Scottish City Region and Growth Deals Delivery Board: terms of reference
Terms of reference for the Scottish City Region and Growth Deals Delivery Board.
Terms of reference
(Updated October 2019)
Date of next review: March 2020
Role of the Board
The Scottish City Region and Growth Deals Delivery Board – the Board – is a joint UK Government and Scottish Government Board with responsibility for:
- providing assurance and advice to Ministers regarding the Scottish Regional Deals Landscape which includes the Scottish City Region and Growth Deals programme from the point of signing Heads of Terms
- the oversight, monitoring and successful implementation of current Scottish City Region and Growth Deals, including the effective monitoring of performance, outcomes, budget, risks and other issues relating to the programme, in accordance with best practice and any recommendations issued by auditors, Audit Scotland or the National Audit Office (NAO)
- the appropriate escalation and advice through both Governments should major issues arise
Remit of the Board
The remit of the Board will include:
- monitoring and supporting the successful implementation of Regional Deals including Scottish City Region Deals and Growth Deals from the point of signing Heads of Terms by assessing delivery against agreed implementation plans
- oversee and support the development of project business cases having reached the stage of Heads of Terms and where relevant coordinate their final approval with Ministers
- agreeing common Government positions and/or required mitigations to manage developing issues, risks or any slippage to a Deal or specific project
Accountability of the Board
The Board will report to the Senior Responsible Officers and Accountable Officers in both governments on the work of the Board and the successful implementation of Scottish City Region and Growth Deals.
Officials report to their own Ministers and Ministers discuss matters jointly as required.
How the Board will function
The Board will ensure that all City Region or other jointly agreed place based Growth Deals in Scotland having reached the stage of Heads of Terms, work towards developing the appropriate implementation documentation to be agreed by both SG and UKG. This may include but is not limited to:
- an overarching deal narrative
- an implementation plan
- a monitoring and evaluation framework
- a deal governance agreement
- a communication protocol
- a financial plan
Where either government has a specific expectation of regional partners as part of the return expected for Growth Deal investment, respective officials will seek to facilitate this as part of framing the deal, with Ministers agreeing any relevant proposal. The Board will take this in to account in future monitoring and evaluation.
The Board will monitor the implementation of current and agreed City Region and Growth Deals. This will be achieved by receiving progress reports at each meeting from SG/UKG Deal leads.
The Board will maintain and review at each meeting a risk register. Mitigations will be agreed and their implementation and success monitored by the Board.
Decisions and actions agreed by the Board will be recorded in the record of the meeting.
Should a decision be required in between meetings, decisions may be made and confirmed in writing by Board members.
The Board will escalate issues and risks as required through internal SG/UKG processes and ultimately to Ministers.
The Board will undertake an Annual Conversation with each of the current City Region and Growth Deal partnerships to review Annual Reports and discuss implementation progress.
The Board will maintain a profile with City Region and Growth Deal Partnerships, undertaking Annual Conversations and inviting representatives to meetings as required.
Format of Board meetings
Reports will be received at every meeting on all Deals being implemented or having signed Heads of Terms. These reports will include updates from both the SG and UKG lead on their government’s delivery commitments, as well as a summary of the local areas’ progress.
If required, on days of the Board there may also be additional time set aside for the Board to meet with Regional City Deal partners.
A risk register will be presented at each meeting. All SG and UKG Deal leads will contribute to the risk management process.
A verbal summary of the Deals being negotiated will be received at every meeting to assist the Board with forward planning.
Responsibility of attendees
To update on Deal implementation progress, developing issues and known risks at each meeting.
To provide required updates to the secretariat by agreed deadlines to ensure timely sharing of papers.
To utilise the Group’s agreed PMO tools and techniques to ensure a consistent approach is taken as much as possible with local Deal areas.
Membership
Core membership will be as follows (with additional attendees as appropriate):
- Scottish Government, Business Engagement and Regional Economic Development, Deputy Director (Joint Chair) or proxy
- UKG Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Policy, Deputy Director (Joint Chair) or proxy
- UKG Cities and Local Growth Unit, Deputy Director or proxy
- HMT
- Scottish Government Finance
- other UKG/SG departmental/directorate/agency representatives as required
The core Board members are currently:
- Jon Pickstone, Deputy Director of Business Engagement and Regional Economic Development, Scottish Government;
- Edward Wagstaff, Deputy Director of Cities & Local Growth Unit, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government & Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, UKG
- Rebecca Hackett, Deputy Director of Policy, Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, UKG
Secretariat for the meetings
The Secretariat for the meetings will be jointly provided by SG (City Deals Finance and Governance Team) and the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland on behalf of UKG.
The Secretariat responsibility for all Board and Working Group meetings will rotate between UK/SG on a six-monthly basis.
The agenda and papers for the Board and Working Group meetings will be circulated at least five working days in advance of the meetings.
Tele/video conference facilities will always be made available.
A record of the meeting with actions and decisions shall be prepared and circulated for comment.
The Board will meet at least quarterly unless there is urgent business. Regular meeting dates will be agreed at least six months in advance. Ideally a 12 month rolling programme of dates will be maintained.
An agenda setting meeting will be held at least four weeks ahead of Board meetings by a Working Group of relevant officials from both UKG and SG representatives.
The Secretariat will clear the agenda for the Board with the joint chairs of the Board at least 2 weeks in advance of a Board meeting.
The purpose of the Working Group is to support the Board with the implementation of City Region and Growth Deals. The Terms of Reference of this Working Group is at Annex A.
These terms of reference will be reviewed annually.
Cross-border deals
Responsibility for the English element of the Borderlands Growth Deal will sit with a parallel UK Government group, recognising that there are elements of the deal that are England only. The UK Government group will work with the Board to ensure strategic alignment, streamlined reporting for partners, and effective management and oversight of the deal.
Annex A:
The Scottish City Region and Growth Deals Working Group: terms of reference
The Working Group is a joint UK and Scottish Government group established to underpin the implementation process for agreed Scottish City Region and Growth Deals.
All UK/SG officials who lead on the implementation of City Region and Growth Deals in Scotland are members of the Group by default. Additional officials who lead on specific policy areas may be invited to attend meetings of the Group.
The Group will meet on a monthly basis in between the quarterly Board meetings for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of City Region and Growth Deals. SG Finance will attend and update the Group on financial matters as required.
The Group will meet at least four weeks in advance of the Scottish City Region and Growth Deals Delivery Board (the Board) meetings and will have the responsibility of agreeing the Board agenda and relevant papers, in consultation with the joint chairs.
The secretariat of the Group meetings will rotate between UK/SG on a six-monthly basis. The Secretariat for the meetings will be jointly provided by SG (City Region Deals Finance and Governance Team) and the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland on behalf of the UKG. Tele/video conference facilities will always be made available.
The core responsibilities of the Working Group will be to:
- monitor the implementation of the Scottish City Region and Growth Deals, escalating issues and risks relating to the implementation of Deals to the Board as required
- maintain the risk register for the Board, updating on a monthly basis as a minimum and reporting quarterly to the Board
- make recommendations to the joint chairs of the Board regarding Board meeting agendas
- provide robust information to inform the decision making of the Board, including the preparing of both programme level and individual Deal dashboard
The Group will manage the Annual Conversation assurance process that the Board will undertake with each agreed City Region and Growth Deal area.
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