Report of the Strategic Director Regeneration to the Meeting of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny to Be Held on 8 Th September 2015
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Report of the Strategic Director Regeneration to the meeting of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny to be held on 8 th September 2015. N Subject: West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership: Update and Progress Report Summary statement: This report provides an update and progress report on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Bradford Council’s involvement and headline issues for Bradford District. Mike Cowlam Portfolio: Strategic Director Regeneration Leader Report Contact: Jamie Saunders, Overview & Scrutiny Area: Strategy & Engagement Officer Corporate; Regeneration and Economy Phone: (01274) 434123 (Business); Environment and Waste E-mail: [email protected] (Transport) 1 1. SUMMARY This report provides an update and progress report on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Bradford Council’s involvement and headline issues for Bradford District. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 A report to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny was presented on 17 th July 2014. A progress report was requested and included in the Work Programme for 2015-16. This short report seeks to provide headline information and forms the basis for Committee questions and discussion. Appendix 1 provides a list of acronyms used in this report. Structure 2.2 WYCA was formally created on the 1 st April 2014 and brings together Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and York councils and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as a local government body and united force for economic growth. In doing so, it supports local prosperity, well-being and resilience. WYCA works with private and public sector partners to raise the quality of life across the sub and city region through business growth, job creation, a trained and skilled workforce and the building of new and affordable homes, underpinned by a modern, integrated transport network. 2.3 Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) are partnerships between local authorities and businesses. There are 39 LEPs across England. Leeds City Region LEP is part of the overall LEP Network, linking through the Chairmen of the 39 LEPs. The next LEP Summit is scheduled for the 20 th October 2015. Leeds City Region (LCR) LEP works to unlock the Leeds City Region’s economic potential by enabling businesses to grow and develop. This works across a wider geography than West Yorkshire – one that reflects the economic market area of this part of Yorkshire. It works with partners, across the public and private sectors including the Council with the goal of stimulating growth to create jobs and prosperity for everyone who lives, works and does business. WYCA provide the accountable body function and secretariat for the LCR LEP, having taken over this function from Leeds City Council on the 1 st April 2015. 2.4 Appendix 2 provides an overview of WYCA/LEP. This includes key contacts and details the involvement of Bradford Council elected members in key arenas for 2015- 16. Also included are details of the high level staff structure of WYCA. WYCA has established a Transport Committee, through which it conducts the majority of Local Transport Authority functions, and an Investment Committee which provides strategic guidance in relation to the investment in and funding of transport and economic development schemes. Membership of WYCA committees is drawn from all District Councils within West Yorkshire, together with City of York Council. These have direct 2 involvement of Bradford Council elected members as well as members working on behalf of the Combined Authority itself. Bradford also has elected members on the WYCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee and on its Governance & Audit Committee. Theses arrangements also see Roger Marsh (LEP Chairman) formally linked to Bradford District Producer City Board. 2.5 A Leeds City Region Partnership Committee has been established in 2015 to continue and improve communications beyond WY&Y and with the wider City Region local authorities, including Barnsley, Craven, Harrogate, Selby and North Yorkshire. It met for the first time on the 22 nd July 2015. Strategy 2.6 WYCA and the LEP operate mindful of local priorities and ambitions with the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) providing a shared and overarching framework for prosperity and growth, with four key areas of work: • Business growth • Skills and jobs • Resource efficiency • Infrastructure for growth WYCA works closely with the LEP to deliver a shared Strategic Economic Plan. This sets out the joint vision to transform the Leeds City Region economy by unlocking the potential of the City Region and developing an economic powerhouse that is creating jobs and prosperity. The headline targets by 2021 are:- • £5.2bn additional economic output beyond current projections • 62,000 extra jobs • £675m in benefits savings • Making the City Region a net contributor to the national economy A report on the SEP is scheduled for Regeneration and Economy Overview and Scrutiny in December 2015. 2.7 The key long-term ambitions for WYCA are: • “to become the most enterprising part of the UK and become an overall contributor to the national economy within five years. • to create 20,000 job opportunities, equip 50,000 people with the skills our economy and public services need and enable 200,000 new homes that are affordable to be built, so that every young person is guaranteed either a job or training opportunity and no one is homeless. • investing £1 billion for the long term to create a smart Metro-style transport system that gets people around quickly and comfortably, so that everyone is closer to our City and Town centres and travel between them is simple, we live in a cleaner local environment and have access to superfast broadband. • to show how local government can transform and work better with the NHS, police and other public sector partners to better co-ordinate our approaches and collaborate effectively to provide the best public sector support to citizens; relevant, enterprising and caring. • Working with the Government to back our unique team of council and business leaders by giving us more powers and responsibilities over transport, jobs, skills and housing.” 2.8 WYCA has a legal duty to maintain a Local Transport Plan for West Yorkshire. The 3 Local Transport Plan 2011-26 with its current Implementation Plan provides the core focus on transport matters with work underway to create a Single Transport Plan for 2016-2036. This is due out for consultation later in 2015. This aims to create a strong, clear, long-term vision for transport in West Yorkshire reinforcing the support to sustained and healthy economic growth. The aim is for a step change in quality and performance of the transport system within West Yorkshire and critical connections within and beyond the rest of the UK. The WYCA works to develop better transport networks for tomorrow and provide day-to-day services, such as bus stations and travel centres under the Metro brand name. It also runs the MetroLine call centre, the Metro websites and the yournextbus real-time service. It also works with the region’s bus and train operators to bring about improved services and better value for money on behalf of local people. This includes subsidising local bus and train services and funding concessionary fares for young people, disabled and blind people and seniors. Developing improved transport networks is central to the Strategic Economic Plan.Ensuring that people, places and jobs are better connected is integral to economic growth. Working with its member districts, WYCA delivers large-scale transport and infrastructure projects and manages the transport projects, agreed as part of the Leeds City Region Local Growth Deal, secured in July 2014. Operations and funding 2.9 The WYCA Business Plan 2015-16 and Budget (agreed in January 2015) sets out a number of key actions, including agreeing and implementing the devolution deal, moving to the delivery phase of the Growth Deal and West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund and supporting the work on HS2/HS3 through Transport for the North. Further development of WYCA is also planned, with a focus on ensuring the organisation is in the best position to deliver these projects. 2.10 In its first year WYCA, working with the LEP, secured the country’s largest Growth Deal settlement - of £1bn - which was supplemented by an additional £54.6m announced in January 2015. Uniquely the settlement included £420m to establish a £1.4bn West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund. Schemes include: • A programme of Growth Deal initiatives that include city centre development schemes to create new investment opportunities across the Leeds City Region has been agreed. Development has started on almost 40 West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund projects, designed to underpin economic and housing growth. • A Better Homes Yorkshire programme providing fuel bill savings for around 12,000 City Region residents is also underway. • Two projects completed already are Castleford’s new £1m bus station, which will support the regeneration and growth of Castleford and the Five Towns area and Pontefract Relief Road, designed to unlock new housing and reduce local congestion. • Development of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund with 33 schemes currently identified and in progress over the next 11 years. 2.11 Appendix 3 – separate file - provides headline information on the schemes in development from the Local Growth Fund and the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund. 2.12 July’s WYCA meeting welcomed confirmation that £55m has been approved for projects and programmes agreed as part of the Deal with government. 14 projects are 4 being developed – and between them they are expected to create more than 5,000 jobs and more than 1,700 homes. They have also attracted almost £350m private sector investment. The LEP’s successful grant support programme for small and medium sized businesses, has secured a further £18m for the next three years to continue supporting businesses to grow, innovate new products and expand their workforce.