Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 37 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 12 September 2013, the Council considered the report of the Chief Executive on the current position in relation to the consulation on the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and the proposals to establish a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The following appendices were included in the report:

Appendix A - Report considered by the Cabinet on 12 September 2013

Appendix 1 - Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review which included the Legislative Requirements of the Governance Review and the Evaluation of Options Against the Tests

Appendix 2 - Draft Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Scheme

Appendix 3 - Consultation Summary

Appendix 4 - Equality Impact Assessment

The report set out the recommendations of the Cabinet and indicated that a similar report had been submitted to all Members in other Liverpool City Region authorities and the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor P. Dowd) advised the Council that the proposed Combined Authority would enable appropriate economic development and transport powers to be shared with other Councils within the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and it would not be a Super Council. He indicated that if the proposals were approved by the Council, the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and Scheme would be submitted to the Secretary of State on 30 September 2013 and thereafter, a statutory consultation period would follow and it was likely that the commencement date for the Combined Authority would be in April 2014. Prior to that date, the Council would have the opportunity at a future meeting, to discuss the Scheme for the Combined Authority and in particularly the proposed scrutiny arrangements in more detail.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

That:

(1)       the consultation responses to the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review as set out in Appendix 3 to the report be noted;

(2)       approval be given to the submission of the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and draft Scheme to the Department for Communities and Local Government for the establishment of a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on the basis of the documents set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report;

(3)       approval be given to Sefton Council formally becoming a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, thereby sharing appropriate economic development and transport powers with other Councils within the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in accordance with the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and the Local Transport Act 2008; and

(4)       the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council be granted delegated authority to approve any technical amendments to the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and Scheme before it is submitted to the Secretary of State on 30 September 2013.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Ashton that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following text at the end of Resolution (4):

"(5)      the Council regrets that:

(i)         the currently proposed arrangements for scrutiny and transparency are wholly inadequate, substantially weakening good governance and accountability (particularly in the event of one party control or monopoly); and 

(ii)        there has been no serious attempt to incorporate the West Lancashire District in the Common Authority arrangements despite the crucial interdependence of and links between West Lancashire and several parts of Sefton, even though Labour-controlled Halton District, which is not in Merseyside, is included."

Following the debate, the requisite number of Members having signified their wish that the voting on the Motion should be recorded in accordance with Paragraph 92 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, the voting was duly recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as follows:

FOR THE AMENDMENT:

Councillors Ashton, Ball, Blackburn, Booth, Dawson, Dodd, Lord Fearn, Hands, Hartill, Hubbard, Jones, Keith, S. McGuire, Robertson, Tonkiss, Weavers and Welsh

AGAINST THE AMENDMENT:

Councillors Atkinson, Bennett, Byrom, Carr, K. Cluskey, L. Cluskey, Crabtree, Cuthbertson, Dorgan, M. Dowd, P. Dowd, Dutton, Fairclough, Friel, Gatherer, Hardy, John Kelly, John Joseph Kelly, Kermode, Kerrigan, Killen, Lappin, P. Maguire, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, McIvor, McKinley, Moncur, Murphy, Page, Papworth, Roberts, Robinson, Roche, Tweed, Veidman Sir Ron Watson, and Webster.

ABSTENTION

The Mayor (Councillor M. Fearn)

The Mayor declared that the amendment was lost by 39 votes to 17 with 1 abstention.

Following further debate,on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the Motion was carried by 40 votes to 13 with 3 abstentions and it was

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)       the consultation responses to the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review as set out in Appendix 3 to the report be noted:

(2)       approval be given to the submission of the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and draft Scheme to the Department for Communities and Local Government for the establishment of a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on the basis of the documents set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report;

(3)       approval be given to Sefton Council formally becoming a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, thereby sharing appropriate economic development and transport powers with other Councils within the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in accordance with the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and the Local Transport Act 2008; and

(4)       the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council be granted delegated authority to approve any technical amendments to the Liverpool City Region Strategic Governance Review and Scheme before it is submitted to the Secretary of State on 30 September 2013.