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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED To exclude the public and press from the meeting.
RESOLVED that Tir Glas is designated as a GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.2 RESOLVED that Aberaeron Harbours is designated as under review, subject to the outcome of the feasibility work. 2.3 RESOLVED that Elan Valley Lakes is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the completion of the normal Growth Deal assurances project. 2.4 RESOLVED that CymruTech’s Park designated as a Go (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.5 RESOLVED that the Cynefin Project is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report.
Councillor Bryan Davies welcomed all attendees to the meeting and confirmed that he would chair the meeting. Apologies for absence were received from Alan Morris, Daniel Burgess, Dave Owen, Jonathon Evans and Gareth Ashman. Stacey Jayne Oakham, Adam Davies and County Councillor Matthew Dorrance advised that they would be late to the meeting.
There were no declarations of personal interest reported.
The minutes of the last meeting held on 13th February 2026 were agreed as a correct record. Matters arising from the minutes None.
The Board received an update on the progress of the Regional Skills Partnership in addressing the six priorities identified through the Employment and Skills plan. Careers Connections Programmed sessions with schools had commenced, promoting engineering and construction careers. Sessions had been delivered to a total of 475 pupils—246 in Powys and 226 in Ceredigion. There would be an event in Lampeter on 21st March when 110 young people were expected to attend. The RSP Manager explained that due to examination timetabling, no further in‑school engagement days would take place this term. The focus would instead shift to enhancing and promoting the Careers in 360 digital platform, a series of podcasts and films had been produced and could be accessed via the website. Feedback from the programmed sessions would be presented at the next meeting. Skills Provision Work had initiated with the Growth Deal Programme Manager and Project Leads to promote workforce planning across projects, including assessing required skills, upskilling needs, new occupations, and projected job growth. Feedback had been received regarding apprenticeship processes, particularly in relation to difficulties understanding the post 16 pathways and access routes to provision. Work was underway to simplify information routes for schools and employers. Energy Meetings had been scheduled with energy sector companies to discuss forthcoming opportunities and recruitment requirements. The agreed Net Zero actions had been fully incorporated into the RSP work plan including providing targeted insight to Careers Wales advisors and post‑16 education providers to enhance their knowledge and understanding of net‑zero priorities and associated skill demands. Business Cluster Groups A regional digital strategy had been identified as a strategic priority, and a consultant had been appointed to lead this work. In addition, investment would be made into the WOW in the 360 platform to ensure that each business has a clear, visible, and fully represented presence on the system. Councillor Jake Berriman highlighted successes by young people in Mid Wales in skills awards and emphasised importance of maintaining links with colleges, post‑16 collaboration and opportunities for manufacturing in energy technologies. The RSP Manager confirmed that there were strong links with the colleges and he also confirmed that the RSP was working with the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). Emma Palmer raised the need to consider future skills beyond 2030. Councillor Bryan Davies supported linking this discussion with defence sector opportunities. The RSP Manager agreed to explore this further.
The Board reviewed the Portfolio covering report, the Portfolio highlight report and the Portfolio RADIO register. The Portfolio SRO advised that the Mid Wales Growth Portfolio continues to track steadily to plan, 5 projects remain in early phase delivery with £6.76m of MWGD funding contractually committed. The Business Case Approvals Pipeline remains strong with multiple Outline and Full Business Cases due for decision this year, totalling £33.2m by June 2026. The Board welcomed confirmation of a further tranche of funding totalling £11.85m from the Welsh Government & UK Government. The governments wanted momentum to be maintained. Projects would be placed under a six-month review to ensure delivery pace and adherence to plans. The Digital programme had received an Amber Green rating in the PAR on the Mid Wales Broadband Enhancement Project, in which the review team deemed the business case to be very nearly at FBC. Constructive progress had been made across all projects; however, it was noted that events in the Middle East presented a risk for the commercial property investment fund and was pushing up financing costs. These impacts were being closely monitored to ensure appropriate mitigation and continued delivery. Initial baselining has been undertaken for the private sector investment strategy, this would be supplemented with sector workshops during February/March. Savills had been commissioned to produce the strategy. Beyond the direct delivery of the Deal, work was progressing in tandem with the Strategic Pipeline to further develop the Private Sector Investment strategy for Mid Wales.
The Board considered the Montgomery Canal information OBC report submitted by the Canal & River Trust in Wales. The report provided a clear explanation of the basis for the 2,500 motorised boat movements per year (bm/y) cap and addressed the concerns previously raised by the Ecological Forum. The boat movement cap was based upon navigation levels being supported without harming the SAC and SSSI, the levels align with conservation requirements and are used to ensure environmental compliance. The Board sought clarification regarding who would be responsible for enforcing and monitoring boat movements. The Project Manager explained that appropriate mechanisms would be established to oversee vessel activity. It was further noted that the ecological cap of 2,500 boat‑movements per year would represent a moderate and controlled level of navigation when distributed across a typical boating season. The economic case for the project remained strong and resilient under the boat movement cap, sensitivity testing had demonstrated that total economic benefits decrease only marginally from £89.56 million to £81.30 million, when annual boat movements are reduced from 2,500 to 500 bm/y. The accompanying benefits table included in the report confirmed that boating constitutes only a small proportion of the overall economic impact, contributing approximately £9.8 million out of the total £89 million.
None
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED To exclude the public and press from the meeting.
§ 1st April 2026 (9:30 – 11:30am) – Portfolio Delivery Board § 9th April 2026 (2 – 4pm) – Digital Programme Board § 21st April (3 – 4pm) MWCPIF Evaluation Panel § 5th May (9:30 – 11:30am) - Portfolio Delivery Board § 19th May 2026 (3:30 – 5:30pm) – GMW Board (Placeholder) EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC Members were requested, when dealing with the following items on the agenda to consider whether to exclude the public from the Meeting. RESOLVED To exclude the public and press from the meeting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Tir Glas is designated as a GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.2 RESOLVED that Aberaeron Harbours is designated as under review, subject to the outcome of the feasibility work. 2.3 RESOLVED that Elan Valley Lakes is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the completion of the normal Growth Deal assurances project. 2.4 RESOLVED that CymruTech’s Park designated as a Go (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.5 RESOLVED that the Cynefin Project is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report.
The Board reviewed the report, which provided an assessment of each project's current position and set out clear recommendations in line with the previously agreed Stop/Go framework. 2.1 RESOLVED that Tir Glas is designated as a GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.2 RESOLVED that Aberaeron Harbours is designated as under review, subject to the outcome of the feasibility work. 2.3 RESOLVED that Elan Valley Lakes is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the completion of the normal Growth Deal assurances project. 2.4 RESOLVED that CymruTech’s Park designated as a Go (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report. 2.5 RESOLVED that the Cynefin Project is designated as GO (Conditional), subject to the conditions set out in the report.
The Board received an update on the development of the Strategic Pipeline and the emerging direction of travel for Portfolio allocations. Interest in the project pipeline remained strong, with 64 individual enquiries received and 19 one‑to‑one meetings undertaken. However, it was noted that no new external proposals had met the Growth Deal’s delivery constraints, owing to a range of factors including funding limitations and capacity pressures. The Portfolio SRO noted that, while the proposed approach reduced overall Portfolio delivery risk, it also narrowsed Portfolio‑level risk sharing. The PoMO would mitigate this by implementing strengthened milestone monitoring and clearly defined intervention points. A full report would be brought to the GMW Board on 19 May 2026, concluding the stop/go review, the final recommended direction for the Strategic Pipeline, and the proposed reallocation of funds across the MWGD Portfolio.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
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