Corporate Scrutiny Committee - Friday 8 March 2024, 2:00pm - Feedback Tab - West Yorkshire Combined Authority Webcasting

Corporate Scrutiny Committee
Friday, 8th March 2024 at 2:00pm

Agenda

Slides

Transcript

Map

Resources

Twitter

Forums

Speakers

Feedback

Votes

In order to view this webcast, please do the following:

Download Flash Player.

You can download it free at
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ (opens in a new window)

Please note: you will probably need to restart your browser after the installation of the plugin is finished.

Speaking:

Start of webcast

Share this agenda point

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)

1 Apologies for absence

Share this agenda point

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)

4 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 19 January 2024

Share this agenda point

Item 4- CSC minutes (19.1.24) v3 FINAL

5 Chair's comments and update

Share this agenda point

Cllr Samantha Harvey
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Ralph Berry
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Ralph Berry
Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)

6 Mayors Questions - Tracy Brabin

Share this agenda point

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Paul Wray
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Paul Wray
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Paul Wray
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Alun Griffiths
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Susan Lee-Richards
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Susan Lee-Richards
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Andrew Waller (York Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Samantha Harvey
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Alun Griffiths
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Alun Griffiths
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Alun Griffiths
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Betty Rhodes
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Katie Kimber
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Katie Kimber
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)
Webcast Finished

Select an agenda point

Scroll with video

Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.

1 Apologies for absence

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:00:00

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:00:01

something drastically happens at the last meeting of the current cycle that we would need to meet, but I don't see any reason why we would so welcome George coming along here today and thank you for coming along on a Friday afternoon.

so apologies for absence, whose apologies do we have

apologies from Councillor Leadley's quote, Councillor Mike Burns, with Helen Vandal, substituting Councillor Whitham, with catering for substitute and Councillor Richard Foster, can I thank those who are substituting today much appreciated keeps us call it, which is which is an ace good thing for the the this committee if we can do that right every any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests.

don't see anyone indicating.

there are no reasons for any possible exclusions or the press or the public, in fact, by the mere fact that we've got the mayor here today, we want the press and the public to jibe.

4 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 19 January 2024

yeah yeah right so, the minutes of the meeting held on the 19th of January, everybody every getting concerns with those who have produced to prove them.

prove them good right in terms of bacteria, opening comments, can I welcome the Mayor today and also the officers.

5 Chair's comments and update

to this last meeting of the year, I've actually enjoyed this last year, personally I know sometimes it may be a bit stressful for the officers in me challenging them, I accept that, but that's the type of person I am, but I've really enjoyed it I've enjoyed what we've done.

and I do feel that WYCA is vitally important to the success of West Yorkshire and particularly scrutiny with the greatest of respect to the officers and the Mayor. There was a lot of money being spent and it's up to Scrutiny to make sure that we are sure that it is being Edison is being done properly and I think a role for scrutiny in that is vitally important and when we're not scrutinising, just look at the number of organisations where scrutiny has been a little bit suspect, shall we say, and the consequences that they faced as a result of it, so it's in everybody's interests for scrutiny to be successful,

just finally, because I want proof of all if we can see at the end of the day, if anyone is standing for election in respect to a party, good luck to you if you are standing, because it is a damned, stressful time if you're up for election.

irrespective of who is it, I know how I feel when I'm up for election, of which you know, you'll be all right.

well, let's see on election day how it's going to be, so can I thank those, and can I also thank the Scrutiny Board members for their support this year and the hard work that they have done when they turned up in what they've done so that despite comments or another now I'm going to just in case

someone or anybody else to leave. I know that Councillor Barry has to leave. I'm bringing forward item 7 Justin, because we do have to be call it in order to get that approved and I don't want to take the risk because someone may be called away for any reason at all. So in terms of item 7, the Member's report on the Scrutiny Protocol we did, we discussed that last week at the informal meeting. Are we happy to approve that to go to the next full meeting of WiFi next week? Yeah yeah yeah, this is a matter of protocols. Yes themselves, yeah, there's nothing I hear about minutes of the first that we do business meeting online, so I haven't got to present today because we take 19 out of it, which is areas

there is no discussing up here about those minutes, I went into a business meeting.

I don't know it's constitutional, so I can't provide, yes, I suppose, but these papers are published before that meaning good, that's all those papers are published, but we didn't have an agent in public, we had an online which, as a businessman,

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:03:58

so we will have to record clauses today, not that this week, but it

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:04:04

will be in the future be.

I am sorry that they should be here on the agenda today as it will pass the date at which they represented, do you want to clap, Caroline, do you want to clarify the legal position?

anything.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:04:20

no, they're not for one minute.

Cllr Ralph Berry - 0:04:26

notes

where it is appropriate to do so.

Even if not impossible.

constitutional requirements haven't will prevent, I'm sorry in what is being the thought for one minute, because he had the current exclusions long before there which will come up in this region today.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:06

and indeed it's for authority, and when you ask people to use them, I can use your fellowship as it is pretty microtonal, because Alan had

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:16

some ducks quacking on his phone at the last meeting, it was quite all

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:05:22

areas in some cases but the minutes cannot be taken forward as something that's been noted because in terms of governance today,

the Chair is actually asked us for one of the items here to be recognised,

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:40

I think just if I can just I can help the meeting this is this is the

Cllr Ralph Berry - 0:05:45

the formal this is the formal Committee meeting which is considering that Scrutiny report so it is the minutes from this meeting that will record the views that have taken forward to the Combined Authority and obviously published so if there are there are if there are views or comments that ones that need to be captured here, this is the formal meeting in which to do that my understanding is last week was the informal opportunity to air some of the issues.

all I've made my point and I wanted to be monitored because the

Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:06:18

assumption of here today, having discussed it at the last meeting, which was quite right, was a business meeting, and then the meeting

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:06:26

today is being asked to clarify that particular protocol and the Chair

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:06:30

has it on the agenda, so that is an item from those minutes that were discussed in a business meeting.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:06:36

and I I am really not

happy at the way the procedure is done, because this has never been done, any work that I've been for over 30 years in local government, which were all round here, and I just won't admit it in please, that this these minutes here should actually be on the agenda and that they item for protocol which is coming out of that last meeting is on the agenda today and that not the process of which democracy,

proceedings in local government.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:07:07

chair that the the recommendation in the report today is that the Corporate scheme Scrutiny Committee considers the working group's report recommendations, so there is clearly a decision that will come out of today's meeting, which will be recorded and should probably

Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:07:25

know, will properly reflect what no, no, no, you particularly I'm sorry Cheryl has got to be a system here where we recognise when a business meeting has taken place.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:07:34

and what the outcomes of that could be in terms of democracy, democracy recommendations,

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:07:40

or whatever the principle is within it, and I see today that haven't had that discussion at that business meeting, it is not mentioned at all in relation to that business meeting and therefore has been brought forward as an item here today and the protocol I have no objection, I have no reason to doubt protocol but I do have a reason to be concerned that the process of metres in between do not reflect and continue through the next meeting that's not the way we see minutes recorded and democracy within them.

no, our is hoping the route to a good, smooth start to the meeting I

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:08:22

got to District Borough Council route, said it didn't you know, as far as I was concerned, I think, were I if anybody wants to put something on the minutes,

if we were to formally disagree, or the granny concerned about what's in the report, I am quite happy to do that. I've got no problems if anybody wants to repeat anything that we said at the informal meeting last Friday, so we all want to do it. I want to get in a position so that we can accept the, albeit maybe by him, by Amin a majority rather than a unanimous decision. I just wanted to be able to pass this on to the full WYCA meeting so that they can then take a formal view on our suggestions because at the end of the day, we are suggesting not making the decision. The full decision will rest with WYCA

meeting itself, so I support your comments, Chair, and I don't want to cause any delay

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:09:23

but what I do want to point out is that this process is not a legitimate process of having minutes coming back later, on from a meeting that should have taken place. I have no problems with the protocol, but I think it's got to be monitored that this kind of process of minutes following on is not a recognisable way of information to members and outcomes. I'm happy that I person, I'm happy that fact is noted in the minutes are fair to them. I've got no

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:09:47

problem with that have been noted in the minutes, any member if they have an issue

it is like to me is within their powers to request that that we noted to see me to anybody who doesn't want to do something so okay, so that said anybody, the we've got the recommendation before us, is anybody wanting to make any comments or can we then go?

no, so is everyone in favour of taking forward this as a suggestion to the full WYCA board for them to meet the final decision on that everybody happy yeah, not not sure for our Friday, no, no, not, I'm not somebody going to a form of put your hands up, let's keep it friendly, let's keep it consensual if we possibly can. So with that said, thank you and on that note, can I formally put on the register thank the officers for the time and effort that they gave to get to getting this done, getting prepared and making sure, and also I was allowed

to speak to the mayor and explain where we're coming from as well, so I would like to put that on record as well that we have met we have talked through and we did discuss to make sure that we were all on the same page and moving forward together, so I think that it has been a good process, maybe a bit hectic at times, but I think it was a good process, so thank you all very much, and that means that Councillor Barry, who had no needs to go, if he needs to go he can go to do, yes included, tell us in advance he did not

yeah, yeah yeah, I don't know, but you did tell us in advance, and I thank you, and I want to acknowledge that you did make a special effort,

6 Mayors Questions - Tracy Brabin

so OK, thank you very much, so that's it, we are no into Mayor's question, take welcome Mayor, so do you want to make any opening comments or do you want to go straight in to questions?

if I may just say thank you for the invitation today and as you say, this is the last meeting before the election, but it's been a

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:11:58

privilege, I put this on record being a privilege to be the mayor of West Yorkshire and I am very hopeful and keen to come back for another four years, thank you Chair I do it right.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:12:09

questions if anybody would like and would like to open the batting and bowling, depending on whether your

you're a better batsman, horrible Samantha Councillor Harvey, thank you Chair, thank you Mayor.

and

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:12:27

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has been four years old we have from the government at the time, 2020 August, 52.6 million pounds was given to accelerate 15 shovel-ready projects, so I just want to ask the Mayor that, despite most of this project

was categorically labelled as shovel-ready and how many of the projects has been materialised and been delivered, thank you.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:12:55

sorry, one second.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:13:01

thank you so much for that, just to put it in context the shovel-ready nature of any project and is also dependent and on other factors, so you will know, as we all know around this table, COVID impacted on some of those projects.

I became the man during COVID, I remember my campaign was phone calls only because we couldn't speak to people in person and that impacted on timescales we also had Brexit where we lost, particularly when it comes to housing projects where you lost tradespeople and also when the

government of the day add, and the prime Minister and chancellor of the day, sent inflation skyrocketing that meant that some of the projects that you may I have earlier thought were shovel-ready we were having to take decisions on how we can make sure the ones that were ready to go were going whilst others,

that would take longer 0, but it had become completely unaffordable because of inflation and the skyrocketing inflation, so that's when we worked with our partners and I'd like to congratulate all my five local authority partners for everybody took a haircut, everybody had to say which are the projects that are where our priorities.

what could we deliver with the money that was allocated, so you will understand, Councillor, that you have to cut your cloth accordingly, so our ambitions were slightly derailed, but that does not mean to say that we have not delivered.

on our 3 billion that we've had since I became the Mayor, but I would, I'm gonna hand over to Alan to actual specifics of those individual projects but very happy to provide you also with more detail, but remembering that it's not just housing, it's also infrastructure projects, it's cycle lanes as bus priority is roundabouts, it's regeneration, it covers a multitude of projects, but I'll hand over to Alan thank you.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:15:21

thank you, so can I just clarify, so the question is a question, what are the what of the various projects which are actually in the ground

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:15:29

and being delivered, that is a long list of projects, yeah yeah, I'm not.

it's above and beyond 15, yes, but at the time I think that 15 years

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:15:39

in accelerated 15, so already in project is identified 2020 20 parliament.

part of the strategic framework.

gets involved from all three.

how many have been delivered, and our 52.6 million specifically actually are earmarked for that, but is it possible that that is referring to the getting Building Fund, one of many, so they're

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:16:09

getting building fund was announced, sorry in 2020 so part of economic recovery following the in we were right in the middle of a pandemic at that point but to get the government announced the getting building fund which was aimed at accelerating infrastructure projects to help with economic recovery.

and so I think that's the list, that's the set of projects that you are referring to and I think we have delivered all of them.

I think the simplest thing is just book, it will just get you a note

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:16:38

of the 53 sets out and then those are the things that have been

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:16:43

delivered and the projects fully closed are often for some of the it was contributors to broader projects as well, which will complicate things but would will do you a short note, I think I would be as I've been registering with a great deal in the world, you've got to

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:16:55

remember every single project for that was four years ago as well so yeah so yeah we can get a note and, as I think everybody would probably be quite interested in getting the same note as well, so if it was passed here

finally, you actually come back with any follow up question. Yes,

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:17:10

please, yeah, I don't expect the officers to be able to come up with every single project you're delivering, but this is a random Biggie, the 25 million pounds given for the creation of British Library Noss. So can I just ask this is through the heritage fund itself, so could we have some update on that project as well? As far as I understand, this is also is a very glitzy. At the moment there is not been delivered

thank you, I'm so glad you've raised this particular project because

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:17:35

it's a project that I know a fair bit about because it's a project that I am hugely proud of that we're going to have British Library

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:17:42

North on the Southbank as you say 25 million was in the in the package from government that British Library north will cost much more than 25 million we have released monies to start the safety work, you'll know that the building itself have reminded the name of the building Temple Works is a a beautiful heritage building but with enormous,

issues around the safety of the building, the structure of the building, and I know that British Library, North and Leeds City Council want to keep as much of the heritage as as possible and working with Heritage England as well, and that has been challenging.

the 5 million was released, I think, in the first few months of my tenure as mayor and that has kickstarted the work, there have now been further deeper discussions about how we can escalate and the work that has taken so long because of these complications once you get into the building or at the beginning all you could get in was a drone because it was so unsafe so trying to make that safe,

in order for people to get in has also been a challenge, but you will have seen in the budget the chancellor's fiscal statement, that there's another 10 million pounds being allocated to British Library north, which I am very pleased to see, and I congratulate everybody involved actually lobbying the government say this is great, but this is absolutely no. It's only a small part of what we will need to deliver this. You know what a world-beating library here or here in in West Yorkshire, and it also was in the same sentences, 5 million pounds for the National poetry Centre, which was lobbied for by our poet laureate, Simon Armitage, and Ruth Pitt, and who have got 5 million for that as part of the university, and I think the two together poetry centre and the they are British Library north are going to be a game changer for our region, but we cannot get away from the fact that the technical building aspect of this is incredibly hard, so when they need the money that money will be released, but it is a slow process, and I would hate to just hand over the money and then we have a building that's unsafe.

J, I'll bring Councillor Dobson no boot.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:20:21

I take it, we are you talking about heritage, you're not gonna have sheep roaming around at ongoing rehousing cases, any more are those

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:20:28

that don't know the sheep, we're in lifts up to the roof because it was a grass roof and the only way that they could keep the grass down

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:20:37

was to get sheep, so there are the lifts us, the the semblance, the carcass of the lift is still there. Yeah I mean that is a great achievement and I can't wait to vote for that to actually be built,

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:20:44

but I'd like to ask you a question on that on a similar theme, but

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:20:48

perhaps not quite so so technical, but it might be your answer might be around your pledges, you made some fantastic pledges and I'm just wondering if he could update us on those pledges, successes, failures and also what you've got planned going forward

I couldn't possibly tell you my manifesto as yet.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:21:09

sorry, I won't use this space to to launch my manifesto. However, I will say I am enormously proud Councillor of the 10 manifesto pledges that I've been able to achieve, for example, or promising better transport. Whilst it has been challenging, with bus companies withdrawing services, I've been able to be that we were the first Mayoral Combined Authority to bring in the mayors for the 2 pound bus for we've used the beside money in order to get greater connectivity when those routes have been pulled by the bus operators so that communities when isolated

and inclusivity champion, I was just with Fatima Khan Shah, who is my inclusivity champion.

the commitment to a 750 more police officers and staff wherever 800 and 40 something, and my commitment is to Con is to retain those numbers. I am incredibly proud of that. To put the safety of women and girls at the heart of the police and Crime Plan, we are the first in the country to today launch our women's safety unit, which was a recommendation that came out of Dame Louise Casey's investigation to the Met police, the 5,000 affordable homes. Whilst I have admitted before to this committee we aren't on the 5,000 were not far away, but we're not actually at 5,000. However, I would say that 25% of all the homes we've built are affordable more than Greater Manchester and West Midlands, and they've got trailblazer deals with money for affordable homes. We've built more homes than since the financial crash since 2010. I think that is about leadership, making a priority. You know it, I've spoken before about growing up in social housing, and how it's personally important to me. It's also given us an opportunity to work with housing associations, West Yorkshire Housing Partnership first in the country, to bring all the housing associations together. The dementia ready task force is up and away and is actually nationally recognised as good practice. It's also enabled us to have the first strategic partnership with homes, England, which means we've unlocked for potentially 40,000 homes, and also that has given us a interest from developers, and we had our first roundtable with developers who want to be part of our good news story.

here in West Yorkshire, I promised support for business, we have data to show that.

not only if we support a business, but my commitment to diversity and equality has also reflected in the numbers so, for example, the West Yorkshire Enterprise pot, which was after COVID, 6 million pounds for entrepreneurs.

over 58% has gone to women, 38% blackout, and minority ethnic and 10% to people with a disability we in the driving seat for change can make sure that we ensure that we do our own levelling up in our region and that all the good news of devolution is shared not just the usual players but those people furthest away from power and the tackle the climate emergency I hope you you will have known that 40 million was allocated in my app.

climate and environment plan and 22 million was announced a couple of weeks ago for flood defences we have grant of 50,000 pounds for communities to invest in green mitigations.

we are working really hard on trying to get as many EV buses as we can as many EV charging points, we only have a thousand in West Yorkshire if we, if we are to fulfil our ambitions we need 10,000 EV charging points, so we're doing or a bit of an innovation of how we can enable those who don't have garages or yards or drives to get an EV charging point. We are also really, I am very excited about the better homes hub which will be a one stop shop for anyone, whether you're a homeowner, whether you're a renter, whether you are a landlord you can get advice, guidance grants to retrofit your home and I think we're about 3,000 fully retrofit social homes, we've got

tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of homes to retrofit, and we've got to get on with it, so that's just a snapshot Councillor could be here afternoon telling you 0, yes, thank you very much, Alan to remind me one of my finest pledges, I was really proud of the 1,000 green jobs for young people.

and

the green jobs task force was assembled to help me with that target of 1,000 and were at thousand and 47 and rising, at what is also another added bonus of that green jobs. Task force was also is now become an advisory committee, so we're not stopping there where using this group that won't stay together to advise us on further implementation of of good practice and also the manufacturing task forces. We are the highest number of manufacturing jobs in the North. I wanted to capitalise on that and also our ambitions for the green revolution. I'm really pleased to say that the manufacturing task force has given me recommendations. We're implementing every single one, but also the task force wants to stay together

and I also, hopefully, will be a stronger champion and voice for manufacturing in West Yorkshire and the north more widely, so that's a bit of a it, if there's anything you'd like to ask me specifically, I could talk about culture all day as well, so the culture for all I hope that you you can see that.

by funding years of of culture, but also a programme you can make it here for freelancers 2.3 million there's loads going on in that space as well, so thank you, Councillor, for giving me the opportunity to run through, I would hope to say some of the achievements I didn't do on my own.

I set the agenda, but it is the organisation that fundamentally delivers, so I also publicly want to thank my my colleagues to help me deliver on that ambition.

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:27:49

well, I have got a follow-up, but you would you want to tell something else. I'd just yes, Alan very kindly also reminded me the Fair Work

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:27:56

Charter, which was a manifesto pledge that took us longer than I'd hoped, because I did say a firework charter in a year, but because we wanted to make it as attractive to SMEs. 96% of our businesses are SMEs, because we wanted to make it attractive. We had a whole series of consultation workshops working with the FSB, the CBI, the t, you see small businesses, different sectors, microbusinesses and I'm really pleased that we have over 100 plus already signed up to the Fair Work charter, and we took an approach that come in the water's lovely rather than draconian. You must sign up because I think we've learned from some firework charters across the rest of the country. What we want is not just the big businesses who can easily do it and pay the real living wage and so on. We want those SMEs, or on the journey, to being an amazing business, to get the support from us to be better, because we have to get more money into people's pockets and our own organisation, I'm pleased to say is also a real living wage organisation.

there was

one part of policing we've had to really work hard to deliver, but we are now on the way to that, a real living wage organisation, which I'm very proud about, so thank you Councillor.

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:29:21

you know it is fine because to show it, so it's really nice to hear you know that that the hard work has paid off and it's teamwork, as you've as you've said, but I did ask about challenges as well I mean you went through at the start talking about COVID Brexit inflation so but is there anything about the way we've funded or anything else that makes it quite challenging?

can I say the biggest challenge, and the the biggest risk at the

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:29:43

moment is underfunding of local authorities, because they are my partner, we are, we are six, it's not me, we are 5 plus 1, we are a group of six, but I have transformational plans, strategic vision, we have our plan that we collectively worked on which West Yorkshire 2040, you know, we're not standing still, however, government have put the handbrake on delivery for local authorities so where you've got local authorities who can just about deliver adult social care and children's services and then nothing else and sadly are frankly a chancellor who then says or whatever's left they have to cut the cut, cut their cloth accordingly, there is no fat on this bone

14 years of austerity.

with all of this money, saving opportunities have been done, there is nothing left to trim, so my worry is the health of my local authority partners, and that's why I was able and it was a priority to be able to find any and we've spoken about it at this committee before any pots of money where we could help our local authority partners and there was 51 million that was in the Transport reserve. It won't affect our delivery, so we were able to

and give that back to our partners, we also use the gainshare for capacity funding, because if I want to deliver homes, how can I if there's nobody in planning because they can't afford to recruit?

this is no good, so I am hopeful that change is coming because we can't carry on like this. You can't fund mayoral combined authorities and then their partners are hanging by a thread. So culture, for example, what used to be an opportunity for community cultural grants and so on, from councils nothing? We have to rely on government levelling up funds for swimming pools, how and when was it ever ever? Thus surely it was always local authorities understood where they needed a leisure centre, a swimming pool, and they would, they would then fund it, and now we have to go cap in hand to government, to ask for the things that we need. This is the biggest risk that faces us all

finally, if I may say thank you to my colleagues for being my aid

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:32:09

memoirs, but transport and rail, we have to make sure that we have that interconnectivity, the they the handbrake turn on HS2.

was devastating because it's a phenomenal waste of money it, it actually makes us a laughing stock in Europe that we can't deliver on big infrastructure projects and also then just gives us a piecemeal you know, patchwork quilt of.

small pots of funding that don't match our ambition for that, and you know that that powerhouse network, the across east, to west, that is that connectivity, because pulling HS2 also pulls out the connection from the Midlands to Sheffield, and then how do we get fast trains from Middleton Sheffield, but also whereas the electrification of of Sheffield to Leeds one fast train an hour we have? We have two regions, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, we've got 180 million pounds-worth over 10 years for investment zones and the connection between these two investments, so it is one fast train an hour. It's absolutely utterly hopeless. We need that strategic plan, we need investment in infrastructure, and that's why I'm really excited that on Thursday we'll be announcing the mass transit plan. The Combined Authority

it's it's gone out today, today or yesterday

about what the two corridors are, because we're not waiting for government, we're just gonna get on and connect our region, because it can't be right that only four out of 10 of the people.

outside Leeds can only get to the city centre in 30 minutes when, in other European cities of the same size, it is seven out of 10, so you can see the impact that has on our labour market, that people can't access the city centre in a timely fashion, so you know are they taking those skills opportunities, job opportunities,

are they lonely, they can't get out and about it's a real matter of urgency and something that we're looking at really seriously with our strategic transport plan, thank you very much and I take anybody's notes, and just to add anybody, I have no pride just tell me what I've forgotten.

on Josie.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:34:37

you, you made some very interesting points that I've made note of, including the new cultural development of the British.

library et cetera. What is going to be the connectivity with this library to enhance local libraries across other authorities because, as you know, libraries, community libraries are long gone and centralisation seems to be the way forward for lots of public utilities, and this is a utility in its right. what is going to be an arrangement for that kind of connectivity, because I think that would show to the other authorities that Leeds does lease the only places getting this library, that's the first question, thank you Councillor for that question and this actually relates back to my previous area

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:35:23

of risk.

as you will see in Coakley's, for example, they are repurposing the buildings they now need sell or can't afford to run on one of them, is Batley Library, and they're moving all the books into the Town Hall, and then they're finding a purpose for the library.

we can't allow this to happen, reading is a gift and literacy, and a love of learning and and books is a privilege for every child, particularly should have, and libraries are the only place where you can go where nobody says what you do here.

it doesn't cost anything, you can go just to keep warm, it's really important that we keep libraries, which is why I will declare one or one of the next manifesto pledges, so you've heard it here first is working with illiteracy Trust we are looking we're just developing our thinking on this but to make sure that every primary school has a library because they don't across our region and that's why I was able and very keen to work with.

Simon Armitage, our poet laureate, setting up a programme that ran for a year, the Mayor's young poet laureate and

there was a module given to schools, or the schools took part, we had 16 shortlisted Simon, and I listened to these amazing poems from primary and secondary schools, we had two winners primary and secondary their poems were amazing, I commissioned them to write poems on being northern and they were a star attraction at convention of the North at the army's last week.

I absolutely believe that libraries are the beating heart of opportunity and if I may just indulge myself here, that one of the reasons why I believed in my previous career I could be a writer was at bestowal library when I was very little, it was an area of solace for me, I loved going to the library, I want a writing competition and won the book and the prize was Puff the Magic Dragon. I even remember the prize, but it gave me confidence to believe in my own voice, and it's interesting that poetry is the choice of working class kids more, the middle class kids, so I really are

I'm not answering your point specifically about the British Library, however bit rest assured my desire to have more libraries and access to libraries across West Yorkshire is 100%. Now I've been at a presentation with the British Library where they are very excited about their opportunity to work with communities on the Southbank to be part of the regeneration to be embedded in the Southbank but also to be a voice for West Yorkshire. But I think the British Library North will also be a European destination for academics and researchers and maybe internationally as well, but making those connections with other libraries is vital, however,

how can we do that with a backdrop of cuts to local authority funding when libraries are being closed hand over fist? So I am trying to give with one hand when it seems at the moment the government is taking away with the other, but if you share my love of libraries, then maybe we could do some joint working about what that would look like. I would love that jersey. I mean I'm coming back to the point of what what can be connected from the British Library, even if it is certain books or paintings or drawings or whatever that can be out on loan to do libraries out across the five West Yorkshire authorities and you

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:39:08

spoke about cost or cost of go into libraries even from the algebra areas is a cost to a family who might want to think they'll spend that unlawful bread. That's my point in terms of getting out and do your research with those, and what can you do as a lending position out there into communities to make them part of the northern library? That's the first one

you mentioned buses, obviously, and the cap in most welcome to a lot of people is still to finish with pay more if they were previously paying less than the 2 pounds.

but I am looking forward to.

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:39:43

the situation in terms of the transport that you mentioned, and particularly the buses, because the reduction in buses, as you quite rightly say, has a great effect on people.

going to work, they've reduced the hourly service we have won in an

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:39:57

area from North Wakefield, and that's the only bus route we have, and that comes from Halifax from North Wakefield, into where the city centre to get to Leeds by bus if to go into Wakefield, to get a bus into Leeds, and I'm sure that's all part of the plan for the future and I look forward to seeing that and obviously 2000 police cuts from the government previously across West Yorkshire is is something well in terms of our patch.

it's something that will take a long time to put in place one thing, I'm sure when you Deputy came to Wakefield, we all mentioned that one thing that we did think needed reviewing, but in the circumstances it had to be tweaked because of the posts that are not there.

was actually the amount of time that can be officers can be over the new headquarters on two or three days in the week when there's no cover, and thus the rota system, the shift system, but that's to deal with the amount of forces that you've got you actually spoke about retrofitting and we had this from Alan I think it was at a meeting where the amount that you had wanted to achieve hadn't been achieved for various reasons, and you spoke about 3,000 today, I believe the figure that was intended at that meeting that Alan presented to us and for the reasons that he said

hadn't been achieved, but I'm hoping from that as we go on now, was

people looking for work, et cetera, and we know what the situation is, that that's going to increase, as you've said, Tracey, and I think one of the other things that is of interest in terms of you mentioned divulge, which is very important.

I think there's a lot of us and people out there that will want to know.

in terms of the situation there's the subsidiary added subsidy, Alwitry and devolution, what is the position in terms of the funding relative to those parts of the Divo deal that will be coming down from government to the West, Yorkshire, the level and the affordability, and how is that going to be managed in terms of local authorities because I think that's another thing where out there there's a lot of people saying Well you're taking control of us where local

where are we going to go with all this, I think there's a lot of explanations on that and Tracey and the other one that I really.

I really want to have a chat about, we'd be doing this in Wakefield as well, and I am sure other people will that's the timescale.

and the the timescales for the devolution discussions, I think everybody wants to be made aware that to ensure that the implications of all this, which is a big big factor, is going to have enough time for discussion across the patch and for the function of it to be fully understood because as of yet I think the communities out there in terms of the Divo deal,

are saying, Well, what's it all about, and we need clarity for people to understand what the situation is going to be in terms of devolution.

and are we ready for it as an Authority and through the years that there's a year to come, what is the situation in terms of getting that across to the public of an advantage or disadvantage or a challenge?

Councillor, there was a lot there, there was an awful lot that side.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:43:26

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:43:29

I am unsure regarding the police as a as we've discussed, the 20,000

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:43:34

police will cope, we are trying to mitigate against those cuts and working with the Chief Constable IB I really believe he's a good partner, understanding what needs to be done but also devolution gives us the opportunity to be more creative in solving some of these problems so being able to use this.

the apprenticeship levy share scheme where businesses would send their the apprenticeship levy that they can't spend back to the Treasury. We've said, let's keep some of it here in West Yorkshire, we use that money to train up 15 police and community safety officers there then going on the buses because people were telling me they didn't feel safe on the buses, so that's a way that we've sorted through the back door, really we've been able to recruit more

PCSOs because they have the eyes and ears aren't they they're on the ground, making those relationships

buses, I feel your pain, I mean I'm a commuter, I use buses, I think particularly Wakefield has been poorly served and we've just a couple of weeks ago you may have seen, we announced a number of new routes and more to the point extensions of timetable so earlier buses so people could get to work, 6 am starts when you do in shifts that sort of thing.

but also later, for those in hospitality and more fundamentally buses to Pinderfields, because we we were hearing that some of those routes were cut and people can get to their regular regular appointments. The DIVA costs per region. We haven't dividends out like that because that's not the way we get the best bang for our buck because working with our partners having that strategic overview of the things we want to deliver slicing it up into five or bits of the pie is not the way to get those big infrastructure projects and also we have to ebb and flow with local plans and local capacity and so on, so we we work as a combined authority. It's cross-party

the Committee approves the,

the progress of projects and so on. So it's not just here's a bunch of money slice it up, and off you go, I mean there'll be no point of a Mayor if that were to happen so having that strategic oversight, I think and that vision is very useful timescales they want our timescales, there were governments timescales so we were

we want a single settlement that we've seen in Greater Manchester and West Midlands.

the government didn't have the time or were weren't minded to give us a single settlement before the trailblazer pilots came to a conclusion, but we cannot wait, I don't want to be waiting sat on my hands waiting for a pilot to come to a conclusion so we negotiated and I really want to thank my team here at WYCA negotiated with government at Michael Gove number 10 or the civil servants to try and get a level 4 devolution deal which is the next step it's a bridge to a single settlement because it gives us a framework and will probably get onto this chair in more detail a framework where we can pull down.

pots of money that are devolved to us rather than single beauty contest are bidding wars, so we've got that deal, but we had to move at speed, and so we you know, we, it was over Christmas as well, it seems to be a bit of a theme of this government that things are announced over public holidays so colleagues, I think,

last summer, I can't remember what that was, but people had to work over the summer, then Christmas people working over Christmas to get this debt level for Divo.

bid together, what I'm reassured her is that other mayoral combined authorities are very pleased that that work has gone ahead and that myself, Oliver Coppard, in South Yorkshire and Steve Rotherham in Liverpool have all got level 4 as well, so we're moving forward towards a single settlement but the timescales on towers and about the people.

it is a challenge, because I am not sure everybody knows, I'm even the Mayor, I feel there's a lot of people that you don't even know what a mayor does and.

the impact that MMA has on their community, but what I want to get to, irrespective and notwithstanding, that is that if you think your life has changed by having a mare, so when you wake up in the morning in your affordable home,

you put on your heating, there is warm because you've got the solar panels or the retrofit, then you go outside your house and there is a unaffordable boss that is green and clean and that will get you to a college course. There is free and funded by us that will then get you into a good job where you paid the real living wage and then you can access your swimming pool or your library or a cultural offering that isn't too expensive, that it's culture for all and then you can get home on the bus the evening because there is a a bus that works for you. So I think notwithstanding whether anybody knows whether there's a mare, I really do hope that the impact of devolution will mean that the the lives of the people of West Yorkshire are changed and whether they know who did it or not. That's obviously up for a debate, but I think I have a job to do as well to tell the story of devolution and the the positives the positive story of bringing those decisions closer to the people whose lives have changed by the decisions that are taken. We all know in this room that the Whitehall and Westminster don't know as they don't understand us, they don't get as they don't see the problems in the way that we do, and also they don't see the solutions and the opportunities. So it's my job as your champion in your voice to make that case to politicians, but also to the community. And finally, are we ready as an authority? Yes, we are very ready more than ready to take on these extra responsibilities. We'd been waiting for this this,

it can't be right that we will see the inequity of the impact of trailblazer deals in Manchester and the West Midlands, and we will be part of that good news story, we are very ready.

thank you just just some points of information to build on the most

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:50:27

comments I add in terms of what the MD described as the level for devolution to, in other words, the one that was announced to the convention of the North and referenced in the in the budget. Three things I just would say number 1, the best way to characterise that is that it provides us with more flexibility for some of the already devolved funding to better meet local needs. It says more about flexibility than it is about new money. In fact, there's no new money in the current devolution deal that's, and that's that's quite an important point to

to land, and I think, as I've said at this committee before, though, if I may say that Michael Gove did go on stage and said new money and new powers, we rely on new money, but there is no new money.

the other category is welcome on the stage.

I add I am I, I can't be someone to say about failed actors.

if I may say.

I may say 30 years as an actor, paying my way, that wasn't failure, but anyway, being as imagined the stage.

yeah and are at the third point.

the risk was that the there isn't anything in the level for devolution that removes functions, gives you what you can you said there was a concern that removes anything from local authorities and passes it up to or to cross to a Combined Authority. It simply is simply not designed that way. We wouldn't have accepted it if, if it was yeah the answer that I think that's the speech that has got to come out of discussions, there'd be no long, it would be happening anyway because, as it stands at the moment there is a feeling that Big Brother is going to come in

pieces of local authority and adult services and not have that connectivity with the local authority itself, I think there's a lot of discussion and engagement that actually then that's got to be the message that goes out, because at the moment it is not.

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:52:23

that there's, if I may, then just say that's really helpful and conversations that we've had with your leader and all the other

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:52:27

leaders, to make sure that absolutely this is about us. Working as a collectivity is not, I do not want to do what a local authority does. We have a different job to do, but it is in partnership with local authorities. That's where we get the best outcomes by working collectively, sorry Ben and Joe

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:52:49

yeah, I would just add, I just wanted to say so you asked also about

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:52:55

retrofit and it kind of to pose the question about how far on what worked with that with that challenge, I think, is as we make clearly set out in the current environment plan the the and as the mayor has said, that the challenge in terms of the numbers of homes in West Yorkshire that need some form of retrofit treatment to alleviate,

fuel poverty at home to warm the homes is significant, and we're looking at how we can make the best impact into that. This this year's target that's in our draft corporate plans and is subject to change because we've not finalised that yeah, it is more like 1,300 homes over the course of this year, mostly in the social sector. So say, and if you're talking about, we think something. Like 600,000 homes of 680,000 homes need some form of attention. You can see the scale of the of the challenge there and the final point I'll make just relating to the point that and Alan made about the getting building fund I've been checking with with colleagues, so there were 15 programmes, 15 schemes in that programme

13 of them have completed, one was withdrawn and I'm just getting some more information on the 15th, and 105 million of 111 million pounds has been spent, but we still don't be noted that the target of 7,000

right I've got Councillor Ray and Councillor Harvey.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:54:12

thank you, Claire, thank you, Tracy, are just focusing on corporate governance, which is obviously the main function of this committee to

Cllr Paul Wray - 0:54:17

scrutinise, and I appreciate we've had an opportunity to talk about things outside of this committee's remit

what is your understanding of your role within corporate governance of the organisation in your key duties within it and excluding the conversation we've had about funding, which is obviously always gonna be an issue, what would you say are the three key key strategic risks the organisation over the next few years thank you for that question,

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:54:42

Councillor so corporate governance I chair the Combined Authority and,

I also chair the finance and resources committee, which is obviously a talking about finance resources, workforce performance and also in order to get greater scrutiny, we've just appointed an independent chair.

who has a background in finance

and has attended a couple of the meetings so far and the Combined Authority, and she was she's been really good.

and I think it's always good to have somebody from outside to look with a clear head at our programmes and the governance and audit committee you you mentioned.

that has an independent chair and a second independent member, and that scrutinises our financial controls and, as you say, the risk management, internal controls, corporate governance.

I am pleased that we've got the joint independent audit and ethics committee, and that's the governance arrangements for police and crime functions and of course, West Yorkshire police, and I want to thank the people who volunteer for that ethics committee, it's a really important role and something that I am very proud of also I have regular one to ones with each of my.

Executive, the Chief Executive ESCC executive directors that check and challenge in those one to ones is really helpful and are part of those discussions are all we always, and what is the risk of failure, what is the risk of reputationally or whatever?

also, I've said many times at this committee I want to be the most transparent Mayoral Combined Authority in the country, and that's why transparency is a theme, our CA meetings at this meeting FSC all committee meetings are held in public reports and minutes published for transparency that can be accessed.

on the committees and meetings section of the CA website, the webcast so anybody can dial in, and also bearing in mind that any decision I make can be called in by Scrutiny.

so you know there is a role there

for for you, but but also you know, being able to listen to the public as well about what they want to see from us, I think, is really important, so accessibility, and maybe we'll go into that, I in another question I think is also really important and whether that's travelling on the bus people do tell me a lot of the things they want us to be doing when I'm out in public or whether that's mayor's question time or message to the Mayor on radio and so on.

Cllr Paul Wray - 0:57:38

yeah wow y just the tech power question, excluding of the financial

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:57:42

risk, what would you say that free, big strip of voice in the free of a big risk you would see corporately to the organ?

Cllr Paul Wray - 0:57:48

one risk I've mentioned, which is our local authority partners, but I would say that the

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:57:55

cybersecurity for me is a really it's a big risk of all big organisations and you'll know that Metro was down for a few days a few weeks ago, but we've put mitigations in place and in fact I did ask this question of Alan in the financial resources committee so I wonderland if you just would like to share the answer you gave to me in that committee.

it might just give you a bit more information.

yeah, thank you, so the the

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:58:27

we are currently carrying a very high risk around cybersecurity, which the Committee had a private briefing about last week.

there are a number of mitigations that we're putting in place for it, both to try and eradicate human error, which is where a lot of vulnerability comes from from everybody, so there's compulsory training on cybersecurity, if every member of staff within the organisation and regular vulnerability testing where basically,

we pretend the ICT team pretend to send a phishing e-mail and we see what how staff respond to it, and then we provide learning if there's not responded to correctly. So there's the there's the removal of the the the the human, the human error. There's then a set of things that we're doing around, increasing our ability to know and respond when there is a cyberattack, so putting in place something called a security operation centre which will deliver that, and then the third thing that we're doing is we are getting in some external support to

deal with a number of vulnerabilities that are not.

there are no systems, so it is, it's it's very high on our list of things that we are fixing OK, but we're not the only organisation to have this as a priority, but also, if I may say, we have also

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:59:47

navigated a pandemic a war,

hi, it's spiking energy costs, and I think you know, we've been able to weather those storms, but I think they are, you know, mismanagement of the general economy is a big risk, and I think had we had stability at the centre, I think our outcomes would have been even better than they are over the last three years we've made impacts across the whole of our region, but just imagine if we'd have had stability and investment blimey, those outcomes would have been at least double double double the impact, I think

thank you Chair, I appreciate that the Mayor can talk about culture,

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 1:00:31

probably acting as well all day long, but there is a raft of priorities people in West Yorkshire Combined Authority have, and one of them will be the housing need, and the 89 million pounds has been secured from the brownfield housing funds has but however the work is only starting at the end of January this year.

so despite the goal of 5,400 homes by March 2025, so by far it lies around by 88 new homes had been built under this scheme, so this is nowhere near on track, so could I just ask the Mayor whether you accept or admit these are the under delivery of the west of a combined authority? Thank you so much for that question.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:01:17

I wouldn't I wouldn't frame it like that at all, actually because, as I spoke earlier, about housing, the economic shocks that we've we've had to.

deal with the the fact that that developers are really struggling to deliver because they can't recruit. As I've given, I gave you the context earlier. The brownfield housing fund has actually been a great success story for West Yorkshire, so much so that government came back to us to give us an extra 12 million pounds for brownfield housing fund and you will know, I am sure you know that when you're building and you're you have a pipeline of projects that it is often in. The last quarter is where you spend the money in order to deliver, and I would say that are

our capacity to deliver has also excited central government, which is why you'll have seen Michael Gove came to Leeds to or announced a 2 million pounds 4 or more homes.

in lies because they know that here in West Yorkshire we are getting building and I would say one of the highlights of the last three years as being able to stand in an area that was brownfield that we have a mitigated and relevant end and made a land that you can build on and meeting a family who were through no fault of their own made homeless through no fault eviction of their landlord.

and the homes that were built in Linthwaite meant that they and their small children she was having a baby

another baby, and they could have a decent life and the impact on our economy, for the the outcomes, for those children, for their futures, for our economy, that safe and secure affordable home is second to none, so I would say, Councillor, that my my view of where we've got to with building the fact that we have built more affordable homes than anywhere else on it in in regions of comparable size, more homes in 2010, given what we went through, I would say that that is a great success story.

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 1:03:42

thank you chess, but, yeah, you, you said that Leeds have highest proportion of new homes, so the reason you have given out to say that, because of the construction because the the living cost of living it doesn't seem to match what has happened here because in the Scrutiny meeting we knew we were told the reason why the Brown House, the Broomfield House housing issue came out that not being delivered because we have problem with staff we haven't stopped issue at the time, probably Councillor Royle, you remember so we just wanted to know whether there is the issue of this.

the recruitment issue for the staff to deliver certain project can be mitigated in the future because obviously, obviously the outline of strategy did not even happens in until last year, so it's not quite what the reason that may have given the restricted Mr still wants to

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:04:33

try and clarify, I think,

thank you Chair, if if if, if the Met figures we've had for trying to answer the question first, so so I think that the the Brentford

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:04:44

Housing Fund has been affected, I would say it's been through not having the staff, it's been much more about the fact that it's taken a long time to recruit because the skills the availability of the skills in the sector is itself a problem.

and so getting people with the right capabilities has taken longer than the Wu the will we would have wanted, however I don't think that is the fundamental, fundamentally, the largest challenge with the brownfield housing fund, which I think and I suspect the committee said this before it. It relates back to wide devolution, and greater local control is so important. That fund comes with a set of rules that in effect requires it to be implemented in areas of market failure, while recoup requiring a positive business case that you can only develop if you've got a working operational market, so so the challenge has often been

developing in partnership with with the with the developers, a business case that meets those criteria and then, equally, though, has got the right amounts of private sector input and public sector input, so that's

the public sector is overpaying for sites that will ultimately be in private sector hands. That has been that's been quite a complex arrangement for each individual site, and it's why, regardless of what the policy intent is to date, we've seen more sites in Leeds because those sites are closer to the commercial market than we have in those areas that we might argue are of great greater need, and we are continuing to prove that we're making these points, or only last week the government will continue to make to to make those points and because we do think the greater flexibility would allow us to deliver more projects across more of West Yorkshire faster and, if I may add,

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:06:31

chair, that part of the issue also is government timetabling and the fact that we were given extra money with a on the one hand was fantastic. Thank you very much for that and it's a vote of confidence, but the timescales were the same, so we were. We were having to move faster

then we were, then we were previously because they truncated the timescales, so I think this is why I hope you understand why I my response was so robust, because, given all of that, given the fact that the College of construction cannot find electricians for love nor money,

given all of this context, I think our housing team has been incredible and I have lobbied every opportunity I've had with Michael Gove I've said it is not fair that it's a more a greater struggle to get developers to build in Bradford than Leeds because of your

your

algorithm ought not since not an algorithm as it is, you know, your equation of how they benefit Cost ratio works, it's just not fair that those houses that need those regions that need housing more than ever in areas of deprivation it works against them because then the profit margins are less and it doesn't work so well so.

I think, given all of that challenge.

I think the very fact that we have done so, you know, we're not complacent, but, given that challenge, I think we have done as the the best we could in very difficult circumstances.

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:08:21

sorry, Councillor, I'll be damaged. Respond on on on on one of the points you made, which was in reference to a conversation that had happened at a previous committee, where then, the rationale for something being delayed was to do with recruitment and staffing constraints. So my recollection is that very specifically, that was to do with the delivery of the housing strategy which was delayed, and the reason given for it having been delayed was because there were some resourcing issues with it, but I'm really pleased to say that that housing strategy has now been published and is coming forward to the CA for adoption next week so that it's a. So there was a historical problem which the Committee has previously discussed, that that that staffing problem was. It was in relation to the delivery of the strategy as opposed to delivery of the brownfield housing funds. Presumably from what I can remember. Thank you

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:09:10

okay, yeah, Councillor Roche, thank you Chair a last one, if I may.

we've mentioned the ridiculous Mayor has mentioned the ridiculous timescales that are given for funding projects and, at the same time, the challenge of it all is that his capital and no revenue they don't give you revenue with these projects, yet you have to have a team standing by just in case in lobbying for the future Mayor I think that's a very important point in terms of project funding because local authorities have everything cut to the bone.

so how can we have people sat, there are not sat there to respond to timescales has this challenge of revenue to support capital?

ever been brought up as a topic that needs further discussion.

I think that's a perennial challenge because you can build something, but then can you find the revenue in order to keep it going? So, for example, the announcement of the new swimming pool in Bradford, fantastic, thank you for the money, but then you have to make sure that you've got the staff and the the finances to you know to keep it running it. It is absolutely a challenge, but that's why devolution further devolution is so important. So you don't have silos fun, you know funding streams where you can't team and ladle, depending on where you are in the cycle. So I often use the Adult Education budgets

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:10:45

as a as a prime classic example of five different funding streams, five different departments to respond to five different deadlines, having that autonomy to use the money or as, as you see, fit, I think would just free us up so much, but there is, or there is a challenge that

you know there's a lot of focus on capital projects and that they are the sort of shiny things that people talk about, then you and interesting, but the revenue is really important, but I don't know then, if you wanted to come in on that,

thank you Chair, I was just going to say s, so, as you might expect,

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:11:20

the answer is is yes and quite a significant amount of.

you would call combined authority funding goes directly into local authorities to support activities that they're undertaking as part of the partnership, so that includes kind of revenue capacity funding to develop pipeline projects and on PR, as we discussed previously, it includes employment and skills support for for the local communities,

it includes the business support and business advisers, so quite a bit of that activity is is, in effect, supported by by the Combined Authority, so that stability and continuity can be provided to local authority teams.

Tucker question though I'm not actually to be critical of your leaders

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:12:06

and the other authorities, but what more can we all do to get over what devolution actually means, because we are not at the moment, as I said privately to you recently, one of the issues is the views with a lot of elected members, they don't understand devolution, what more can be done to try and bring all the Councillors on board and then the public will then follow hopefully if the leadership from the councillors

yeah, I think the challenges that councillors are doing an incredible

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:12:39

job, often councillors, have another job, maybe a family as well, so to find opportunities where councillors can

come to maybe the piano sessions like this, where people get under the bonnet of what devolution can bring and what the offer is and have more conversations, and though you know some councillors are more engaged than others, so I would say to councillors please you know,

joined the webinars get more involved, to have conversations about what what is an opportunity, I think that the transport has really brought in councillors interest into devolution, as we'll see on Thursday at the Combined Authority, when we made a decision about

better buses that that impacts on everybody, everybody's life, and so the councillors of communities talk to them about the things that are important, so the Mayor's affairs, for example, is a very easy to understand outcome of devolution that we've been able to make that decision for the whole of West Yorkshire.

but I think you know, we've only been a Mayoral Combined Authority for three years, and other MC Ayes have been in this in at this job for many, many years, in fact Andy Burnham is going for a third term, there's been a mayor of London for a decade or more so you know he's putting new tours but I hope that you will see that we're doing everything we can to get the good news story out there.

about devolution, but not everybody understands the nuts and bolts, but it's trying to use those simple opportunities, you know good news stories to to to sell, devolution.

Cllr Alun Griffiths - 1:14:33

thank you, John, and permit to slash temporary slate today to do this or principles of devolution and

I think more like you and perhaps less like Councillor Rose and not aware that this is a huge numbers of people in our local pubs, talking about the may initiate the evolution of worrying about what gets us going, where, as you have to talk about night buses agit-prop buses as, as you pointed out as a significant number of people don't even know that the Combined Authority and the Mayor exists that's alone as some exist, but it is very about principle the I have absolutely accept the where powers are being devolved from the centre down to combined authority level, the default position should be that they are exercise or coordinated at at at authority level, although it's not.

beyond the reason that there may be occasions where actually the most effective exercise of those powers, there would be further devolution down to a smaller smaller areas, but I can share with the the default should be a Maicon venue. A concern really is that, sometimes in under the guise of a service basis, a better exercise in those combined powers and and the coordination of the and the way that things could do well, there might be a temptation to think that some things which are currently being exercised at a local authority level might be drawn drawn up because he is so much more efficiencies and I just wanted to get the, I think I just wanted to hear from you that you, you are committed to both getting more devolution down at authority level, but also maintaining and increasing the flow of decisions to be regular, appropriate at a much more local level where whether it be at individual or corporate level or even more locally than that. Thank you. Councillor and

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:16:28

devolution is really important for local authorities and for the people whose lives are affected by those decisions. So, to answer your question downwards is always the the best way the level for devolution Deal. There is no change in that relationship and we know that our local authority partners are great partners them in delivering for the people that they serve, but to your point as well, about smaller communities. That's why things like the Community Grant for

that's why the climate emergency are abuts around sustainability and so on. You know 50,000 pounds for communities, that's nothing to do with me. That's that's for the community to pitch in, for what what, they think that they need the Mayor's Community Safety Fund, which is proceeds of crime money. We gave that million pounds over the last year or so, and it's Grant with a or up to 8,000 pounds and when people come together and they self-select when they come together, that can be a bigger grant, and that's a very light touch. So I really hope to reassure you, Councillor, that I do understand at the devolution is not about a new Westminster in the regions, absolutely not. That is counter to what I want to achieve

Cllr Susan Lee-Richards - 1:18:01

sorry were one of the benefits of having, however, Combined Authority Mayor was suggested, the soft power, what do you think are the best achievements?

from using your soft power for the region, thank you, it's one of the

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:18:18

privileges and the benefits of the job, the soft power, because it's not in the Deveau deal, but it's about a focus and

and ability to be collaborative to be co-operative and to bring people together, so, as you know, I am the Chair of the UK mayors and at the next election made the second.

after that election, 86% 87% of the North will have a mayor, and then, once Holland's riding come in, it'll be 90% of the North will have devolution, so I would say that the soft power there is cheering that UK mayors, but also to be the champion and advocate and voice for our region internationally,

so our trade missions, whether that's to Arab Health to India or North America, the the ability to bring together whether that's Department of business and trade, whether that's ministers, trade and investment businesses,

obviously I have a business board and we are looking to draw together CEOs of the national h q businesses here in our region, whether that's the Morrisons and the Astors, bringing those people together to hear the voice of West Yorkshire.

also, the soft power you you are, as I came into the room at the beginning of the meeting International Women's Day, where we just had a big events for the women of West Yorkshire, the soft power of drawing together.

women around health tech,

talking about safety of women and girls, talking about careers we've had, I think this is, we've had three meetings of women in West Yorkshire, this was a celebration for International Women's Day and we we've had two in-person events and others online, I think also been able to drop the ladder for other leaders to use their soft power so Alison Lowe my

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime sits on a number of high level boards, which is you know, really our voice for our region, Fatima Khan Shah convening, as the inclusivity champion, convening people are around particular topics, whether that's about social cohesion,

whether that's about community, whether that's about healthcare, I also think.

being able to be a voice for culture that we've had, given my background, we've also become, I think, the voice for.

culture and opportunities outside of London, I think that's put us on you know a bit in in the frame for.

people who were thinking Well, where can we go outside of London, where there's a great cultural offer or they get it?

I think that's our interesting culture has probably helped us get the extra money that obviously lobbying from others as well, but that that that partnership approach that people look for when they're making decisions about where to put money that political support.

I think has helped us hopefully get money for Bradford City of culture, for the poetry centre and the National Library at the British Library or and other investment, so I think it's it's an enormous privilege to have to be able to use that soft power and to draw people together in a convening space so when hearing,

for example, there was concerns about spiking, being able to just draw together in a matter of 24 hours, all the people who need to be in the room to discuss the challenge around spiking and to come out with some recommendations and strategies and working with our local Members of Parliament and councillors like yourselves to to get better outcomes it's an it's amazing job that's the soft power that comes with it and being an advocate and it has been really huge privilege I don't think anybody wants to add anything round that thank you.

Cllr Susan Lee-Richards - 1:22:50

my my follow-up question might be a little bit, do you think that the Combined Authority mayors could get together and now get the national government to stop right to buy, because that is draining us off of houses and we can't afford to replace the ones that are sold with the discounts that was just announced the other day was, I think they're

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:23:13

the Mayor's coming together is quite a unique.

lobbying group. Actually you may have seen that when there was the threatened closures to the ticket officers in stations, we were able to come together with other disability campaign groups. We weren't the only voice, but the fact that that was you turned, I think, was great strategic power getting transparent, I'd taken back into public control, I think government were minded to give a new contract to this failing company and then I think the power of the Mayor's

we represent millions of people across the North, I think, made government think twice.

the threat to the the funding for vulnerable families in a goshawk called the household support grant, thank you, Councillor Wall, they I think we we signed a letter that was driven by the mayor of South Yorkshire that was then given a six-month reprieve, I think that was a good outcome for families but we must not the two years that

campaigns are

campaign groups wanted, but will definitely take that away as something that yet again erodes the capacity for local authority.

partners to to build new homes. It is a challenge, though, isn't it, because

for so many being able to buy their own home at a price they can afford, it is a huge privilege for working class families, the problem is when they then are bought and then flipped into rentals and then become a business, and then we've lost out on that money so.

it is a, it is a challenge, isn't it, but the fact that we're losing stock while we were trying to replenish, and I think it's Hogg, there's thousands on the housing waiting list, I think it's 9,000 on the waiting list in Coakley's alone for for social housing, that's why our commitment to building affordable homes, you know it, we will not Rye you know, it's relentless, and we will not shy away from that the challenge, but you can't, as I say,

give build over here, then you're taking away the money to be able to afford to build, so let's take that away to our further thoughts, so I speak to are, are local authority partners as well, to see if there's an intervention that they'd like to meet to lead on.

Councillor Waller, thank you.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:25:47

Cllr Andrew Waller (York Council) - 1:25:51

I think it was just to follow on from this the south and the soft power issue and are working with other mayors.

I, I personally felt it important to have a close working relationship that there isn't a hard border.

and therefore it is understanding how you see the relationship with areas around the West Yorkshire Combined Authority working because business doesn't always see those borders and we don't want to miss out an opportunity as a consequence, indeed, and we've always worked really well with Ann York and,

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:26:30

I think it's one of our strengths that York is such a a brilliant, attractive city.

as the chair of UK mayors, I worked very closely with mayors who earn and not boo from the Labour, the Conservative mayor's, and I think our strength is in that collective effort, a lot of our.

challenges are exactly the same, whatever iteration or political party you represent. I really look forward to working very, very closely with all four, including myself, Yorkshire mayors, isn't that an incredible brand, the brand Yorkshire, and once we get those South Yorkshire, West, Yorkshire, North, Yorkshire, East Yorkshire mayors working closely together, I think it's gonna be quite a game-changer and, as you say, those those borders are very, very thin, aren't they and porous and so many people live in Harrowgate working leads on, but you know live in Leeds and work in York. So I think that communication that collective spirit for better outcomes together, it is definitely the future and a good example

potentially is the it was announced that the college to the north, the one creative north that we're working with South Yorkshire Manchester, Liverpool up to Newcastle with Royal Society, the arts Channel, 4 BBC, Peck on a Newcastle University Logica, lots of creative organisations to get that investable proposition that the north is open for business when it comes to culture and the way that we can support each other, whether that is a skills offer in the creative industries that that goes east-west across the North and you know covers the whole of the north, whether that is,

and the way we can co-produce work or where we can bring international investment by supporting the new film studio in Newcastle, with our trained talent, to say to Amazon and Apple, and whoever that you can come and film in the north, you will have absolutely everything you'd disposal because it's not just where you're based in Newcastle but actually you've got all of us surrounding you with that soft power to support you.

so I think there's, I think, devolution is so exciting, I think some of the reviews of Convention, the North are saying, it is the quiet revolution that it is an opportunity cross-party to bring all the voices together on areas where we can collaborate and whether that's transport, whether that's energy, steve's tidal energy, the CA carbon capture in Hull us doing retrofit in the middle whether that is place so culture and also the the trade and investment to make us an area that's like you say.

you know, a company in in Singapore doesn't necessarily know what the boundary of West Yorkshire is, but they know potentially what the North is and that there are two, there are ports either side, there's great connectivity, et cetera, et cetera, so you know trade and investment is something we can collaborate on as well, so I do think the future is bright when it comes to devolution.

thank you, Chair, Tracey, so this is a question about the mass transit

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 1:30:11

scheme, I understand that there was about, whereas in a version of vision, 2040 had been published from Metro to tram, since you were elected and it was only yesterday I think there was a decision to have to build two tram lines from Leeds to connect Bradford and families down to Dewsbury so do you have any plans for connectivity between Leeds and Wakefield rural thank you.

you're always a massive champion and advocate for your region, and I applaud that.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:30:43

so the way that we are approaching it is facing, so there is no point saying We're gonna do all all at once because nobody would take you seriously and it's the way that Dublin and also Manchester started with the initial corridors and then built out but rest assured this is not a Leeds plan this is a West Yorkshire Plan it will only work if it reaches all the parts of West Yorkshire.

that don't have that connectivity, so like you say, I am very pleased that from St James's down to pass Elland, Road and out to the White Rose and then on to Coakley's, and then at the same time from St James's up to towards and into Bradford and also Station to Station in Bradford, because this is not a plan, as I say, for just the city centre, this has got to be for everyone, so rest assured it is part of the long-term plan but is not part of the first phase of consultation

it's just I'm sure I've seen a sort of of the plan of the vision and

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 1:31:54

it's Wakefield and Kirkley use, and you might even get one fairly near to me.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:32:03

it's a, it's ambitious is ambitious, but this is going to be our legacy, and we are going to when we're old and grey will be able to point to these trends and say that would not have happened had it not been for devolution and for for the combined collective energy and determination to deliver for the people of West Yorkshire.

average thanks for Chair.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:32:26

we spoke about some transition situations in terms of the government now when we come to devolution.

and the Combined Authority, have you any plans to look at circumstances where we still come up against the inflexibility and we have to do major things together and all the rest of it?

is there some kind of plan to do simplification in terms of the funding I drew the gainshare and transport funds, and then the the funds for the UK shared prosperity?

how are we going to look at those for the future to simplify that process because we're all around the table, say and at the moment to get government capital, it's a nightmare, so I'm I'm wondering, Tracey has that been considered by your team for when we go through this process, if it happens, because I am very concerned the TA, if the five local authorities don't agree, then where are we for the future? But I think that's something that everybody in every authority, irrespective of what colour it is, I'm not here for colour, but if these inflexibility sometimes is so soul-destroying for both the teams that are producing projects and as well as that for the projects that will benefit the people out there, because we're not here for buildings, we're here for the people we're here for jobs, we're here for skills were here for governance in terms of how it's managed, and I think that that's the important part of any kind of devolution that it is the people that gain not necessarily seen where we get in a more bureaucratic system, while the hear hear to that, because this is why we are.

I am really working incredibly hard to try and get to a point where we

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:34:17

can get that single settlement and I've been meeting at all with all the other mayors. Cheer Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Sue Gray, are on a regular basis to ensure that the, if there is the new government and it is Labour, that they understand the opportunities that the mayors can can give an incoming government because you will see in Greater Manchester there is the data to say the them says you know, give you growth, or we can definitely turbo charge growth if we are given the flexibilities that you talk about to point about what if we all fell out well, I'm really pleased so far over the last three years,

whilst there are obviously always challenges between

between, you know, groups of people, I'm really proud of the way that we have all collectively put the the future of West Yorkshire as our number one priority, and that's why I was pleased that we got our West Yorkshire Plan 2040 agreed and backed by we had a a wonderful event where all the leaders came together we launched the 2040 vision we are all in lockstep to deliver that vision and now we're working backwards like it's 2025 where should we be if we're gonna get to 2040 but but please be reassured that?

the shared prosperity fund is a perfect example.

of how it just doesn't work when funds come from the centre, it's two thirds of what we got when we were in Europe and it comes with so many checks and balances and and ace assurances, and it's so difficult it shouldn't be this difficult. Surely we can make it easier for our communities to benefit from this money so

and with you, let's make it easier.

one big issue in my mind is chair part of overview and scrutiny at all

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:36:21

stages of scrutiny.

is has there been any thought, given you've mentioned that the burden in Manchester quite a few times?

the Mayor's remit for the future taking over the health remit.

it's not something I'm particularly gagging for, I know that Andy is

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:36:46

the only mayor, actually that has that I think he was a particular interest, maybe of his eye, he was health minister, so it's something that he's obviously wanted to do for me what matters is health outcomes and closing the health inequality gap and life expectancy and that's why Fatima as inclusive to champion with a foot in health and here,

has been a really good bridge, but also setting up the West Yorkshire scientific advisory group with John Wright as the Chair who is released on born in Bradford, which is, I think it.

10 20 year programme. You may know monitoring young babies to now teen teenage and their health outcomes and data, and so on, so there's lots we can do using the soft powers. As Councillor Leigh Richards spoke about, to have better outcomes but healthiest wealth, but also I have to make sure people own more have greater opportunities, can get to jobs that are paid well and live in warm homes that don't harm them and the car and the air is clean, so there's other things I can do to ensure better health. Thank you, Chair, sorry, if I may add, Chair.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:38:06

I'm also on the board of the ICB

which is a really that that bridging is great and also.

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:38:17

Campbell Carthy's role, she's future, she NAACP and she's chaired the cafe is chair of the SEP and she sits with us, so we're trying to ensure that everybody knows what everybody else is doing, so we can, we can work collectively to make sure that what we do really matters and has an impact on health across the region upward watchword will the Minister still

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:38:39

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:38:42

when Luke, thank you, I, I think, pretty much that the Mayor, cavalry in a in her last comments all I was going to add, was that we already have party working with the with the health sector, as the mayor says,

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:38:55

through the integrated care partnership and you'll see if you look at their strategic plan that we figure in that as as the kind of one of the organisations leading on the wider determinants of health as the Mayor has said and you'll see health outcomes and security health outcomes in our strategy documents as well and we fund joint post to make sure that we are completely joining up economic growth activity with with had better health outcomes.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:39:20

and, if I just may add, finally, Chair, that that relationship has already borne fruit, that we are now working together in a creative

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:39:27

health partnership yeah

Rob who chairs the ICB.

has called it the strategic the creative health system, so it's not a health system, it's a creative health system, so we're using all of our soft power, but also some some funding to ensure that people, whatever we can do to ensure people don't end up in crisis and in A and E to save the NHS money but also to have early interventions so so people are protected from poor mental health.

so on that note, or you want to go into.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:40:06

yeah, there's greatness, yeah, OK.

I also acknowledge he mentioned, obviously, earlier on, I say about the push for new housing, the push for new communities, the integration between the communion between the communities and

Cllr Alun Griffiths - 1:40:23

education,

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:40:27

one thing I've found in, particularly in our area, there is the push for new housing, new houses being pushed forward.

Cllr Alun Griffiths - 1:40:35

but education is being left behind, the the the local communities were now creating a lot of what I would put as housing estate with no soul, that's all there's no, but if your community areas very few new schools, so are we working with the local authorities in that?

push to be able to be able to create this community effect, this new housing, this new schools that go with it, this new integrated transport system to come up to actually get this community to up work and everybody to be able to do exactly what you said be able to live in a nice house come come out and be able to get on to the bus go to the

place of work, God bless school, The trouble is, we've not got a lot of those schools, we are now having to ship, particularly in my area, children around on buses were just recently got a problem with the buses, this groups have been taken away now the children have got Rail Rail cards to go on and on, but now we can see strikes on the railways which is causing the problems that were to bring buses back.

it's solely because we haven't got the local schools that we used to have the local primary school when we do get the primary schools, nobody thinks about the secondaries, the move on to the next stage, so we're building at the bottom, great we're pushing off and I'm all for that but forgetting the the roll on effect.

and the communities and the everybody's having to doing the shopping Deputy consumption McCann, you've got the nice, you know housing estates, coming up, whether there's been shopping, that'll jump into vicar coming to town, so it's that integration is getting lost a little bit so it's that push from your your vision, fantastic vision. We just get a little bit lost in some of the areas and I just wonder if that's some areas you can push and try and pull forward with this

the construction of housing and and new communities, thank you.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:42:42

I absolutely share your vision that we don't want these soulless

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:42:46

estates that are that are concrete with no communities I really get that, obviously that's part of the strategic or local plans for local authorities and when it comes to schools, that's a national strategies in its school building.

where I can, where I can intervene, I was able to lobby the DFC for a new college in Bradford, which was is the Brit School North, which you may know Brit School in Croydon in London, Adele weren't there Jessie J Rae, who just won all the prizes at the Brits the other day.

and are therefore singer-songwriter's. We've been able to be part of the team that delivered. Brit School North in Bradford is very it's gonna be paid by DFC, so it's not a penny to our public purse, so where I can, I do intervene but we do share the same ambitions, and when I'm in meetings with developers, a UK ref is coming again to Leeds talking to people who are doing this, building you, you. Where are the community centres, where do people convene? Where can you have a birthday party and you know have a or a group event? It's absolutely right him in in in my

sites about how to make West Yorkshire more attractive and I think there are plans in Calderdale for a garden community. Anybody know about that one

with him I can maybe Calderdale, so as the Councillors from Calderdale, maybe you can tell me more about that, but I have no doubt knowing knowing the leadership of Calderdale and the Councillors that that is going to be absolutely lovely.

in the way that we fought for the green roof in Halifax bus station against number tens re

advice, I know it's going to be absolutely fabulous, so we all share the same vision, but I don't necessarily have the powers to deliver in the way that I would like.

yeah, sorry.

Cllr Alun Griffiths - 1:45:03

one of the problems are uncommitted cases, the the, particularly with our authority, it's trying to get that strategic development plan actually put in place.

that you can actually tie into. I think that's one of the major problems and sticking points. We're doing all the strategic development of how many houses we need for the future. Looking at that is actually getting that strategic development plan signed off, we've got particularly the 20 to 31 Shillington signed off in Bradford. We're looking at the 30 to 40 one at the moment, though, the strategic development plans going. It's that sticking point that I think it is a problem

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:45:43

and when we were negotiating the TiVo deal back in the day a government took the out of the devolution deal because they were waiting for outcomes of, add something going through Parliament regarding strategic planning for mayoral combined authorities, it's not been reintroduced, we don't have any we we we don't have those powers currently,

but it's just a good example of how you know some things are done best

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:46:11

done at local level by local authorities, and planning is one of those.

and yes, as the mayor said, she doesn't have any any powers to intervene in the planning system.

on you go.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:46:30

get climate change and

year.

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 1:46:36

Cathy Ashton on that I noticed in the last Mayor's question, sorry, we

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:46:44

were sobbing today, so it's slightly difficult, isn't it coming with questions as to what you discussed in your informal meeting the other week, but he'd mentioned each easy challenge. Climate tackling the

Cllr Katie Kimber - 1:47:00

climate emergency and you needed extra money to do it, and I just want to make sure that he's seen firmly in your pledges for going forward that that is not too big to tackle and that we are going to tackle it. We are gonna keep forging forward for places like Calderdale, we suffer terribly with them, the climate emergency and we really wanna see that, as your won't be our top priorities. Thank you, and one of

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:47:25

the privileges of the job was to go to Mytholmroyd and to be there at the opening of the flood defences, and I don't know if I can't

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:47:32

remember we there when we were at the community centre. People were crying

because they were finally able to say we're gonna put down roots in this village, because we were so afraid of being washed away, and

you know having no future year, and we're wondering where would we go, and that was quite something and Haddon, I know that you know, people are businesses, but thinking I'm not going to, I'm gonna move out of Hebden Bridge because I'm worried about being you know being washed away and get no insurance and so on but those flood defences I think have been really good mitigations but of course that's just the beginning and I was upon the most planting

Spagna Moss tiny little bits with on that, I think it was about 40 volunteers and I was thinking, How is this going to tackle the climate emergency? They're tiny bits of grass, but collectively they keep a water uphill,

but just to reassure you, you know our climate and environment plan, we allocated 40 million. If we can deliver everything in that plan, it would cost 4 point something billion to deliver them all of our ambitions. So this is a job of work that's a lifetime and beyond. So rest assured my foot is not of the EV gas on this on this target.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:48:55

Danny Brough Mr quick further on and to to harness the power of the

Cllr Katie Kimber - 1:48:59

voluntary sector in that you know, we've got huge amounts of natural management going on across West Yorkshire and that and harnessing those volunteers to help with that I think it is really key as well.

think I've seen great volunteering, it slow the flow, and we were

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:49:16

able, I'll be some of the money to, I think, have programmes where people were employed, the on what was previously, I think it was all completely volunteer led, so it's also about jobs is creating jobs and opportunities as well in the green sector. That's where a lot of the growth we could see a lot of the growth

I said it was the last one before and we must have still, if you wanted to commit, thank you just just to add to the to the best

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:49:43

comments, so since the

local authorities in West Yorkshire and the Combined Authority declared climate emergencies 2019 we have had two documents, a climate pathways document that that looks at in order, different scenarios and what needs to be to be done, and then a climate it emerged that a common environment plan that takes policies from that technical base and fruit for implementation

both those documents are being revisited and we we republish this coming year, so it's kind of watch this space ready for, for what we think is achievable within the resources that we've got at the Combined Authority level.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:50:19

chair, if it might be useful to also now working with Chris Skidmore

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 1:50:25

on Net Zero and Hamas can get government into the right position on the climate emergency, I mean on 0 target by 2038 is so ambitious.

when Government's target is 2050, you know we have to act as if it is an emergency and work at speed

but being able to partner with others to amplify our voice, whether that's going to cop

you know be been able to make the case that mayors are the agents of change.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:50:53

nationally, all targets have been set by government and actually.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 1:51:04

right. Okay, right, thank you very much for coming today. I will quote this one this session has proved is the recommendations within our report are good because if we had one scrutiny panel we can vary onto all of these different issues, and that's one of them, because you can then scrutinise and then see the interim, the interconnectivity of everything because it's alright scrutinising eggs, but it often has implications further down the line, and I think even though I'm showing it to you, I don't know you already sold on it, but I think it prohibited by having one Scrutiny Board and having you know it will make hold you to account a lot better to be quite frightened because you will then know

where everybody is coming from and how the interconnectivity is so on. That said, thank you very much, thank you for this year, I was going to there's no point in us doing the work programme because hopefully there'll be a new organisation around Scrutiny, so the successor body will be free to do whatever they like

so we would dictate to them, but thank you all very much for your time, thank you.

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair)

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council)

Leeds City Council

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)

Managing Director

WYCA

Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)

Cllr Andrew Waller (York Council)

York Council

Cllr Ralph Berry

Cllr Alun Griffiths

Cllr Samantha Harvey

Cllr Katie Kimber

Cllr Susan Lee-Richards

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire

Cllr Betty Rhodes

Cllr Paul Wray

Corporate Scrutiny Committee - Friday 8 March 2024, 2:00pm - Feedback Tab - West Yorkshire Combined Authority Webcasting

Corporate Scrutiny CommitteeFriday, 8th March 2024 at 2:00pm

Agenda

Slides

Transcript

Map

Resources

Twitter

Forums

Speakers

Feedback

Votes

1 Apologies for absence

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:00:00

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:00:01

4 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 19 January 2024

5 Chair's comments and update

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:03:58

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:04:04

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:04:20

Cllr Ralph Berry - 0:04:26

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:06

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:16

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:05:22

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:05:40

Cllr Ralph Berry - 0:05:45

Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:06:18

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:06:26

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:06:30

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:06:36

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:07:07

Caroline Allen, Deputy Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:07:25

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:07:34

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:07:40

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:08:22

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:09:23

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:09:47

6 Mayors Questions - Tracy Brabin

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:11:58

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:12:09

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:12:27

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:12:55

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:13:01

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:15:21

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:15:29

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:15:39

Alan Reiss, Chief Operating Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:16:09

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:16:38

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:16:43

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:16:55

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:17:10

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:17:35

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:17:42

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:20:21

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:20:28

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:20:37

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:20:44

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:20:48

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:21:09

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:27:49

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:27:56

Cllr Jane Dowson (Leeds City Council) - 0:29:21

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:29:43

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:32:09

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:34:37

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:35:23

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:39:08

Cllr Samantha Harvey - 0:39:43

Cllr Betty Rhodes - 0:39:57

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:43:26

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:43:29

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:43:34

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:50:27

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:52:23

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:52:27

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:52:49

Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:52:55

Cllr Barry Anderson (Chair) - 0:54:12

Cllr Paul Wray - 0:54:17

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:54:42

Corporate Scrutiny Committee
Friday, 8th March 2024 at 2:00pm