Agenda item

[To consider a report from the West Midlands Combined Authority on their working interactions with Wolverhampton Council]. 

[Report is marked: To Follow]. 

The Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority presented a report on their work with Wolverhampton Council.  She thanked the Scrutiny Board for the invitation to speak at the Board.  The Combined Authority were very happy to attend meetings of the Board and any meetings going forward. She stated that the role of the WMCA was to help City of Wolverhampton Council deliver their priorities within the City.  The Combined Authority was also the Transport Authority, which worked very closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council as the Highways Authority.  She summarised the main points of the briefing paper which had been provided to Scrutiny Board, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes.

The Chair stated that the WMCA was a very important organisation for the Council and it was important to make the best of all the opportunities available through the Combined Authority.

The Leader of the Council emphasised the commitment of the Council to the Combined Authority.  The Council was an active Member in the Combined Authority. It was critical for the Council to have a fair and equitable split from the new Single Settlement arrangements. 

The Leader of the Council commented there were many challenges faced in regard to transport.  He wanted two new tram lines for Wolverhampton.  One for the City Centre through the Rail Hub into Stafford Road and onto i54.  The second along Wednesfield Road, connecting New Cross Hospital and into the heart of Walsall.  The new tram routes would form an important part of the Green agenda. 

The Leader of the Council stated that he was keen to hear Members views on how the Council were regularly updated about the Combined Authority.  Following the cancellation of part of the HS2 he was keen to understand where the money earmarked for that purpose would be spent on transport projects. 

The Chair stated the importance of Members questions at the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee being answered.  He was saddened that his question in relation to when the new tram link to Wolverhampton train station would be open, was not answered at the time of the Committee or in writing subsequently thereafter.  He had found out the answer from reading a press report in the Express and Star Newspaper. 

The Vice-Chair welcomed the WMCA report to the Scrutiny Board.  He believed it to be a fantastic summary of the work the WMCA had been doing across the region and in Wolverhampton.  He echoed the Chair’s comments about the importance of the Combined Authority to the City.  He referred to the report which cited that the WMCA had been responsible for or facilitated a total of £350 million worth of investment in the Wolverhampton area.  The Combined Authority had been hugely influential for Wolverhampton since its inception.  He emphasised the importance of the use of public transport to reduce car usage. 

The Vice-Chair stated that Wolverhampton was the only Constituent Authority in the WMCA area that had one railway station.  He was keen to see the establishment of a new station on the west side of the City on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury train line and access to London in the other direction. 

The Chief Executive of the WMCA confirmed that a business case was being drawn up for a new station at Tettenhall. 

A Member of the Panel praised the fact that the item had come before Scrutiny Board, he was keen to learn more about the work of the Combined Authority.  He asked about the impact of Birmingham City Council issuing a Section 114 notice on the region and Wolverhampton.  He commented that the North East of Wolverhampton would benefit from a train station or even a tram link.  He asked what the WMCA role was in providing support for the project management of projects.  He felt this was where the City could benefit as well, not just in the funding of projects but the logistics for delivery of projects on time and within budget.  The Chief Executive responded that Birmingham City Council were going through their budget process and more information would be clear in the New Year when this was published on the impact of changes.  She did believe it would be a challenging time for the City and for investments and projects that might not go head.  She felt that the Single Settlement would help with the delivery of projects as there would be a consistent plan for years ahead. 

A Panel Member welcomed the full report which the Chief Executive of the WMCA had given.  She referred to the importance of the City Learning Quarter, to help upskill the population, which would in turn give them access to quality jobs at sites such as the i54.   She also referred to traffic pressures in the City particularly near the border with Staffordshire and asked the WMCA to look into the issues. 

A Panel Member asked what mechanisms the WMCA had in place for monitoring and assessment and how information relating to this was communicated at Local Authority level.  The Chief Executive responded that they had a Single Assurance Framework, this was for any schemes coming into the WMCA over £5 million.  There was also an Investment Board for schemes up to £20 million level and anything above £20 million went directly to the WMCA Board.  Schemes were regularly monitored.  She was excited about the forthcoming Single Outcome framework. 

Members asked questions about equalities in transport such as mobility concerns and about the Local Transport Plan. 

The Chief Executive of the WMCA commented that the WMCA Board had endorsed the Local Transport Plan, but work was taking place on the area strategies.  She hoped these area strategies would help address some of the traffic issues which had been raised by Councillors in the meeting.  She would be happy to report any strategies back to the Scrutiny function of the Council.  An Equalities Impact Assessment was completed for any transport scheme.

The Chief Executive of the WMCA was supportive of the City Learning Quarter Scheme.  Youth unemployment was a huge challenge for the West Midlands Region and was a critical issue for the WMCA.  

The Chair on behalf of the Scrutiny Board thanked the Chief Executive of the WMCA for her attendance at the meeting.

Resolved:

A)    That the report from the WMCA be noted.

B)    A report from the WMCA, presented by the Chief Executive of the WMCA on their work with City of Wolverhampton Council be received annually at Scrutiny Board. 

C)   An all Councillor Briefing Session be held with the WMCA on an annual basis.