Agenda item

To receive the report of the Chief Executive, which provides an update of the progress of the Cardiff Capital Region (‘CCR’) Joint Cabinet (the ‘Regional Cabinet’ - a joint committee), to oversee the Region’s economic growth and to deliver the commitments set out in the CCR City Deal.

The Chief Executive provided the Cabinet with an update of the progress of the Cardiff Capital Region (‘CCR’) Joint Cabinet (the ‘Regional Cabinet’ - a joint committee), to oversee the Region’s economic growth and to deliver the commitments set out in the CCR City Deal.

The Chief Executive informed the Cabinet that, under the terms and conditions of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, the funding programme is subject to a Gateway Review every five years. It was explained that the Gateway Review was an assessment led by UK Government, supported by an independent National Evaluation Panel, which commissioned SQW to undertake an evaluation of the impacts of the investments made to date by the CCR. Members’ attention was drawn to the appendices to the report, where the Independent Review and Self Evaluation documents were detailed.

The Chief Executive reminded Members that the £1.2bn CCR investment comprised of two distinct elements:

·         £734m – METRO scheme; and

·         £495m – Regional Cabinet Wider Investment Fund.

The Chief Executive informed the Cabinet that much of the work of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal was outside of the scope of the Local Authority, which meant it could only add value. Members were informed of the following investments of the CCR City Deal, which were beneficial to RCT:

·         £4M ‘Zipworld’ Investment;

·         Porth Interchange;

·         Transport For Wales were now based in Pontypridd; and

·         Improvements to the Valley lines.

The Leader thanked the Chief Executive for the update and was pleased to note the level of investment from an RCT and Valleys perspective. The Leader spoke of the £2.5M investment into Porth Interchange, the graduate programme, ‘Zipworld’, which was due to be expanded and discussions in respect of the installation of EV charging points. The Leader added that through the City Deal, the 10 Local Authorities had come together to give South East Wales a stronger voice, which had allowed them to lobby both UK and Welsh Government on various funding opportunities.

The Deputy Leader echoed the Leader’s comments about the positive investment in RCT and the Valleys, through the CCR City Deal and commented that the inter-connectivity within the Region had increased opportunities and choice. The Deputy Leader advised that the report had been considered by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 23^rd February 2021 and voiced her support for the report.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the information provided within the report, and the progress made by the Cardiff Capital Region Joint Cabinet in respect of the agreed commitments set out in the CCR City Deal;

2.    To review and consider the UK Government commissioned report on the progress of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal to inform the forthcoming Gateway Review of the CCR City Deal Wider Investment Fund over the past five years, as set out in Appendix A; and

3.    To request that the results, conclusion and recommendations of the forthcoming Gateway Review, to be completed before 31 March 2021, are presented to a future Cabinet meeting, as soon as it becomes a public document.