LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY

PUBLICATION: 22 JANUARY 2021

DEADLINE FOR CALL-IN: 29 JANUARY 2021

FOLLOWING THE CALL-IN PERIOD, DECISIONS INCLUDED IN THESE MINUTES MAY THEN BE IMPLEMENTED WHERE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SUBJECT TO A CALL-IN.

* DENOTES KEY DECISION

At a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority held remotely on Friday, 22nd January, 2021 the following Members were

P r e s e n t:

Metro Mayor S Rotheram Chairperson of the Combined Authority (in the Chair)

Members of the LCR Combined Authority Councillor D Baines, Portfolio Holder: Digital Connectivity and Inclusion Mr A Hamid MBE, Portfolio Holder: Business and Brexit Councillor I Maher, Portfolio Holder: Culture, Tourism and the Voluntary Sector Councillor W Simon, Portfolio Holder: Education, Employment and Skills Councillor R Polhill, Portfolio Holder: Low Carbon and Energy Renewables Councillor J Williamson, Portfolio Holder: Inclusive Economy and Third Sector

Co-opted Members Councillor L Robinson, Portfolio Holder: Transport and Air Quality Jane Kennedy, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner

Associate Member Councillor C Mitchell, Warrington Borough Council (Substitute for Councillor R Bowden)

Deputy Portfolio Holders Councillor K Groucutt, Inclusive Economy and Third Sector Councillor P Sinnott, Education, Employment and Skills Councillor G Wood, Low Carbon and Energy Renewables Councillor C Thomas, Policy, Resources and Reform

92. MINUTES SILENCE

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Metro Mayor reported with great sadness on the passing of Gerry Marsden MBE. He explained how Gerry, who was the lead singer of the band Gerry and the Pacemakers, was the first band, to have their first three records reach number one in the UK Charts. The Metro Mayor noted that due to covid restrictions there had been limited attendance at Gerry’s funeral, however, a memorial service would be held later in the year to celebrate Gerry’s life. The Metro Mayor expressed his gratitude for Gerry’s friendship and support and extended his deepest condolences to Pauline, Yvette and all Gerry’s family, friends and fans.

The LCR Combined Authority observed a minute’s silence.

The Metro Mayor also placed on record his thanks to Liverpool City Council for posthumously bestowing the honour of Freeman of the City to John Haines, whose passing had been marked at a previous meeting.

93. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

Associate Members Councillor R Bowden, Leader of Warrington Borough Council Councillor I Moran, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council

Deputy Portfolio Holders Councillor P Sinnott, Education, Employment and Skills Councillor L Robertson-Collins, Digital Connectivity and Inclusion

Mayoral Advisors Gideon Ben-Tovim OBE, Natural Environment Reverend Canon Dr Ellen Loudon, Community and Voluntary Sector Professor Dame Janet Beer, Further Education

94. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

No declarations of interest were submitted.

95. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LCR COMBINED AUTHORITY HELD ON 18 DECEMBER 2020

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 December 2020 be approved as a correct record.

96. LIVERPOOL CITY REGION METRO MAYOR ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES

Metro Mayor S Rotheram provided Members with an update on his activities and key development since the last meeting of the LCR Combined Authority.

Metro Mayor Rotheram was delighted to see that vaccinations against covid- 19 were underway within the City Region and across the UK and paid tribute to constituent Local Authorities, NHS staff, key workers, volunteers and all those who were receiving the vaccine. He also explained that he had visited a vaccination centre in Sefton with Bill Esterson MP and was struck by the incredible operation and people’s tireless efforts to ensure that others could be vaccinated.

The Metro Mayor informed Members that he had wrote to the Health Secretary to reaffirm the City Region’s willingness to work with the Government, NHS and other key partners to help the region get vaccinated as quickly as possible. He also urged the Health Secretary to take full advantage of the existing infrastructure, expertise and capacity that had been built up during the mass testing pilot.

Furthermore, he also requested the Government to open a mass vaccination hub in the City Region. This request had been positively received and with special thanks to the efforts of Councillor Baines, Leader of St Helens Council and MP’s the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens had become a mass vaccination hub. He praised the work of all those who had contributed to getting the mass vaccination hub operating and hoped to see more established in the City Region.

The Metro Mayor noted that community vaccinations were still taking place, however, the hubs offered greater capacity to inoculate a larger number of people in one place. He hoped that these combined efforts would allow people to receive the vaccine as quickly as possible, which would enable the region to return to something resembling normality.

97. MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY BUDGET SETTING REPORT 2021/22

Metro Mayor S Rotheram presented his budget proposals to the LCR Combined Authority and in doing so reflected upon the challenging year the City Region and the UK had faced and that this budget was being presented during a time of great uncertainty.

Metro Mayor Rotheram explained that as a consequence of the impact of the Governments spending cuts, reviewing the constituent Local Authority budgets and a huge uncertainty regarding job security and the continued use of the Furlough Scheme it was not felt appropriate to be the right moment to add to the financial burden facing the City Regions residents. Therefore, the budget would propose to freeze the Tunnel Tolls, the Mayoral Precept and the Transport Levy.

The Metro Mayor reported that due to the impact of Covid, it had created significant financial pressures which were exacerbated by both the decade of austerity and legacy of underfunding in the North. He explained that tough decisions would have to be taken, however, the Combined Authority was committed to supporting the region through the crisis. The focus would be on securing the City Regions economic investment in infrastructure, skills and the environment. Despite the medium- and long-term challenges, he remained committed to supporting the City Region’s economy and protect jobs throughout the 2021/22 budget period.

The Metro Mayor informed the LCR Combined Authority that the budget made special provision for a number of strategic priorities in 2021/22, with the most significant being:

 The Mersey Tidal Power Project;  Liverpool City Region Digital Connectivity Programme;  Recovery and reform of the bus market; and  Support for Halton’s Borough of Culture.

Furthermore, the Metro Mayor reported that the Combined Authority managed a significant portfolio of investments across the City Region, which would improve the economic growth and opportunities for residents, business and visitors. Throughout 2021/22, the following key delivery stages would be met: -  Shakespeare North Playhouse;  Parkside Link Road;  Glass Futures;  Liverpool City Centre Connectivity Programme;  The redevelopment of Runcorn Station Quarter;  Headbolt Lane;  Wirral Waters and the regeneration of Birkenhead; and  Bootle and Southport Strategic Investment Fund schemes.

In conclusion, the Metro Mayor gave his commitment that he would continue to challenge Government to deliver on their promise to ‘level up’.

John Fogarty, Director of Corporate Services, reported that as a consequence of the pandemic there was significant pressures on public transport and the environment in which it operated within in had changed. There was a challenge to maintain services, however, with a reduced capacity on the public transport network this had impacted the budget and imposed a risk to the Combined Authority. This was particularly evident on the rail network and there was a risk that the revenue which would have been attracted through the new Rolling Stock fleet would be considerably less than originally anticipated. He informed Members that this budget was a holding position, and whilst it was proposed that the transport levy, tunnel tolls and precept be frozen in this report he confirmed that these may well need to be revisited in the future.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) the report be noted;

(ii) the Mayoral Budget as presented at Table 1 of this report be agreed;

(iii) the Mayoral precept at its 2020/21 level equivalent to £19 per year for a Band D property and £12.67 per year for a Band A property be agreed;

(iv) the non-Mayoral elements of the Combined Authority budget for 2021/22 be approved;

(v) a freeze in the Transport Levy at £97.4m for 2021/22 be agreed;

(vi) the payment of an operational grant of £93.1m to Merseytravel be approved;

(vii) the level of ‘authorised tolls’ for the Mersey Tunnels as determined in the County of Merseyside Act 1980 (as amended by the Mersey Tunnels Act 2004) with details on calculation methods explained in section 5 of this report be noted;

(viii) the recommendation of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Transport Committee and implement a schedule of Tunnel Tolls as contained in Table 7 of this report be accepted;

(ix) the discounts and concessions as detailed at 5.4.2 and 5.4.3 be approved;

(x) the request for an operational grant of £23.08m in respect of the operation of Mersey Tunnels for 2021/22 be approved;

(xi) the capital programme as detailed in table 9 be approved;

(xii) a grant of £7.3m to Merseytravel to support the delivery of strategic capital investment and pre development works in respect of schemes in the Transforming Cities pipeline be approved; (xiii) a grant of £2.93m to Merseytravel to support the project delivery costs associated with Rolling Stock be approved;

(xiv) a grant of £10m to Merseytravel to support capital schemes delivery and development be approved;

(xv) the differential levy payable by Halton as £3.2m be recognised;

(xvi) a corresponding grant from the LCRCA to Halton of £3.2m in order that Halton can continue to provide transport services in Halton on behalf of the LCRCA in 2021/22 be agreed;

(xvii) the Treasury Management Strategy 2021/22 incorporating the Minimum Revenue Provision and associated Treasury Limits and Prudential Indicators as detailed at Appendix 1 be approved; and

(xviii) the Capital Strategy as detailed at Appendix 2 be approved.

N.B All Members present vote in favour of recommendation (ii) and there were no abstentions. In addition, Councillor R Polhill requested that it be recorded that he abstained from the vote for recommendations (v) and (viii) as the Borough of Halton does not form part of the legislative arrangements in respect of the Mersey Tunnels legislation.)

98. LIVERPOOL CITY REGION STRATEGIC INVESTMENT FUND: CONTINUATION OF THE INWARD INVESTMENT SERVICE BY LCR GROWTH PLATFORM

The LCR Combined Authority considered a report of the Portfolio Holder: Inclusive Economy and Third Sector and Director of Commercial Development and Investment which sought approval to fund the LCR Growth Platform to continue its inward investment service and deliver against a new post Covid-19 marketing plan, which was in line with the existing Service Level Agreement with the Combined Authority.

Councillor Willamson, Portfolio Holder: Inclusive Economy and Third Sector reported that the one year funding for the Inward Investment Service had expired during lockdown in March 2020. The service had devised a new plan which took into account the impacts of Covid and Brexit on the business community. Furthermore, as the City Region moved into recovery, investment from the right companies would become increasingly important. Councillor Williamson referred to the preparations Wirral Council were undertaking in respect of Birkenhead to seek a new generation of investment for the benefit of local residents.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) the provision of an extension in funding to March 2023 of £1,107,568 be approved;

(ii) delegated authority be granted to the Director of Commercial Development and Investment in consultation with the Combined Authority Monitoring Officer and Combined Authority Treasurer to review progress against targets during that period; and

(iii) further appropriate scrutiny on delivery is provided with the CEX of the Growth Platform providing reports to LCR Growth Directors on a monthly basis and to LCR Chief Executives Group on a bi-monthly basis.

99. LIVERPOOL CITY REGION FAIR EMPLOYMENT CHARTER

The LCR Combined Authority considered a report of the Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning and the Metro Mayor which presented the Liverpool City Region Fair Employment Charter for approval.

Metro Mayor Rotheram welcomed the opportunity to present the Fair Employment Charter to Members, which he had included as a manifesto pledge in 2017.

Kirsty McLean, Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning provided a summary to Members of the consultation process the development of the Fair Employment Charter had undergone. This included three external consultations with a wide variety of stakeholder groups, including Trade Unions and Employers. She placed on record her thanks to those who had contributed to the consultation process. Members were informed that the Charter had two levels of achievement which were aspiring and accredited and it was envisaged that an ambassador level would be added at a later date. The consequences of working within a pandemic had provided an opportunity to reflect further on the Charter, and as such a focus on a healthy and safe workforce had also been added as a theme. A multi-stakeholder group had been established and they would assess applications according to the accreditation process.

Councillor J Williamson welcomed the introduction of the Charter. She recognised that as the City Region secured investment and growth it must be to the benefit of its residents and workforce and the Charter would provide the structure in which to do that.

Lynn Collins, Chair of the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board, placed on record her thanks to the Metro Mayor and officers for inviting FASJAB to have a role in developing and designing the Charter. This demonstrated how FASJAB could support the development of Combined Authority policies and noted how in a post pandemic world of work this Charter would be important.

Metro Mayor Rotheram placed on record his thanks to Lynn and FASJAB for their excellent work in progressing the Charter.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) the Fair Employment Charter Framework as set out in Appendix One be approved; and

(ii) regular monitoring reports on employer accreditations be presented to future meetings.

100. FREEPORT BID DEVELOPMENT

The LCR Combined Authority considered a report of the Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning which provided an update on the Freeport bidding process.

Kirsty McLean, Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning, informed Members that in November 2020 Central Government had published a Freeport prospectus with a deadline for submissions by 5 February 2021. Working with constituent Local Authority’s and other key stakeholders a strong proposal for the City Region had been prepared. The proposal needed to mitigate risks and importantly add value to the City Region, with a focus on high-quality employment opportunities. The proposal focused on creating a national hub for global trade and investment and an enabler for decarbonisation and a centre for innovation. The proposal had 3 key components which were a Freeport Management Centre, tax sites at Wirral Waters, Parkside and 3MG, which had been selected through a robust appraisal process and custom sites, which were in the process of being finalised. The custom sites had to demonstrate a relationship with the Freeport and must have the potential to be connected by either rail or water.

Metro Mayor Rotheram stated that the Freeport proposal should not be a race to the bottom in terms of standards and it was imperative that workers rights were protected.

Councillor I Maher, informed the Combined Authority that he was not able to support the recommendations contained in the report and asked that his object be recorded. He explained that as the Freeport would be based at Bootle Docks, he had serious concerns regarding the increased congestion and poor air quality.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) The submission of a Liverpool City Region Freeport bid be endorsed; and

(ii) Delegated authority be granted to the Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning, in conjunction with the Metro Mayor, to progress with the proposal in line with the principles, aims and scope set out in the report.

(NB Councillor I Maher requested that it be recorded that he voted against recommendations (i) and (ii)).

101. ACTIVE TRAVEL FUND TRANCHE 2 UPDATE

The LCR Combined Authority considered a report of the Interim Director of Integrated Transport and the Portfolio Holder: Transport and Air Quality which provided an update on funding recently received from the Department for Transport (DfT) in relation to Active Travel Fund Tranche 2.

Councillor Robinson, Portfolio Holder: Transport and Air Quality, advised Members that the Combined Authority had been successful in receiving £7.896m for Active Travel Fund Tranche 2. He explained that stringent conditions and measures had been attached to this bid and was a testament to the successful delivery of tranche 1 and the work of officers and partners across the City Region.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) the receipt of Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 from central government as identified in paragraph 3.5 be noted; and

(ii) the disbursement of these funds to the constituent local authorities and Merseytravel as indicated in paragraph 4.1, Table 1 be agreed.

102. EU TRANSITION READINESS FUNDING

The LCR Combined Authority considered a report of the Director of Corporate Services which provided an update on the funding bid and expected subsequent grant award of £181,050 for the 2020/21 financial year. The funding stemmed from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to support the Liverpool City Region Growth Company to deliver the ‘EU Transition Brexit Readiness Growth Hub’ programme.

RESOLVED – That:

(i) the bid and expected subsequent grant award of £181, 050 to the Liverpool City Region Growth Company, via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as its accountable body, to support the ‘EU Transition Business Readiness Growth Hub’ programme across the Liverpool City Region be noted; and

(ii) if successful, agree to transfer the funding to the Liverpool City Region Growth Company to enable it to deliver the measures set out within the offer letter.

103. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

The Metro Mayor reported that no public questions had been received.

104. PETITIONS AND STATEMENTS

The Metro Mayor reported that no petitions or statements had been received.

105. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - 4 NOVEMBER 2020

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 4 November 2020 were received as a correct record.

106. TRANSPORT COMMITTEE - 5 NOVEMBER 2020

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Transport Committee held on 5 November 2020 were received as a correct record.

107. TRANSPORT COMMITTEE - 10 DECEMBER 2020

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Transport Committee held on 10 December 2020 were received as a correct record.

Minutes 92 to 107 be received as a correct record on the 26th day of February 2021

Chairperson of the Combined Authority

(The meeting closed at 1.46pm)