E.49/16
In
accordance with Executive Procedure Rules, the following questions
had been submitted:
Question received from Cllr Hodgson:
1. Please
could the Committee confirm the current position with the
Devolution Bid:
·
as Somerset are in ‘Special
Measures’;
·
since the Chancellor’s Autumn
Statement only provided 1/3 of the monies applied for by the Devon
and Somerset LEP; and
·
questions now
arising regarding the involvement of LEP’s in allocation and
spending of public funds?
In response to this question, the Leader advised that
he and the Head of Paid Service had attended a recent meeting of
the authorities who were involved in the Heart of the South West
(HotSW) Devolution Bid. During this meeting, all authorities had indicated
that they were still intending to progress the Bid. The success of the Bid may depend on whether or
not an elected Mayor was included in the Bid. The fact that Somerset County Council may be in
special measures did not impact on the Bid at this
stage. In respect of the LEP, the
Leader advised that their focus was on economy and growth and LEP
Members had the same requirements as local authorities did
regarding the need to declare and register interests.
Question received from Cllr
Hodgson:
2. Why has
SHDC not been involved to date with discussions about Devon as a
Unitary Authority, should this be pursued instead of a combined
authority with Somerset?
In reply, Cllr Tucker informed that there had been no
discussions about a Unitary Authority in Devon and no other
authorities were discussing Unitary Devon to the best of our
knowledge.
Question received from Georgina Allen:
3. If our
Devolution Bid falls through, does that mean that our housing quota
will change?
Cllr Tucker
responded that the LEP had ideas in respect of housing numbers but
these could not be enforced. Moreover,
the housing numbers were dictated by need and the numbers within
the Joint Local Plan.