Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 November 2009 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment which advised Members of the progress made towards securing the authority required to commence the procurement process since the last meeting of the Board in November 2009.

The Board was advised that at the meeting of the last Mersey Gateway Executive Board on 19 November, Members had been advised that the formal procurement process for a Mersey Gateway concession contract could only commence once the Council had secured the planning decision by the Secretaries of State and for Ministers to grant Conditional Funding Approval.

The Board was further advised that towards the end of December the project team had contacted the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to determine if the report had been forwarded to the Department. The team had been advised that it was envisaged that the Department would not receive the report until the end of January 2010.

It was reported that the Authority were optimistic that the Secretary of State would announce a decision before a General Election in May but this may not be the case. Consequently, the authority had raised concerns with senior officials at the Department over the impact of such a delay and a modified programme had been agreed based on the decision being announced by the end of May with contingency arrangements should this not take place until later in 2010.

The Authority had also agreed the procedure for considering the Conditional Funding Approval. This agreed procedure was reflected in the programme set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

In addition, the first draft of the Outline Business Case had been submitted to the Department and discussed with the DfT Major Projects Team at the progress meeting on 19 November.  The key issues emerging from the progress meeting were then considered. The main issue to be agreed with the Department over the next few weeks was the revised procurement approach that could be expected to secure best value from the proposed tolling regime. Options under consideration would require the PFI Credits to be increased in return for a greater public sector financial interest in the toll revenue which overall could result in a better deal for the public sector. Draft proposals were due to be put to the Department for Transport Internal Investment Committee in February and the outcome was expected to be available and reported to members at the next meeting of the Board in March.    

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the progress made and the revised outlook for commencing procurement later this year be noted; and

(2)          the development budget estimated to be required to deliver the Conditional Funding submission to the Department for Transport and to undertake all necessary preparation to enable  procurement to commence as soon as Conditional Approval is granted by Ministers be noted.

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 Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Part I 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, exempt information will be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100(1) and paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment which advised Members of progress to date with the advanced acquisition of land required for the Mersey Gateway in advance of CPO/TWA  and the land acquisition capital expenditure requirement for 2010/11. 

RESOLVED: That

(1)                     the progress made in assembling the land required for the Mersey Gateway be noted; and

(2)                     the requested land acquisition capital expenditure budget for 2010/11 as outlined at Paragraph 3.14 of the report be approved.