Agenda

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 February 2026 (CC1) and to receive information arising from them.

To make any changes to the membership of scrutiny and other committees on the nomination of political groups and to note any changes to the Cabinet made by the Leader of the Council.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting, or present a petition, can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to present a petition must be submitted no later than 9am ten working days before the meeting.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting.

Requests should be submitted to committeesdemocraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

The deadline to submit questions is 9am, five working days before the meeting i.e. 9am Tuesday 17 March 2026.

Report by the Leader of the Council.

The report, for noting, includes items at the Cabinet meetings on 9 December 2025, 16 December 2025, 27 January 2026 and 24 February 2026.

Report by the Director of Public Health

The Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025/26 offers a comprehensive and accessible review of Oxfordshire’s progress in addressing health inequalities since the 2019/20 report, Some Are More Equal Than Others. 

Council is RECOMMENDED to

a)        consider the 2025/26 Director of Public Health Annual Report and specifically note the progress made to address health inequalities in Oxfordshire following the publication of the Director of Public Health Annual Report in 2019/2020, which marked a pivotal moment in Oxfordshire.

b)        support the interactive format of the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025/26 and note the insights that can be used for informing future service delivery plans.

Report by the Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer

A comprehensive review of the Code was undertaken by the Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer, taking into consideration best practice, and benchmarking against other authorities. The review identified and recommended substantial amendments to ensure the Code reflects current council values, working practices and organisational requirements.

Council is RECOMMENDED to amend the Constitution at Part 9.6 Officers’ Code of Conduct.

MOTIONS WITH NOTICE FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

WOULD MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY AMENDMENTS TO MOTIONS WITH NOTICE MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE PROPER OFFICER IN WRITING BY 9.00 AM ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE MEETING

Pride in the appearance of the public realm is important to our residents. Clean and well-maintained pavements make people feel good about their neighbourhood, reduce accidents, and prevent more costly problems later. Neglect leads to uneven footways, hazards for those with mobility difficulties, and higher long-term repair bills.

Routine weed clearance on county pavements was part of highways maintenance until 2007/08, when budget cuts removed the programme. Some parishes now commission their own weed spraying and may be using glyphosate, increasingly opposed by residents because of its risks to health, pets, rivers, and biodiversity. Other parishes are now beginning to trial alternative approaches.

Council resolves to:

1. Note the historic withdrawal of routine weed clearance and the resulting concerns about accessibility, safety, and neighbourhood appearance.

2. Recognise the Council’s statutory duty to keep pavements free of hazards, and that neglect increases both risks and costs.

3. Request Cabinet to seek an officer report with options for re-establishing pavement weed clearance and scheduled maintenance, including alternatives to glyphosate, and how the Council can support towns and parishes to reduce reliance on chemical spraying.

4. Request that the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation give due consideration to the findings of this report as part of the next round of budget setting.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

Oxfordshire is an expensive place to live and work. Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) staff need and deserve the Oxford Living Wage (OLW).

Paying the OLW helps tackle in-work poverty, improves staff wellbeing and retention, and supports local economic resilience. Extending to all suppliers, service-providers and contractors, via inclusion in all contracts, will multiply the impact.

From April 2026, the Oxford Living Wage, a voluntary rate set at 95% of the London Living Wage, will be £14.06 an hour. It recognises the high cost of living in Oxford, costs that OCC workers must meet.

This Council aims for a healthier, fairer and greener county, one that delivers real social value: Paying all staff a living wage is fundamental.

In 2025-6 OCC’s lowest paid staff earnt £980 less than if an Oxford Living Wage was in place.

OCC could also implement an Oxfordshire Living Wage, reflecting the real cost of living in Oxfordshire.

This Council therefore commits to an Oxfordshire Living Wage and asks Cabinet to

• Include sufficient capacity in the 2027/2028 budget to meet the cost of implementing the Oxford Living Wage for all staff 
• Ensure all new contracts negotiated after such decision has been made require contractors, suppliers and service providers to pay the Oxford Living Wage and existing providers as contracts get renewed
• Seek to work with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire District Councils to explore expanding the Oxford Living Wage to be an Oxfordshire Living Wage
• Publicly promote OCC’s commitment to the Oxfordshire Living Wage

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

For eleven consecutive years, under varying political leaderships, Oxfordshire County Council was named the top performing county council waste disposal authority.

- The 2025 Satisfaction Ratings of Services survey showed 72% of residents were satisfied with the way Household Waste Recycling Centres operated, with only 16% dissatisfied.

- The hard-work of employees who operate our centres, alongside the conscientiousness of Oxfordshire residents, made the operation of centres a success story in our county.

In spite of this positive record, this Council administration has implemented a series of changes, including a mandatory booking system and the need to bring proof of address with you when using a centre.

This Council acknowledges that:

- The new rules for using waste and recycling centres place additional bureaucratic burdens on residents, making it harder for them to use local centres.

- The implementation of these rules, we believe, has reduced the number of visits to the centres, with more waste likely to be redirected into District & City Council waste collections or, in some cases, fly-tipped.

- These rules are, therefore, a threat to the high rates of recycling previously seen in our County and risk undermining public satisfaction with waste and recycling services.

Therefore, this Council resolves to request the Cabinet to reconsider the issue of rules for using the household waste and recycling centres; revoke these new and unnecessary burdens on local residents; and return to the popular and successful model previously operated.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

Council notes both that:

1. The Oxfordshire Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (2024) identifies flooding and extreme heat as significant, growing climate risks; driven by warmer, wetter winters, more intense rainfall events, and prolonged summer heat waves.
2. The impacts of climate and ecosystem collapse are now acknowledged to be even greater than thought in 2024, posing an existential threat to human habitation, that will dwarf any economic collapses seen to date if serious adaptation does not become ‘business-as-usual’ in the same way that fiduciary duties are.

The assessment illustrates the need for catchment-wide, preventative approaches that build resilience across landscapes and communities to decrease flooding impacts – i.e. to make space for water upstream of residents’ living room. For heat, urban design is key to resilience, preventing heat islands, and residents’ deaths.

Council notes adaptation measures’ success depends on being multi-year, multi-stakeholder collaboration, community and catchment-based.  Partners’ (e.g. Environment Agency) work on 6-year funding cycles, allowing capacity and capability to build appropriately – starkly different to the 1-year Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) funding bid environment. 

Council requests that Cabinet implements:

• Sustained (ring-fenced for at least 6 years to match partners) and significantly increased investment to further build OCC’s capacity and capability to convene and work in catchment-based, multi-stakeholder action groups to embed climate adaptation activity as an essential part of business-as-usual 
• Two councillor-led action group pilots, convening, alongside officers and partners, to build capability in resilience through action, via

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.