Homes Programme through strengthened partnership arrangements within the latest devolution deal to ensure it is flexible enough to meet the needs of our residents (Recommendation 1).
• to continue to support Local Authorities to seek out potential schemes through innovative approaches and bold actions (Recommendation 1).
• to support Local Authorities and Housing Providers to ensure tenants have full access to welfare and other hardship funds through every interaction (Recommendation 2).
• to co-design the next GM Housing Strategy with other key stakeholders that builds on what is already being done, but also confidently pushes the boundaries as to what can potentially be done, setting the standard as zero carbon (Recommendation 3).
• to ensure that advice on cost-of-living support (e.g. food and fuel bill support) provided through registered providers is also available via private landlords (Recommendation 7).
• to ensure that being an accredited member of the Good Landlord Charter is universally recognised, with its unique benefits clearly identified (Recommendation 8).
• As a first step, GMCA to organise an event to discuss the findings of this review and actions which can be taken to remove barriers for the delivery of viable schemes (Recommendation 10).

3. That it be noted that the report will now be shared with GM Local Authority Councillors, Cabinet Members for Housing, and Scrutiny Committees, for their information and appropriate action.

4. That the GMCA record its thanks to the Task and Finish Group for their contributions to a timely report on the housing issues impacting the region and the wider country.

5.      That the information provided on the establishment of the GM Housing First Unit and the plans for how it would contribute towards addressing the housing crisis in the region be received.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1. That the refreshed MoU with Sport England and wider GM Moving Partnership Board Members be approved.

2. That the contents of the report on Place and Health Integration be noted.

3. That the recommendations, next steps and support, strategic and collective/distributed leadership on these areas be noted:

4. That the establishment of Live Well be noted.

5. That it be noted that September 2024 would mark three years since the launch of the GM Moving in Action Strategy 2021-31. This, along with the signing of the MOU would be officially marked with a presentation to the  GM ICP Board on 27 September, with the Chief Executive Office of Sport England and members of GM Moving Partnership Board in attendance.

6. That the GMCA record its thanks to GM Moving for their contributions towards the refresh.

Report of Councillor Gerald Cooney, Portfolio Lead for Housing.

1.  That the design of the Good Landlord Charter and the associated activity to implement the Charter, including the proposal not to charge a fee to landlords for participation in the Charter be approved.

2.  That the utilisation of £250,000 from retained business rates in 2024/25 to procure an independent implementation unit for the charter, with future years’ funding to come through the budget setting process, be approved.

3.  That the Government be lobbied on the repeal of Section 21 and introduction of the Renters Reform Bill be pursued.

4.  That the investment into a Good Landlord Charter pilot scheme in Salford be noted.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.      That the update on delivery of the Bee Network be noted.

2.      That it be noted that the fully integrated ticketing system, PayGo, is  expected to go ‘live’ in March 2025.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.    That the draft Greater Manchester Rapid Transit Strategy be approved, subject to any feedback from the Bee Network Committee, for wider engagement.

2.    That officers would be requested to amend the report ahead of submission to the Bee Network Committee to reference commitment to a full assessment of the case for expanding Metrolink to Leigh.

3.    That the proposed extension of the Bee Network to include 8 rail lines during this Mayoral term be noted.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.   That the proposal to reduce Bee Network bus fares, with effect from 5^th January 2025, be approved as follows:

a)    reduce the price of 7-day Bus Travel on Bee Network Services from £21 Adult/£10.50 Child to £20 Adult/£10 Child

b)    reduce the price of 28-day Bus Travel on Bee Network Services from £85.40 Adult/£42.70 Child to £80 Adult/£40 Child

2.   That the introduction of a paper ‘Hopper’ single ticket for Bee Network bus users from 5^th January 2025 be approved.

3.   That the proposal to introduce a scheme, with local Credit Unions, from January 2025 to improve access to annual bus tickets be approved, in principle.

4.   That the extension of the ‘recompense scheme’ to support the transition from commercial ticketing products to Bee Network products in the Tranche 3 area be noted.

5.   That a further report on Bee Network fares and ticketing products be submitted to GMCA in September 2024.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.       That the appointment of the GM Transport Commissioner and the GM Active Travel Commissioner to the TfGM Executive Board be approved.

2.       That the appointment of a GM Local Authority Chief Executive to the TfGM Executive Board, as recommended by the Group Chief Executive, be approved.

3.       That the GMCA Treasurer be confirmed as an advisor to the TfGM Executive Board to ensure that membership of the Executive Board does not exceed the limit imposed by legislation.

4.       That the proposal to undertake a further review of TfGM’s governance and the role of its Executive Board before the end of 2024 be noted.

Report of Councillor Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Economy & Business and Councillor Arooj Shah Portfolio Lead for Equalities and Communities.

That the latest assessment and emerging response, and views given on the next steps in that response be noted.

Report of Councillor Tom Ross, Portfolio Lead for Green City Region.

1. That the progress made against the priority areas of the GMCA Sustainability Strategy 2022 – 2026 be noted.

2. That the contents of the report including actions proposed for 2024/2025 be noted.

3.    That the implications of the Biodiversity Duty on GMCA and the proposed response be noted.

Report of Councillor Tom Ross, Portfolio Lead for Green City Region.

That it be noted that the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) bid was unsuccessful, but work was already underway on an alternative approach to support some of the work that would no longer be funded by LCSF.

Report of Councillor Neil Emmott, Portfolio Lead for Culture.

1.      That the CreateGM, the Greater Manchester Strategy for Culture, Heritage, and Creativity be approved.

2.      That the GMCA record its thanks to all those who had worked tirelessly to secure the reopening of Oldham Coliseum.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.      That the progress made to deliver against the Armed Forces Covenant coherently across GM be noted.

2.      That the 5-year Roadmap, as a framework to enhance cohesive delivery across the City Region, be endorsed.

3.      That the enduring and sustained effort to go even further and make GM the best place in the UK for members of the Armed Forces Community to live be recognised and the re-signing of the GM Armed Forces Covenant be approved.

Report of Councillor Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Economy, Business & Inclusive Growth.

That the update on ministerial approval, confirmation of the project allocations in 2024-25 and the overall indicative allocations across the programme as a whole be noted.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.  That the Stockport Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation’s Strategic Business Plan May 2024 – March 2029 (Annex A) be approved.

2.  That the Stockport Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation’s Action Plan May 2024 – March 2025 (Part B) be approved.

Report of Councillor Bev Craig, Portfolio Lead for Economy, Business & Inclusive Growth.

1.          That the creation of an MDC for the Northern Gateway project be approved, in principle.

2.          That it be agreed that GMCA officers explore with Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale Councils, detailed options for an MDC to be created for the Northern Gateway, with these matters to be decided upon by GMCA and the Local Authorities in due course.

Report of Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

1.      That the Ashton Mayoral Development Zone Business Plan 2024-25 be approved.

Report of Councillor David Molyneux, Portfolio Lead for Finance & Investment.

1.      That the proposal for the mitigation of underspend risk be approved.

2.      That it be agreed that the proposal was a strategic fit with the GM UKSPF Investment Plan and that it was deliverable, as set out in the report.

3.      That the mitigation measures, as set out in the report, be approved.

4.      That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer in consultation with the Portfolio Lead for Resources and Investment to agree any alternative projects where underspend is identified.

Report of Councillor David Molyneux, Portfolio Lead for Finance & Investment.

1.      That it be noted that the Mayoral General Budget provisional revenue outturn position for 2023/24 was breakeven, after planned transfer to earmarked reserves.

2.      That it be noted that the GMCA General Budget provisional revenue outturn position for 2023/24 is £2.1m, which will be transferred to earmarked reserves.

3.      That it be noted that the Mayoral General – GM Fire & Rescue provisional outturn position for 2023/24 was breakeven, after a transfer of revenue funding to capital.

4.      That it be noted that the Waste and Resourcing provisional revenue outturn position for 2023/24 was breakeven, after a transfer from reserve of £18.7m.

5.      That it be noted that the GMCA Transport and TfGM provisional revenue outturn positions for 2023/24 were breakeven, after transfers between earmarked reserves.

6.      That it be noted that the final position was subject to the submission of the audited accounts to be submitted to the GMCA Audit Committee.

Report of Councillor David Molyneux, Portfolio Lead for Finance & Investment.

1.      That it be noted that the 2023/24 actual outturn capital expenditure of £541.1m, compared to the forecast position presented to GMCA on 9 February 2024 of £579.1m.

2.      That the update on property acquisitions for Project Skyline, as detailed in section 8 of the report, be noted.

3.      That the additions to the capital programme in 2024/25, as listed in section 8 of the report, be approved.

Report of Councillor Gerald Cooney, Portfolio Lead for Housing.

1.      That authority be delegated to the GMCA Chief Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Lead for Housing, to approve new funding and urgent variations to existing funding from the GM Housing Investment Loans Fund and Brownfield Housing Fund, 13 July 2024 to 26 September 2024.

2.      That authority be delegated to the GCMA Treasurer, in consultation with the GMCA Solicitor and Monitoring Officer, to prepare and effect the necessary legal agreements.

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

Report of Councillor David Molyneux, Portfolio Lead for Finance & Investment.

1.      That the changes to the terms of the RealityMine loan, in line with the update provided in the confidential part of the agenda, be approved.

2.      That a £2m increase in the loan facility to Romaco Limited, from £3m to £5m be noted.

3.      That the consolidation of two existing loans into a single facility with Broughton House, totalling £4.1m be noted.

4.      That authority be delegated to the GMCA Treasurer and GMCA Solicitor and Monitoring Officer to review the due diligence information in respect of the above loans, and, subject to their satisfactory review and agreement of the due diligence information and the overall detailed commercial terms of the loans, to sign off any outstanding conditions, issue final approvals and complete any necessary related documentation in respect of the loans noted above.

5.      That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA & TfGM and the 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 13 July 2024 to 26 September 2024.

6.      That it be noted that any recommendations approved under the delegations will be reported to the next available meeting of the GMCA.

Report of Gillian Duckworth, GMCA Monitoring Officer & Solicitor.

1.      That the recommendations of the IRP be approved:

a)     That the remuneration of the GM Mayor remains at £118,267, subject to any indexation going forward.

b)     That the remuneration of the GM Mayor continues to be indexed at the NJC annual percentage salary increase, specifically with reference to Spinal Column Point 43.

c)     That the index continues to be applied to the same year that it applies to officers. This is normally from 1^st April to 31^st March. Where the index is applicable to officers for more than 1 year it should also be applicable to the GM Mayor for the same period.

d)     That the recommendations contained in the report be implemented with effect from the date of the GM Mayor taking up the new term of office in May 2024.

2.       That the IRP’s views be noted that the GM Mayor should have access to an appropriate pension scheme that provides for an employer’s contribution equivalent to that made to the pension scheme for Police and Crimes Commissioners (it should be noted that the panel sets out the legal position at paragraphs 37 to 40 of its report and notes that currently there are no legal powers to do so.)

3.       That it be agreed that lobbying would take place on behalf of the Mayor to ensure that Metro Mayors were given fair access to appropriate pensions schemes.

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 Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

That the Stockport Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation’s Action Plan May 2024 – March 2025 (Annex B) be approved.

Clerk’s Note: This item was considered in support of the report considered in Part A of the agenda (Item 20 above refers).

Report of Councillor David Molyneux, Portfolio Lead for Finance & Investment.

That the contents of the report be noted.

Clerk’s Note: This item was considered in support of the report considered in Part A of the agenda (Item 27 above refers).