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There was submitted a report by the Strategic Development Plan Manager requesting that the Joint Committee consider future governance options in respect of discharging the duty under the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to prepare a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).
The report intimated that at the meeting of this Joint Committee held on 16 March 2020 it had been decided that work be undertaken to explore the future governance arrangements for the performance of its functions. This focused on the new duty on local authorities in relation to strategic planning as part of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to prepare a RSS. The role and remit for which the Joint Committee had originally been established had significantly changed, therefore, it was appropriate to consider the future role of the Joint Committee.
The report advised that the role of city regions, through the establishment of City Deals and Regional Economic Partnerships, were emerging as the key mechanism for the delivery on a number of important agendas, including economic development, City Deals, climate change, environmental improvement and strategic planning. In this context, the new duty to prepare a RSS was a key requirement to ensure the proper planning for the future development of the Glasgow City Region, in the same way that strategic planning had been successfully undertaken in the city region for some time.
The eight Glasgow City Region local authorities had worked together since 1996 to develop a series of regional spatial plans, the most recent being the Clydeplan Strategic Development Plan approved by Scottish Ministers in July 2017. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 did not prescribe how local authorities were to discharge the duty to prepare a RSS, however, given the successful history of joint working by all eight local authorities, it was considered the most appropriate and effective model for delivering the RSS was by the eight local authorities continuing to work together.
Four options for future governance had been identified. Option 1 retained the existing model with the oversight and development of the RSS and its approval by the Joint Committee with Renfrewshire Council remaining as host authority; Option 2 retained the existing model with Glasgow City Council acting as host authority; Option 3 would see the oversight and development of the RSS by a new political collaborative within the City Region’s governance structure with this collaborative recommending the RSS to the City Region Cabinet for approval with Glasgow City Council acting as host authority; and Option 4 would see the oversight and development of the RSS and its approval by the Glasgow City Region Cabinet with Glasgow City Council as host authority. Further details were provided in the report.
The report proposed that Option 3 be explored further as embedding the development and oversight of the RSS within those structures would allow for greater integration in strategy alignment in particular with the Regional Economic Strategy.
Councillor Wilson, seconded by Councillor Miller, moved that the Joint Committee consider the content of the report and (i) agree to recommend to all eight local authorities that they continue to work jointly to discharge their duty under the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to prepare a RSS; (ii) agree that as an alternative to the continued use of a joint committee model, a governance approach involving the development and oversight of the RSS being set within Glasgow City Region should be considered; (iii) agree to request that Glasgow City Region give consideration as to how Option 3 can be implemented and to set out the steps to deliver this, along with the associated timescale; (iv) note that Options 3 and 4 would see the Joint Committee dissolved and staff transferred to Glasgow City Council as host authority; and (v) note that further reports would be brought to future meetings on the Joint Committee with regard to this matter.
Councillor McGurk, seconded by Councillor Begg, moved as an amendment that the Joint Committee consider the content of this report and (i) agree to recommend to all eight local authorities that they continue to work jointly to discharge their duty under the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to prepare a RSS; (ii) agree to the continued use of a joint committee model governance approach for the development and oversight of the RSS; (iii) agree to request from Renfrewshire Council that they give consideration to how Option 1 can be implemented in light of the new legislation and set out the steps to deliver this, along with associated timescales; and (v) note that further reports be brought to future meetings of the Joint Committee with regard to this matter.
On the roll being called, the following members voted for the amendment: Councillors Begg and McGurk.
The following members voted for the motion: Councillors Moir, Lafferty, Miller, Clocherty, Wilson, Curran, Magowan, Anderson, and Fulton.
The following member abstained: Councillor MacLean.
2 members having voted for the amendment, 9 members having voted for the motion and 1 member having abstained, the motion was accordingly declared carried.
DECIDED: That following consideration of the content of the report, the Joint Committee
(a) agreed to recommended to all eight local authorities that they continue to work jointly to discharge their duty under the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to prepare a RSS;
(b) agreed that as an alternative to the continued use of a joint committee model, a governance approach involving the development and oversight of the RSS being set within Glasgow City Region be considered;
(c) agreed to request that Glasgow City Region give consideration as to how Option 3 could be implemented and to set out the steps to deliver this, along with the associated timescale;
(d) noted that Options 3 and 4 would see the Joint Committee dissolved and staff transferred to Glasgow City Council as host authority; and
(e) noted that further reports would be brought to future meetings on the Joint Committee with regard to this matter.