Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet approves the principles proposed for the development of the Collaboration Agreement.

2.    That Cabinet agrees the delegation of  authority to the Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Executive Director of Resources, to enter into the collaboration agreement and to take such actions and decisions necessary to facilitate the delivery of the Scheme within the approved budget.

3.    That Cabinet recommends to Council that all decisions and actions relating to the Council’s regulatory and planning functions that pertain to the River Thames Scheme be delegated to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Planning Group Manager.

Reason for Decisions:

The River Thames Scheme Collaboration Agreement will provide a sound legal basis for partnership working between the EA and SCC to deliver the River Thames Scheme.

However, development of the Agreement will take some time and will not be complete until the end of the calendar year. As such, Cabinet approval of a set of Collaboration Agreement principles will provide political support and direction for the negotiation of the full legal agreement, ensuring that it will represent the Council’s best interests.

The delegation of the approval of the final Collaboration Agreement as set out in the recommendations will ensure that SCC decision making is as agile as possible and does not hold up progress on the Scheme.

In addition, Cabinet has previously approved, on 26 January 2021, the need to develop an approach to separate the exercise of the Council’s functions as (i) a joint applicant to the DCO and (ii) its regulatory functions as a local planning authority to avoid a perceived conflict of interest.  The final recommendation above puts this into action.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure who explained that in October 2019, Surrey County Council Cabinet approved a commitment of £237M contribution to the River Thames Scheme which is being developed and delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency.The approval of the contribution was conditional on a legal agreement (also known as a “Collaboration Agreement”) being entered into by the Council and the Environment Agency that sets out the governance and financial arrangements for the delivery of the Scheme to its conclusion. Cabinet were being asked to approve the principles proposed for the development of the Collaboration Agreement.

Cabinet Members commented that it was positive to see progress with this work and stated their support for the programme. The Leader thanked all partners involved with the progress of the programme including the EA and stated that the council would push forward with progress as quickly as possible.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet approves the principles proposed for the development of the Collaboration Agreement.

2.    That Cabinet agrees the delegation of  authority to the Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Executive Director of Resources, to enter into the collaboration agreement and to take such actions and decisions necessary to facilitate the delivery of the Scheme within the approved budget.

3.    That Cabinet recommends to Council that all decisions and actions relating to the Council’s regulatory and planning functions that pertain to the River Thames Scheme be delegated to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Planning Group Manager.

Reason for Decisions:

The River Thames Scheme Collaboration Agreement will provide a sound legal basis for partnership working between the EA and SCC to deliver the River Thames Scheme.

However, development of the Agreement will take some time and will not be complete until the end of the calendar year. As such, Cabinet approval of a set of Collaboration Agreement principles will provide political support and direction for the negotiation of the full legal agreement, ensuring that it will represent the Council’s best interests.

The delegation of the approval of the final Collaboration Agreement as set out in the recommendations will ensure that SCC decision making is as agile as possible and does not hold up progress on the Scheme.

In addition, Cabinet has previously approved, on 26 January 2021, the need to develop an approach to separate the exercise of the Council’s functions as (i) a joint applicant to the DCO and (ii) its regulatory functions as a local planning authority to avoid a perceived conflict of interest.  The final recommendation above puts this into action.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]