Agenda and minutes

          The Minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2013 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 item 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 item 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 item 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 an update on the proposed Governance Arrangements for the Project during the Preferred Bidder phase into the Construction phase;

·             sought approval to put in place the necessary internal and external staffing resources (including the appointment of consultants) for the next phases of the Project; and

·           advised the Board of the current budget position relating to the Mersey Gateway Bridge Project.

A slightly amended Appendix 1, the Organisational Structure Diagram was circulated at the meeting.

RESOLVED: That

(1)        the staffing and resource allocations (including the recruitment of consultants as identified in the report be approved;

(2)        the Procurement of the Independent Certifier be approved;

(3)        the Procurement of the Technical Advisor Role be approved;

(4)        the proposal to utilise contingency from within the £86m DfT grant, to fund the remaining development costs (subject to DfT approval) up to the formal constitution of the MGCB be approved; and

(5)        the Chief Executive be granted delegated authority, to make all necessary appointments and commissions, and agree terms and conditions, in respect of the MGCB employees and consultants, identified within the report (and the Appendix to the report) within the agreed budget.

(Note:  Mr S Nicholson left the room during consideration of the information in the Appendices to the report)

MINUTES ISSUED:

CALL-IN:

Any matter decided by the Mersey Gateway Executive Board may be called in no later than 5.00 pm on xxxxx