At its meeting on 30
April 2024, the Council approved the final proposal for the Devon
and Torbay Combined County Authority (DTCCA) for submission to the
then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities.
The final proposal for
the DTCCA was submitted jointly by Torbay Council and Devon County
Council on 1 May 2024.
The DTCCA will be a
“body corporate” that will be brought in to being
through the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Regulations
2024. The Regulations will establish
the DTCCA and give effect to the Devon and Torbay devolution deal.
The Regulations include the DTCCA’s governance arrangements,
the functions it will exercise and its membership.
The draft Regulations
state:
(1) Each
constituent council must appoint three of its elected members to be
members of the Combined County Authority;
(2) Each
constituent council must appoint one of the persons appointed under
paragraph (1) to be the lead member for that council;
(3) Each
constituent council must appoint another three of its elected
members who may act as members of the Combined County Authority in
the absence of any of the members they appointed under
sub-paragraph (1) (“substitute member”); and
(4) Only
one substitute member may act as a member of the Combined County
Authority in the absence of each absent member appointed under
sub-paragraph (1) at any time
The application of
political balance to the three appointments as members of the
Combined County Authority results in the appointment of two
Conservative members and one Liberal Democrat member, for both the
main appointments and the substitute appointments.
The final proposal for
the establishment of the Devon and Torbay Combined County
Authority, submitted to the Government in May 2024, also set out
arrangements for the Overview and Scrutiny and Audit Committees of
the DTCCA, as follows:
Overview and
Scrutiny Committee
The proposed DTCCA would be required to have an Overview and
Scrutiny Committee.
The role of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to monitor the
decision making of the DTCCA to ensure that the decision making is
appropriately focussed on community needs, and that high quality
delivery is taking place for the benefit of the proposed DTCCA
area.
In accordance with the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 and
given the role of the Committee, its membership must involve
different individuals than those who are Members of the proposed
DTCCA.
The political balance of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will
reflect the political balance of the Constituent
Councils. It will include at least two
members nominated from each Constituent Council as well as
representatives from the District Councils.
Further, the proposed DTCCA would consider how to best ensure wider
relevant partners (such as from the business, education and
community sectors) are represented effectively on the
Committee.
The chair and vice chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
will be appointed by the DTCCA, following a proposal put to them by
the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in question. The chair and vice
chair shall not be a member of a registered political party of
which their respective constituent Lead Member of the DTCCA is also
a member.
Audit
Committee
The proposed DTCCA would be required to have an Audit Committee.
The role of the Audit Committee is to support and monitor the
authority in the areas of governance, risk management, external
audit, internal audit, financial reporting, and other related areas
to ensure that the financial and governance decision making
position of the proposed DTCCA is sound.
As with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, this means that at
least two members of the Audit Committee would be nominated from
each Constituent Council of the proposed DTCCA. At least one member
would be nominated by the District Councils.
There would be a requirement for political balance on the Committee
to reflect the political balance of the Constituent Councils.
There is a requirement for the Chair of the Audit Committee to be
an independent person, who is not otherwise involved in the
proposed DTCCA. Again, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023
requires that members of the Audit Committee must not be the same
individuals as those representatives who are members of the
proposed DTCCA.
The proposed DTCCA will ensure that the Audit Committee has the
right people to ensure effective oversight of the adequacy of the
proposed DTCCA’s overall assurance arrangements, and scrutiny
of financial decision making by the proposed DTCCA.
To reflect political
balance for both Devon County Council and Torbay Council, it is
proposed that five members from each authority are appointed to
each of the DTCCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Audit
Committee. For Torbay the application of political balance to these
five appointments, results in the appointment of three Conservative
members and two Liberal Democrat members. Appointment of two substitute members on the DTCCA
Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Audit Committee is also
proposed. The Devon District Councils
will be nominating two representatives, and these nominations will
be determined at the District Forum Meeting on 6 December 2024.
The DTCCA will also
establish advisory groups covering Business, Skills, Transport,
Climate and Investment and these will comprise private sector
representatives. A Housing Advisory
Group is also being established, and this Group will include one
Councillor from each Constituent Council with housing
responsibilities.
The Chief Executive
has delegated authority, in consultation with the Leader of the
Council and Group Leaders, to determine appointments to outside
organisations at any time after the general review of such
appointments has been undertaken following Local Elections.
