1 February 2022

MINUTES of MEETING of the STIRLING AND CLACKMANNANSHIRE CITY REGION

DEAL JOINT COMMITTEE held via MS Teams on 1 FEBRUARY 2022 at 2.30 pm Present

Councillor Neil Benny Graeme Duff

Councillor Kenneth Earle

Councillor Scott Farmer (in the Chair) Councillor Ellen Forson

Councillor Chris Kane Eileen Schofield Professor Leigh Sparks

In Attendance

Nikki Bridle, Chief Executive, Clackmannanshire Council

John Craig, Interim Head of Regional Programme Management Office Martin Dalziel, Team Leader, External Communications, Stirling Council Graeme Forrester, Lead Solicitor – Governance, Stirling Council

Amy Kentley, Regional Programme Management Office Pete Leonard, Strategic Director, Clackmannanshire Council Sara McDermid, University of Stirling

Nick McGann, Communications, Clackmannanshire Council Nicole McIntosh, Regional Programme Management Office Steven MacDonald, Service Manager, Stirling Council George Murphy Interim Chief Finance Officer, Stirling Council

Dr John Rogers, Executive Director, Research & Innovation Services, University of Stirling David McDougall, Governance Officer, Stirling Council (minutes)

CRD139 APOLOGIES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Apologies were submitted on behalf of Councillor Martha Benny (Clackmannanshire Council).

CRD140 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None.

CRD141 URGENT BUSINESS

STIRLING AND CLACKMANNANSHIRE CITY REGION DEAL – STIRLING AND CLACKMANNANSHIRE REGIONAL ECONOMIC ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE

The Chair confirmed there was an item of urgent business relating to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Regional Economic Advisory Board (SCREAB), which was considered to be urgent due to the need for a decision from the Joint Committee on how to proceed in relation to the private sector representative roles on SCREAB.

Following the decision of the Joint Committee on 7 September 2021, the Regional Programme Management Office (RPMO) had worked to establish SCREAB and the Regional Economic Forum (REF) ahead of the 7 December 2021 Joint Committee meeting.

All of the sectoral members, for both SCREAB and REF as detailed in the terms of reference, were in position by late September 2021. A date in December 2021 was agreed for both SCREAB and REF, with diary dates provided to all.

Private sector business representatives were sought to support the delivery of the CRD, with an application process put in place for private sector representatives to apply for one of the six places available on SCREAB. All applicants were asked to tentatively hold the provisional date.

As set out in the terms of reference, a meeting of Chief Officers and the Chair/Vice Chair of the Joint Committee was arranged for late November 2021. The purpose of the meeting was to consider applications, select SCREAB members and agree chairs for both SCREAB and REF. However, due to lack of sufficient spread of applicants from across the two Council areas as well as the impact of Storm Arwen, this meeting was unable to take place in time for the proposed meetings of both boards in December 2021. Consequently, the two proposed meetings were postponed.

There was now an opportunity to proceed with SCREAB and REF meetings in 2022, with a number of potential options put forward for Joint Committee’s consideration.

Option 1 put forward for consideration was that Committee agrees to suspend clauses 3.11, 3.12 and 5.2 within the terms of reference of SCREAB which related to application and chair selection processes.

The effect of agreeing option 1 would be that Joint Committee would have to select a Chair and Vice-Chair from the remaining “core membership” of SCREAB. This would facilitate inaugural meetings ahead of the March Joint Committee. In due course with the engagement and support of SCREAB it was expected that this would ultimately lead to the complete formation of SCREAB, including the private sector representatives, with the appropriately selected Chair and Vice-Chair.

Option 2 put forward for consideration was that Committee agrees to a partial use of the full application and chair selection clauses within the terms of reference of SCREAB and proceed with a selection of private sector representatives from the applications received. SCREAB and REF chairs could continue to be selected as per the terms of reference. This would facilitate inaugural meetings ahead of the March Joint Committee meeting, but would require consideration of the best approach to fulfil the SCREAB terms of reference.

Option 3 put forward for consideration was that Committee agrees to a fresh application process to secure six private sector representatives, as specified in the SCREAB terms of reference. Chairs for both boards would be appointed as per the respective terms of reference. This option held to the agreed terms of reference, however it would likely delay SCREAB meeting until the summer of 2022 and carried the continuing risk of not attracting sufficient interest from potential participants.

Responding to a query from a Member, the Interim Head of the RPMO confirmed that there had not been sufficient spread of private sector applicants between the two Council areas, as required within the agreed terms of reference. It was hoped that wider interest could be encouraged through the next appointment process. It was noted that the Regional Economic Event was taking place the following month which would be an excellent opportunity to speak to businesses about the extent of the deal and ambitions across the region.

During discussion of the report, it was clarified that if option 1 was agreed, the intention was that the Chair and Vice Chair of SCREAB would be appointed from the core membership on an interim basis until such time as the private sector representatives could be appointed, following which full Chair and Vice Chair appointments for SCREAB would be made.

With the Chair noting an overall preference to proceed with option 1, it was agreed that this would be on the basis that the temporary suspension of the relevant clauses was for as brief a period as possible and also that the interim Chair and Vice Chair of SCREAB should not be representatives from any of the three organisations which made up the Joint Committee, but instead should be representatives of the other organisations involved in SCREAB.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed:-

to note the content of the report; and
to proceed with option 1 as set out within the report.

CRD142 MINUTES – JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING 7 DECEMBER 2021

The minutes of the meeting of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal Joint Committee held on 7 December 2021 were submitted for approval.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal Joint Committee held on 7 December 2021 were agreed as an accurate record.

CRD143 FORWARD PLANNING

JOINT COMMITTEE ROLLING ACTION LOG

The Joint Committee Rolling Action Log was submitted for information. The log had been reviewed and updated to remove completed actions and provided comment on outstanding actions.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed to note the content of the Rolling Action Log.

(b) JOINT COMMITTEE FORWARD PLAN

The Joint Committee Forward Plan was submitted for information.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed to note the content of the Joint Committee Forward Plan.

CRD144 APPROVAL OF OUTLINE BUSINESS CASE – DIGITAL REGIONAL HUBS PROGRAMME

This report requested Joint Committee approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Digital Regional Hubs programme.

The Digital Regional Hubs project was a programme of investment and skills to transform and benefit urban, rural and disadvantaged areas of the region. Within 10 years, the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region aimed to be recognised as one of the UK’s leading areas for digital technology and as a centre of excellence for digital skills and education across a number of sectors.

Full details on the programme proposal were included within the OBC which was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The OBC had been prepared in line with the Treasury Green Book’s Five Case Model and had been endorsed by the Scottish Government.

As part of the City Region Deal, the Scottish Government confirmed £2 million capital investment to ensure the roll out of digital hubs in our rural areas. Match funding would also be required and was set out within the Financial Case of the OBC.

Sites for the new digital hubs were Callander, Cowie and Clackmannanshire. This investment would provide high quality business space which would allow growing companies in the region to stay local and create new and exciting opportunities across the area.

If the OBC was approved by Joint Committee, additional OBC and Full Business Cases (FBC) would be presented for approval for each of the digital hubs as the projects developed.

A combined OBC/FBC would be submitted for the Cowie Hub as agreed with Government. The Cowie hub was currently under construction and due to open Spring/Summer 2022.

In response to a number of queries, the Service Manager presenting the report advised that the key benefit of the Digital Hubs would be high speed connectivity, with a focus on digital but also crossover into tourism and other sectors.

The intention was to have business support and supply chain networks working collaboratively, creating not only a community of those businesses involved but also engagement with the local communities. The Digital Hubs would not just be about providing a space for businesses but also about offering a programme of support around the space, which businesses and individuals could access for skills and employability development. Visit our partners, – leaders in fashionable footwear!

During discussion of the report and OBC, concerns were raised regarding lack of detail and also lack of opportunity for input or consultation with Joint Committee Members before OBCs are initially brought to Joint Committee for approval.

The Interim Head of the RPMO acknowledged these concerns and agreed that it would be helpful to utilise ongoing briefing sessions to allow Joint Committee Members to comment and provide input into business cases as part of the iterative process of preparing these for Joint Committee consideration and approval.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed to approve the Outline Business Case for the Digital Regional Hubs programme.

CRD145 COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL 2022

In line with City Region Deal requirements the Communications Protocol for the partnership had been reviewed, updated and was presented for consideration and approval, as Appendix 1 to the report.

The Communications Protocol was an agreed framework for managing communications on behalf of the City Region Deal Delivery Partners and both governments. The Communication Protocol was previously approved at Joint Committee on the 11 June 2019.

The re-establishment of the Regional Programme Management Office had afforded an opportunity to review existing City Region Deal documentation. The quarterly Communications Group undertook a review and refresh of the Communication Protocol. This refreshed version, with minor updates, had been approved by all Delivery Partner representatives and both governments on the Communications Group.

In response to a query from a Member, the Interim Head of the RPMO agreed to provide Joint Committee Members with a note of the specific changes from the previous protocol, following the meeting.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed:-

to note the content of the report; and
to approve the Communications Protocol for 2022.

CRD146 ANNUAL CONVERSATION UPDATE

The purpose of this report was to update Joint Committee Members on the work to prepare for the Annual Conversation with both the Scottish and UK Governments. Part of every City Deal was the requirement to hold an Annual Conversation between the Deal Partnership and both the Scottish and UK Governments.

The first Annual Conversation was held on the 25 May 2021, with the associated Annual Report published in May 2021. The 2021-2022 Annual Conversation was to be held on Thursday the 24 March 2022.

Representatives of the Deal and both Governments would meet to discuss progress on delivery of the programme and plans for future activity.

The draft Annual Report which was attached as Appendix 1 to the report, reflected progress made in 2021-2022 by the Partnership. The structure of the Annual Report 2021-2022 followed that of the 2020-2021 report, however following scrutiny of other City Region Deal annual reports and guidance from the Scottish Government changes had been made.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed:-

to note the content of the report; and
that Joint Committee Members would provide specific feedback on the draft Annual Report in due course.

CRD147 CITY REGION DEAL PROGRESS REPORT DASHBOARD

The Progress Report Dashboard had been produced for Joint Committee to provide a high-level summary of the status of the Deal. The Dashboard would be provided to Joint Committee on a quarterly basis each year.

The overall status of the Deal was Amber, which was the same as the previous quarter report which was shared in October. There were no actions required from Joint Committee.

The dashboard was being used across the City Region Deal’s governance structure to monitor progress across all aspects of the City Region Deal. It was updated monthly and shared with both Scottish and UK Governments.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed:-

to note the progress made across the City Region Deal programme as shown in Appendix 1 to the report; and

to note the main mitigating action noted throughout the Dashboard was the current review being conducted on Project Milestones and Financial Profile. The outcome of this review had been discussed with Joint Committee Members at briefing sessions on 27 and 31 January 2022.

CRD148 PROPOSED SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS FOR 2022/2023

This report asked Joint Committee to agree a schedule of meetings for the 2022 – 2023 term when Clackmannanshire Council would have the Chair.

Following discussion with the CRD Regional Project Management Office (RPMO) it was recommended that following the Local Government Elections in May, there be an initial introductory meeting of the Joint Committee in June, followed by a meeting in July, with the Joint Committee meeting every second month thereafter.

In line with this suggestion, the following schedule of Joint Committee meetings for the 2022-2023 term was proposed:-

Monday 20 June 2022 at 2.30pm
- Tuesday 26 July 2022 at 2.30pm
- Tuesday 27 September 2022 at 2.30pm
- Tuesday 29 November 2022 at 2.30pm
- Tuesday 24 January 2023 at 2.30pm
- Tuesday 28 March 2023 at 2.30pm

All meetings of the Joint Committee would continue to take place remotely via Microsoft Teams with live broadcast and recording, until such time as all parties agreed it would be appropriate to consider a return to physical meetings either fully or partially, dependant on the facilities available at the Chairing authority to facilitate this at any point.

Decision

The Joint Committee agreed the proposed schedule of meetings for 2022 – 2023 as set out at paragraph 1.6 of the report.

The Chair declared the meeting closed at 3.35 pm