Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence; and to receive notification of substitutions.

Apologies received from Cllr Inskip substituted by Cllr Shepherd, Cllr Goldsack substituted by Cllr Count, Cllr Sennitt-Clough, Cllr Vellacott

Apologies received from Cllr Inskip substituted by Cllr Shepherd, Cllr Goldsack substituted by Cllr Count, Cllr Sennitt-Clough, Cllr Vellacott

To receive any declarations of Members’ disclosable pecuniary interests, non-disclosable pecuniary interests and non-pecuniary interest in respect of items on this agenda.

There were no declaration of interests made.

There were no declaration of interests made.

Arrangements for asking a public question can be viewed here: Public Questions - Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

No public questions were received.

No public questions were received.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2024 and to note the action log.

The minutes of the meeting on 11^th July 2024 were approved as an accurate record.

The Action Log was noted by the Committee.

The minutes of the meeting on 11^th July 2024 were approved as an accurate record.

The Action Log was noted by the Committee.

Report providing the Committee with information on the closure of the best value improvement programme (phase 3) and next steps.

The Committee received the report which  provided information on the closure of the best value improvement programme (phase 3) and next steps.

The Committee RESOLVED to:

A Note the contents of the letter from Max Soule, Deputy Director, Local Government Intervention and Stewardship, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

B Recognise the progress that has been made and the work undertaken by staff, Elected Members, partners and agencies to address the areas of identified improvement.

C Note the wider project plan for activity post the lifting of the Best Value Notice  

D Note the close down arrangements for the existing improvement programme (phase 3)

E Note the proposed role for the Independent Advisory and Support Group (formerly the Independent Improvement Board) and the draft Terms of Reference

F Note the current proposed end date for the Independent Advisory and Support Group as end of May 2025 (last working day 30 May 2025).

The Committee received the report which  provided information on the closure of the best value improvement programme (phase 3) and next steps.

The following points were raised during the discussion:-

• In response to a question about looking to other authorities for lessons learnt the officers advised that they spoke with other Mayoral Combined Authorities and each team were part of a network but it was important to note that each MCA was different.
• MHCLG had recognised the significant progress within the CPCA and there was engagement and a willingness to see how CPCA lessons could be applied elsewhere.
• In response to a query about the end date for the Independent Advisory and Support Group (IASG) the Committee were advised that it would be for the CA Board to decide whether they wished for this to be extended past May. It was a requirement from MHCLG for it to end in January and going forward it would be more informal.
• In response to a question about staff morale and previously reported high turnover numbers the officers advised that engagement with staff was greater; staff survey’s were showing improvement and the most recent survey had recently been completed. Recruitment to vacancies had also improved. The wellbeing of staff was key to ensuring retention of staff and the turnover rate of was below the medium for other public sector organisations. 
• In response to a query about the embedding of the improvement work and how this would be reported back to members the officers advised that there would be a regular update to Board members as part of the CEO Update which could be shared with O&S members.
• The Committee requested that they receive the report that would be taken to CA Board in May regarding the ongoing role of the IASG.

The Committee RESOLVED to:

A Note the contents of the letter from Max Soule, Deputy Director, Local Government Intervention and Stewardship, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

B Recognise the progress that has been made and the work undertaken by staff, Elected Members, partners and agencies to address the areas of identified improvement.

C Note the wider project plan for activity post the lifting of the Best Value Notice 

D Note the close down arrangements for the existing improvement programme (phase 3)

E Note the proposed role for the Independent Advisory and Support Group (formerly the Independent Improvement Board) and the draft Terms of Reference

F Note the current proposed end date for the Independent Advisory and Support Group as end of May 2025 (last working day 30 May 2025).

ACTIONS:

1)    The CEO update to CA Board be shared with O&S Committee going forward.

2)    The IASG report in May 2025 would be taken to the following O&S Committee – item to be added to work programme.

Report providing the Committee with the Q1 and Q2 2024/25 Performance Update.

The Committee received the report which provided the Committee with the Q1 and Q2 2024/25 Performance Update.

The Committee RESOLVED to note the report.

The Committee received the report which provided the Committee with the Q1 and Q2 2024/25 Performance Update.

The following points were raised during the discussion:-

• In response to a question about Metric 23 the number of apprenticeships created by CA funded investment and when the new KPI would be available the officers advised more work needed to be done to ensure it was more comprehensive and officers would be providing a workshop on internal metrics.

• The Committee requested that the new metric would have the ability to track the geographical area.

• In response to a question about Metric 27 Forecast vs budget loss/carried forward (current financial year) officers advised that it had taken a long time to develop some business cases which had led to delays but engagement & consultation on the proposals was now being done. 

• In response to a query about HUG2 the committee were advised that the CPCA was the accountable body for the Net ZERO Hub which was delivering HUG2 however the  CPCA had not opted into the Warmer Homes Local Grant scheme which is the successor scheme due to design issues with the scheme following an assessment by the Hub team and discussion at Board.
• In response to a question about the Tiger passes, the committee were advised that there had been 30k users and that the number of users and analysis was very important but currently they did not have full data. By the start of next year the hope was to have enough data to do some comparative analysis on how effective the scheme had been.

• In response to a question about the level of detail, the committee advised that officers were considering more interactive dashboards that would be visual and provide greater detail for members.

The Committee RESOLVED to note the report.

Councillor Anna Smith, Lead Member for Transport and Infrastructure and Chair of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, in attendance at the meeting to respond to questions from the Committee.

The Committee received a verbal update from the Chair for Transport & Infrastructure Committee.

The Committee received a verbal update from the Chair for Transport & Infrastructure Committee.

The Committee members had submitted areas of interest prior to the meeting which the Chair responded to.

Transport programme – are there any delays and actions taken to address cost overruns or slippage

The CPCA has maintained a consistent and proactive approach to collaboration with the Department for Transport (DfT) regarding transport works, including TCF - Transforming Cities Fund. We have held regular update meetings, ensuring clear communication at every stage, and included key delivery partners, such as CCC and PCC.

Through our quarterly reporting templates to DfT and associated meetings, we’ve been transparent about any delays or overruns, outlining the mitigations and risk management actions we’ve implemented.  Our efforts have been positively acknowledged by the DfT and their independent assessors, who have provided both verbal and written feedback commending our communication and delivery to date.

Two key projects, Fengate and March Area Transport Study construction schemes have been successfully completed. Thanks to an underspend and with the DfT’s agreement, we were able to extend the funding deadline, allowing us to take on additional tasks that further enhanced the schemes. This demonstrates our ability to not only meet but exceed expectations, ensuring that we deliver added value wherever possible.

Delays can occur for a variety of reasons and of course in capital programmes in particular.  In some cases, this is where a business case has been developed and then used to try to secure funding from Government and this as not been successful or indeed not been  resolved.  For instance on Ely Junction, we know the business case is well regarded and some indications were given of funding from HS2 cancellation so we do not yet have the money to progress.  This is disappointing but we continue to push but it does also have knock on effects on other projects e.g. Snailwell Loop which ant go ahead until the junction is updated.  In other cases there are issues where business cases have to be updated for new Government guidance and also that complex business cases do take time to development for multi-million projects.  In other cases there can be issues arising on site from weather, ecology, archaeology and contractor issues and we continue to consider how we can improve our risk management of these issues working with our partner authorities.

New Government policy on transport and how this is having an impact on our programme

The Combined Authority is actively engaging with government transport policies to ensure that our strategies align with national objectives, while addressing local needs. Considering the recent shifts in government policy, particularly regarding sustainability and connectivity, we are continuing to focus on developing initiatives that promote active travel, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance public transport options – in line with our Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.

By closely following government guidelines and funding opportunities, we can better position ourselves to secure resources that will facilitate infrastructure improvements and support economic growth in our  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Report providing feedback to the Committee from the Budget Scrutiny Working Group.

The Committee received the report from the budget working group which provided feedback and advised of the recommendations that had been made.

The Committee received the report from the budget working group which provided feedback and advised of the recommendations that had been made.

The Committee ratified the recommendations and noted the budget working groups report.

Committee to review the Combined Authority Forward Plan and discuss any upcoming items from the Board or Thematic Committees they wish adding to their work programme.

Rapporteurs to provide verbal updates on any areas that they feel should be considered by the Committee 

The Committee received updates from the rapporteurs for the Thematic Committees.

It was resolved to note the Forward Plan.

The Committee received verbal updates from the rapporteurs for the Thematic Committees.

The Chair advised that in relation to the Housing Working Group that the Internal Audit is in the final stages of their own review. We would expect that to be complete in the coming days.

The working group set up by this committee at the last meeting would meet immediately after this. A provisional date had been set. It was important that our work is informed by that of Internal Audit. We would then be able to determine a very focussed programme of work over the following few weeks.

There was a very firm target of bringing a substantive report to the January meeting of Overview and Scrutiny.

The Committee RESOLVED to note the Forward Plan.

To note the Committee agenda plan.

It was resolved to note the work programme.

It was resolved to note the work programme with the addition of the Housing Working Group report to be added to the January agenda.

Informal Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 17 December 2024 on Microsoft Teams

Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 16 January 2025

The next meeting is scheduled for 16^th January. The meeting venue is CPCA Meeting Room, Pathfinder House, Huntingdonshire DC.

The next meeting is scheduled for 16^th January.

The meeting venue is CPCA Meeting Room, Pathfinder House, Huntingdonshire DC.