Minutes:
The Chair welcomed Ami Beeton to the Board. Ami provided the board with a verbal update on Devolution Framework and work to support combined authorities.
The update included following the last Board, the Chairman wrote to the Secretary of State to reemphasise the devolution manifesto commitments. The LGA received a holding reply from the Department Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Jake Berry MP. Currently, there is still uncertainty around the devolution framework’s content and when it will be published.
Ami also brought to members’ attention the work commissioned by MHCLG from Warwick Economics, to evaluate the policy decisions behind devolution to Combined Authorities. The LGA are expecting the final report to be published in May.
Meetings of the combined authority officer networks are ongoing.
The Chair thanked Ami for her update and congratulated her on securing her secondment placement at Surrey County Council.
There was a brief discussion around the language terminology of ‘devolution’ and whether or not to move away from this term.
Decision
Members noted the update.