Issue - items at meetings - Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) Programme

To inform Cabinet of progress to date regarding the Department for Transport (DfT) based Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) award and process

To seek delegated authority to the Director of Growth and Infrastructure in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder through the TCF Governance Structure for decisions on delivery

To inform Cabinet of proposed next steps regarding the TCF programme.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

(a) Notes the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) Award, seeks Council approval to accept the grant funding and notes the progress to date regarding the TCF programme;

(b) Approves in principle the proposed three-year delivery programme, in line with the TCF Strategic Outline Business Case, and guidance set out by the Department for Transport (DfT) in the Assurance Framework;

(c) Approves the proposed Governance Framework and delegates authority to the Director of Growth and Infrastructure in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Transport and Infrastructure, through the TCF Council Governance Board (CGB), for approval of future proposals, the detailed design of each element of the programme and to advertise associated Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs);

(d) Approves any variation (as required) to the spend against the corridor based budgetary allocations identified in the SOBC and the making of TROs, following consideration of any objections to the advertising of those orders associated with the programme;

(e) Receives quarterly TCF reports on progress to Cabinet for approval prior to submitting to DfT; and

(f) Notes the proposed next steps regarding the TCF processes and the commitment of participating partners.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Transport and Infrastructure

Reasons

The delegations are designed to:

· Allow maximum flexibility in meeting the strict DfT timeline for delivery over the next three years, with appropriate BCP approvals in place

· Ensure that the authority is best placed to progress scheme delivery at pace.

The Portfolio Holder for Transport and Infrastructure presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'E' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet were requested to note the proposed next steps regarding the TCF processes and the commitment of participating partners, and in relation to this were advised of the progress to date regarding the Department for Transport (DfT) based Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) award and process and were requested to delegate authority to the Director of Growth and Infrastructure in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder through the TCF Governance Structure for decisions on delivery.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed Cabinet advising that at their recent meeting the Board resolved to make the following recommendations to Cabinet in respect of this item:

To better reflect the importance of the programme and its effect on the conurbation’s development, the two BCP councillors appointed to the CGB should be the Portfolio Holder for Transport and Infrastructure and the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Council.

In relation to the recommendation from the Board Cabinet noted the comments of the Board but stressed that the current membership of the Board being that of the Portfolio Holder for Transport and Infrastructure and the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change matched that of Dorset Council and was therefore most appropriate.