Agenda item

Andrew Muter, Chief Executive of Newark and Sherwood District Council

Tim Gregory, Corporate Director for Environment and Resources at Nottinghamshire County Council presented the report outlining proposals for future funding arrangements for the Economic Prosperity Committee (EPC) and the Successor Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Combined Authority (CA), highlighting the following:

(a)  The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee and the successor Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Combined Authority will use the surplus from the Nottinghamshire authorities Business Rates Pool, amounting to £392,000 to establish the CA and to begin delivery against its key priorities;

(b)  Nottingham City Council, which is not a member of the Business Rates Pool, has agreed to contribute £110,000 to the pot as an equivalent per-capita share of funding to the EPC and the CA;

(c)  Constituent authorities would benefit from seeing a CA spending plan at a future meeting as an indication of what expenditure to expect. Any spending plan should list appropriate categories against names that are authorised to agree spending on behalf of the EPC. Initially, Andrew Muter, Chief Executive of Newark and Sherwood District Council will be named as the officer who may agree spending against the spending plan and that exceptionally, and following the agreement with the chief executives of Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the EPC, he may agree spending on establishing the CA, even if this falls outside of the spending plan.

(d)  Any commitment to spend will continue to be subject to each constituent authorities delegated powers and the relevant authority should be sought when authorising these decisions.

RESOLVED to

(1)  Present a Combined Authority Spending Plan to a future meeting on the Economic Prosperity Committee for agreement;

(2)  Agree that the Spending Plan lists appropriate categories against which named officers can agree spending on behalf on the Economic Prosperity Committee. These categories will detail those matters needed to establish the Combined Authority, and for the Combined Authority to begin delivery of its priorities;

(3)  Agree that, initially, the Chief Executive of Newark and Sherwood District Council be named as the officer who may agree spending against the spending plan and that exceptionally, and following agreement with the Chief Executives of the City and County Councils and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Economic Prosperity Committee, he may agree and direct spending against the Combined Authority funding where he believes this spending will further the establishment of the Combined Authority or its priorities even if this spending falls outside of the agreed Spending Plan’s categories;

(4)  Report any spending decisions to the next available meeting of the Economic Prosperity Committee.

Reasons for decision

Meetings of the Economic Prosperity Committee are held only occasionally which can have an impact on vital spending decisions where the Committee is required to approve spending. By allowing a named officer to agree spending decisions the process for approving expenditure is considerably more agile.

Other options considered

Not to authorise a named officer to agree spending decisions. This option was discounted given the need to act flexibly in between Committee meetings. Exceptionally, where rapid spending decisions are required on matters that are not covered by the proposed Spending Plan, the named officer, with the agreement of the Chair and Vice Chair and the Chief Executive of the County Council may take a view as to the benefits or dis-benefits of agreeing spend and authorise spending outside of Spending Plan categories on behalf of the EPC.