Agenda and minutes

          The Minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2014 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

In this case the Board has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

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 Section 100A (4) 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 Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 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 outweighed that 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 Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided Members with an update on the progress towards Financial Close addressing the key issues in the Council funding arrangements with Government and the award of contracts to the Merseylink consortium.

        RESOLVED: That the Board note that

(1)      the final funding arrangements with Government have now been agreed by the Council Chief Executive and the agreed proposals are being considered by Ministers (Department for Transport and HMT Ministers); and

(2)      the contractual arrangements with Merseylink are agreed and matters are in hand to clear proposals with the Operational Director Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided Members with an update on the Governance Agreement for the project and sought approval to alter the Articles of Association of Mersey Gateway Crossings Board Ltd and approval for interim short support to the project.

RESOLVED: That

(1)     the Operational Director Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive and the Portfolio holder for Physical Environment be authorised to vote on the Council’s behalf is respect of the alteration of the Articles of Association of Mersey Gateway Crossings Board Ltd; and

(2)        authority be granted to the Chief Executive to make all necessary appointment and commissions, and agree terms and conditions in respect of consultants identified within the report and associated Appendix to the report.