Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the minutes from the meeting of Cabinet on 3 October 2023

(b)  Matters arising

The Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2023 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Chief Executive

The Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided an overview of the background to the Deeper Devolution Deal (the Deal), the main elements, the proposed implementation and the next steps.

The Deal was agreed in principle by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Mayor and Portfolio Leaders on 10 March 2023 and announced in the Chancellor’s Budget on 15 March 2023.

Following the announcement, a formal ratification of the deal is required by the WMCA and its constituent Local Authorities (LAs). The WMCA was expected to take the decision to approve the Deal at its Board Meeting on 13 October 2023. A two thirds majority of voting Constituent Members is required for the Deal to be ratified.

The devolution of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to the WMCA is a public authority function, which can be dealt with under section 105B of the Local Democracy, Economic and Construction Act 2009. It would require a scheme, governance review and the consent of the LA’s before the laying of the order by Government. An in-principle agreement of the devolution of the BSOG (the order) is part of this paper and will be considered at the WMCA Board on 13 October 2023.

The Order would then be considered through the constituent authorities governance, before returning to the WMCA Board later in the year for final approval.

The first ‘devolution deal’ setting out which responsibilities would be devolved to the regions, was agreed in 2015 in preparation for the formal establishment of the WMCA the following year. This was followed in 2017 by a second devolution deal which provided for the establishment of a West Midlands Industrial Strategy.

Over the last year, a third devolution deal has been negotiated between WMCA and Government, in consultation with the constituent local authorities. The latest deal covers more than twenty themes including proposals for the WMCA to receive a single funding settlement rather than multiple individual grants, extension of business rate retention for a further 10 years, additional funding for affordable homes and a new Strategic Productivity Partnership with Government. The report provided a summary of the deal and how it would affect Coventry. The devolution deal would be formally approved by WMCA at their Board meeting on 13 October 2023 and the seven constituent local authorities were being asked to ratify the deal through their individual political processes. Ratification would be followed by further development of the implementation plan to develop the details required for delivery.

The report provided a summary of the funding opportunities available through the Deal and their potential benefit to Coventry. A copy of the latest WMCA Devolution Deal Thematic Summaries and WMCA Devolution Deal Implementation Plan were attached to the report as Appendix 1 and 2 respectively.

The report stated that if the City Council chose not to ratify the deal, this could prevent Coventry and the region from accessing the additional funding and powers available. It would also undermine the relationship between the WMCA and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of urgent public business.