Agenda and minutes

To note the attached terms of reference for the Board.

            The Board received the Terms of Reference for the new Mersey Gateway Executive Board outlining membership, officer support and the scheme of delegation.

            RESOLVED: That the Terms of Reference be noted.

            The Board received a progress report from the Mersey Gateway Project Director as part of the new governance arrangements that would now be operating to support the delivery of the Mersey Gateway project.

            It was noted that substantive progress had been made in the following areas:

• establishing a Core Project Team;
• commission arrangements for consultants and advisors;
• liaison with the Department for Transport (DfT); and
• the project budget.

The Board was advised that the Mersey Gateway Project Director was due to meet with DfT officials on 21^st July 2006 to discuss issues further.

It was reported that a strategic project budget of £14 million to deliver Mersey Gateway to the commencement of construction was included in the arrangements for taking the project forward agreed by the Council’s Executive Board on 20^th April 2006.  The Chief Executive had written to the Mersey Gateway supporting authorities and to North West Development Agency (NWDA) to suggest an equitable scheme for sharing the development cost.  The aim was to raise 50 percent of the required amount through third party contributions.

The Board was informed that Cheshire County Council had advised that it could not support the proposal and no response had been received from Warrington to date. It was reported that potential contributions, including private sector interests, would continue to be investigated towards the aim of raising half of the development cost budget.

RESOLVED: That the progress made be noted.

            The Board considered a progress report from the Mersey Gateway Project Director to the Major Projects Division at the Department for Transport (DfT), outlining the scheme preparation developments since Mersey Gateway received Programme Entry funding approval in March 2006.

            The report outlined governance arrangements, financial issues and project issues to be discussed at a meeting with the DfT on 21 July 2006.  Also included was a model scoping report in respect of the new traffic model together with points to consider in setting up appropriate liaison arrangements with the DfT specialists.

            The Board noted that key decisions required  were as follows:-

• to confirm that the proposed traffic model specification now being taken forward had the scope to provide robust evidence that should be fully compliant with the Department’s modelling requirements; and
• to agree on the most appropriate statutory process that should be incorporated in the Mersey Gateway Project Plan in order to secure the powers to build, maintain and apply toll charges for both the proposed Mersey Gateway and the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge.

RESOLVED: That

1)     the report be noted; and

2)     the issues to be discussed with officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) meeting arranged for 21 July 2006 be noted.

            It was noted that a timetable of meetings had been distributed and the next meeting was to be held on 14^th September 2006 at 3.00pm (or at the rise of Executive Board pre agenda meeting) in the Marketing Suite, Municipal Building.

            The Board considered:-

(1)           whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in paragraphs 3 and 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)           whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information will be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100(1) and paragraphs 3 and 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Environment, which had also been submitted to the Executive Board Sub-Committee on 20 July 2006, regarding the procurement and commercial arrangements.

            RESOLVED: That the procurement arrangements for each consultant and project advisor as recommended in Annex 1 of the report be agreed.

            The Board received a report outlining statutory procedures in respect of tolling powers.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board received details of the Mersey Gateway expenditure for 2006/7 and 2007/8.  Updated information was tabled at the meeting for consideration outlining expenditure against the budget to 30^th June 2006.

            RESOLVED: That the detailed project budget covering an expenditure forecast for this current financial year and for 2007/8 be approved.

MINUTES ISSUED: 4^th August 2006

CALL IN: 14^th August 2006

Any matter decided by the Executive Board may be called in no later that 14^th August 2006