Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair to welcome Members to the meeting.

Lead: Chair

1.1          The Chief Executive welcomed Members to the meeting and apologies were noted.

Members to appoint a Chair to the General Purposes Committee.

Lead: Julie Openshaw

2.1             The Chief Executive informed the Committee that the previous Chair is no longer a member of the Committee and sought expressions of interest to Chair the Committee. Cllr Les volunteered, and this was proposed by Cllr Hinchcliffe and seconded by Cllr Gannon.

Resolved:

That Cllr Les Chair the Committee meeting.

Members are required to declare any personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interest they may have relating to items on the agenda and state the nature of such interest.

Lead: Chair

3.1          There were no declarations of Interest

To approve the minutes of the meeting held 19 July 2023 (including updates on agreed matters as appropriate).

Lead: Chair

4.1             The minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held 19 July 2023 were considered and there were no matters arising. The minutes were proposed by Cllr Hinchcliffe and seconded by Cllr Gannon.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2023 be noted and confirmed as a correct record.

To consider and agree arrangements for business representation on the Transport for the North’s Board, in light of changes to local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), and make the appropriate recommendations to the Board.

Lead: Julie Openshaw

5.1             Members received the report from the Head of Legal who together with the Director of Strategy, Analysis and Communications, outlined the key points and the proposal before the Committee for its consideration.

5.2             Cllr Gannon moved that the proposed recommendations be approved, and this was seconded by Cllr Hinchcliffe.

Resolved:

1)   That the Committee recommends to the TfN Board that effective business representation on the Board and Partnership Board remains appropriate.

2)  That the Committee recommends to the TfN Board that Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) representatives remain co-opted members to the Board and Partnership Board; and where the LEP no longer exists and/or has changed, a representative from their successor body becomes the co-opted member and is determined by the relevant body;

3)  That the Committee recommends that these new arrangements, if agreed, are reviewed in early 2025, given the emergence of a new pan-regional partnership for the North.

To consider the forthcoming changes which will change the number of Constituent Authorities on TfN’s Board over the next two years.

Lead: Julie Openshaw

6.1             Members received the report from the Head of Legal who outlined the key points and the implications of various devolution deals on the membership of TfN.

6.2             Cllr Hinchcliffe congratulated those authorities who had been successful in securing devolution and wished them every success.

Resolved:

1)   That the Committee notes the forthcoming changes to the Constituent Authorities on TfN’s Board and the effective dates.

2)   That the Committee notes that the necessary consequential amendments will be made to the Constitution under the delegated power of the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chief Executive and reported to Board on 20 March 2024.

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Item 5 on the grounds that:

(1)They involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in the Paragraphs 1 & 2 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Item 8 and 9 on the grounds that:

They involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in Paragraphs 1 & 2 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To approve the private minutes of the meeting held 19 July 2023 (including updates on agreed matters as appropriate).

Lead: Chair

8.1             The private minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held 19 July 2023 were considered and there were no matters arising.

Resolved:

That the private minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2023 be noted.

To review the progress summary of the delivery of TfN’s Chair and Chief Executive’s agreed objectives for 2023/24 and approve the annual objectives for TfN’s Chair and Chief Executive for 2024/25.

Lead: Stephen Hipwell

9.1          The report was received by Members who were then invited to ask questions and make comments.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.