To receive any apologies for absence.

It was noted that Cllr Davies would be arriving late to the meeting.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

In relation to item 6 – Hereford Transport Strategy

Councillor Hitchiner declared a schedule 1 interest in relation to property in his ownership. He confirmed the monitoring officer had granted a dispensation for him to participate in the meeting and vote on the item.

Councillors Crockett and Matthews declared that the route of the western bypass passed through their respective wards.

In relation to item 8 – Hereford Towns Fund town investment plan submission

Cllr Tyler declared that as a member of Hereford City Council she had interests in some of the elements of the town investment plan.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2020 and 3 December 2020.

Resolved:       That the minutes of the meetings held on 1 December 2020 and 3 December 2020 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.

To receive questions from members of the public.

Questions received and responses given are attached as appendix 1 to the minutes.

To receive questions from councillors.

There were no questions from councillors.

For cabinet to set out its recommendations to council with regard to stopping the western bypass and southern link road schemes and amendment to the capital programme; and

For cabinet to agree allocation of ear marked revenue reserves to cover the costs of decapitalising the two road schemes in the event that council agrees to stop the schemes.

The cabinet member infrastructure and transport introduced the item. He explained that following the decision reached by cabinet in December to stop the western bypass and southern link road schemes it was necessary to recommend to Council that these schemes be removed from the capital programme. Subject to that approval it would be necessary to reallocate finances to address spend that had been incurred, through the use of earmarked reserves.

The head of transport and access services explained the resource section of the report, setting out how the decapitalisation of the schemes would be achieved.

The cabinet member finance and corporate services reminded cabinet members of the background to the decision and the desire to deliver improvements in the travel experience in a shorter time frame by investing in public transport and walking and cycling. She highlighted where the current administration disagreed with the approach and decisions taken by previous administrations and the difficulties in meeting the terms of the grant allocation from the local enterprise partnership for the south wye transport package.

Cabinet members also noted the information presented at the cabinet meeting in December regarding the value for money of the various transport packages and the need to reflect the climate and ecological emergency. The importance of a second river crossing in the city to provide greater resilience in the network was recognised and the council would be working with partners including local MPs to secure funding to deliver this.

The cabinet member finance and corporate services confirmed that she was satisfied the necessary reserves were available to make the proposed adjustments in the accounts. Cabinet members heard that the treatment of the costs of the schemes to date was a normal practice and considered more efficient in that it spread the cost of investment over the lifetime of the asset delivered. Projects that were currently under development would need to be funded through revenue until a capital business case could be prepared.

Group leaders were invited to present the views and comments of their group. It was noted that:

• Some groups were supportive of the proposed eastern river crossing;
• There was some support for exploring how a connection between the A465 Belmont Road and A49 Ross Road could be developed if the southern link road was not to be taken forward;
• There were concerns about the impact of the decapitalisation on future revenue income;
• The previous administration had undertaken a huge amount of work to prepare the western bypass and did not agree that the grant funding could not have been spent, there was concern that the reserves needed to fund the decapitalisation could be used for many other purposes;
• There were concerns that an eastern route would present significant environmental issues and that the credibility of the council would be harmed by cancelling the existing projects which might make attracting future funding more difficult;
• The costs of the review into the transport package needed to be considered in the overall cost of cancelling the road schemes;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

To approve the proposed expenditure of the preliminary works budget included in the capital programme.

The cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets introduced the report. She highlighted the importance of undertaking feasibility studies to have accurate costs for required works and that she had worked closely with the cabinet member for children and families.

The cabinet member children and families noted the importance of the learning environment for children and young people and that as well as increasing capacity as required the council also wanted to work towards better environmental standards in its buildings.

The head of educational development summarised the report and the key outputs expected from the feasibility work. He explained the different funding streams and their limitations.

Cabinet members noted that there would be a tendering process for works based on the information obtained from the feasibility studies and that there would be opportunities to reflect priorities around physical and mental health as well as environmental standards in the designs.

Group leaders expressed general support for the proposals but noted that it was important to get value for money and that strong project management was essential.

It was resolved that:

That:

(a)    Feasibility studies, within an approved budget of £475K, are commissioned to inform a programme of school capital investment work;

(b)    The Assistant Director for Education, Development and Skills be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to deliver the required schedule of feasibility studies  within the approved budget of £475k including fees; and

(c)    The Assistant Director for Education, Development and Skills be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to vary the schedule of feasibility studies should any information received require them to do so.

To seek approval to accept the grant of £162k to support the Towns Fund process, provide endorsement of the submission, by the Hereford Towns Fund Board to government, of a Town Investment Plan for Hereford and for the council to support the bid by agreeing to be the accountable body for the funding.

The cabinet member environment, economy and skills introduced the report. She drew attention to the vision set out in the Hereford Town Investment Plan. She welcomed Ivan Annibal from Rose Regeneration and Lauren Rogers, chair of the Hereford Towns Fund board.

The cabinet member highlighted that the town fund board membership covered a wide range of stake holders and that it had worked closely with Hereford City Council in developing the town investment plan. A range of projects had been put forward for consideration. Although only some were able to be included in the investment plan, work would continue with those that were not able to be included to see if they could be taken forward in other ways.

The economic development manager summarised the report. He explained that it sought endorsement for the draft plan and agreement for the council to be the accountable body for the grant funding in line with guidance. The towns fund board would then put the final touches to the plan and formally sign it off for submission. He set out the next steps if the plan was accepted by government.

In discussion of the report cabinet members noted that:

• Considerable energy and enthusiasm had been generated during the drafting of the plan;
• The proposals aligned with the county plan and drew on intelligence from Understanding Herefordshire data;
• The museum project would maintain the current façade of the building;
• An independent assessment had been carried out to identify any risks and issues with becoming the accountable body for the grant funding, the council was looking into the level of support it could and should provide to the management of the projects driven by other groups to ensure risks were managed.

Ivan Annibal commented that the references to the visitor economy had been addressed and updated in the latest iteration of the plan and that the scale of public engagement was very encouraging and distinctive in his experience. This made the plan more likely to be successful and effective.

The chair of the towns fund board explained that the board would oversee the drawing up of business plans for the successful projects with the council as accountable body, agree the heads of terms for the grant funding and look at ways to continue to provide support for a pipeline of community projects outside of the town investment plan.

Group leaders were invited to present the views and queries of their group. The proposals were broadly welcomed and it was noted that:

• The future of the Maylord Centre could include a range of functions not just retail, it was hoped that modernising the centre would make better use of the space, increase footfall and deliver better social value;
• The proposal to relocate the library would allow the museum to expand and display items which were currently hidden from the public;
• The public response to the consultation was encouraging;
• Those projects which had not been included in the investment plan should be supported where possible.

It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.