Issue - meetings

Carried forward from December Council meeting

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to agree to establish a Joint Committee in terms of sections 56 and 57 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 with Aberdeenshire Council, to be known as the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee and to be effective following submission of Gateway 4 (February 2025);

(ii)           to note the Investment Zone Steering Group endorsement for a North East Scotland Investment Zone was Option C, the Joint Committee Members being the co-signatories plus ETZ Ltd.  At the Steering Group meeting the Aberdeen City Council representative abstained from the vote as Council had not yet had the option to review the models;

(iii)          to approve the Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference contained within Appendix 3 to the report, which are based on Option B, the Investment Zone Co-signatories being the members of  the Joint Committee;

(iv)          to approve the Joint Committee’s Standing Orders contained within Appendix 3 to the report;

(v)           to approve the proposed membership of the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee to be Aberdeen City Council (x3), Aberdeenshire Council (x3), Opportunity North East, University of Aberdeen and The Robert Gordon University as illustrated at Option B;

(vi)          to agree that a North East Scotland Investment Zone Programme Board should be established to support the Joint Committee and agree its Terms of Reference in Appendix 4;

(vii)        to approve the initial proposed membership of the North East Scotland Investment Zone Programme Board as contained within Appendix 4; Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Opportunity North East, University of Aberdeen, The Robert Gordon University, Scottish Enterprise and Energy Transition Zone Ltd;

(viii)       to appoint Councillors Allard, Yuill and McLellan as the three named members to the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee, and one Partnership substitute (Councillor Radley), one Labour substitute and 1 Conservative substitute (names to be confirmed);

(ix)          to agree that Aberdeenshire Council will act as the Accountable Body for the Investment Zone as they have done for the City Region Deal; and

(x)           to note that the Chief Officer - City Development and Regeneration would ensure access was provided to letters of support regarding ownership of relevant land in the Aberdeen area;

(xi)          to note that the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord would circulate details in terms of land owned by the Lands of Torry Trust and land owned by other Council accounts; and

(xii)        to note that officers were considering the matter of Investment Zone Steering Group minutes and whether they could be shared with elected members and would confirm the position in due course.

With reference to Article 11 of the minute of its meeting of 11 December 2024, the Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer – City Development and Regeneration which provided an update on the allocation of Investment Zone status to the North East of Scotland (Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council administrative areas) and progression through the Gateway Process, and sought approval of a proposed governance structure.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           agree to Establish a Joint Committee in terms of sections 56 and 57 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 with Aberdeenshire Council, to be known as the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee and to be effective following submission of Gateway 4 (February 2025);

(b)           note the Investment Zone Steering Group endorsement for a North East Scotland Investment Zone was Option C, the Joint Committee Members being the co-signatories plus ETZ Ltd.  At the Steering Group meeting the Aberdeen City Council representative abstained from the vote as Council had not yet had the option to review the models;

(c)           approve the Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference contained within Appendix 3 to the report, which are based on Option B, the Investment Zone Co-signatories being the members of  the Joint Committee;

(d)           approve the Joint Committee’s Standing Orders contained within Appendix 3 to the report;

(e)           approve the proposed membership of the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee to be Aberdeen City Council (x3), Aberdeenshire Council (x3), Opportunity North East, University of Aberdeen and The Robert Gordon University.  This is illustrated at Option B;

(f)             agree that a North East Scotland Investment Zone Programme Board should be established to support the Joint Committee and agree its Terms of Reference in Appendix 4;

(g)           approve the initial proposed membership of the North East Scotland Investment Zone Programme Board as contained within Appendix 4; Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Opportunity North East, University of Aberdeen, The Robert Gordon University, Scottish Enterprise and Energy Transition Zone Ltd;

(h)           appoint three named members and up to three named substitute members to the North East Scotland Investment Zone Joint Committee; and

(i)             agree that Aberdeenshire Council will act as the Accountable Body for the Investment Zone as they have done for the City Region Deal.

At this juncture, Councillors Yuill, Radley and Allard advised that they had a connection by reason of being members of the Aberdeen City Region Deal Joint Committee, however having applied the objective test they did not consider that they had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor McLellan advised that he had a connection by reason of being a substitute member of the Aberdeen City Region Deal Joint Committee, however having applied the objective test he did not consider that he  had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor Allard moved, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

          That the Council agree the recommendations; and

(h)      appoint 3 Partnership members (Councillors Allard, Yuill and McLellan), 1  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15