Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies were received from Cllr Shiri, substituted by Cllr Thomas, and from Cllr Ley, substituted by Cllr Gordon.

See guidance note on the back page.

There were none.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2025 and to receive information arising from them.

The Committee APPROVED the minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2025 as a true and accurate record.

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 speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting, i.e. 02 December 2025.

Requests should be submitted to the Scrutiny Officer at scrutiny@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.

There were none.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Inequalities, Cllr Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation, Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health, Kate Holburn, Deputy Director of Public Health, and Sam Read, Public Health Programme Manager, have been invited to present a report on Business Management Monitoring Report - Public Health.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

NB This item is to follow.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Inequalities, Cllr Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation, Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health, Kathy Wilcox, Head of Corporate Finance, Kate Holburn, Deputy Director of Public Health, Sam Read, Public Health Programme Manager, and Carys Alty, Head of Migration Policy and Partnership, were invited to present a report on the Business Management Monitoring Report focusing on Public Health.

The Director of Public Health clarified that his remit included statutory public health, communities and asylum and migration. The report covered the ring-fenced public health grant budget and related functions including asylum, domestic abuse, and additional grants for drug, alcohol and smoking cessation. Performance across these areas was outlined, with amber-rated issues identified for discussion.

The Head of Corporate Finance reported that, as of October, there was no forecast variation for public health against a gross budget of just under £43 million, which included the £37 million ring-fenced public health grant and other grants such as domestic abuse and drug and alcohol treatment. An underspend of £0.9 million for 2024/25 had been transferred to the public health reserve, now totalling £4.6 million, with a forecast drawdown of £2.7 million for 2025/26. The scale of public health funding within the council’s overall budget was emphasised.

The Deputy Director of Public Health introduced the children and young person’s substance misuse service, describing it as a small team with dedicated workers in family centres. The service provided psychosocial interventions for prevention, early intervention, and treatment, supporting both young people using substances and those affected by others’ use. Interventions ranged from brief advice and drug diversion schemes to structured treatment, with clinical support rarely required. National reporting focused only on structured treatment, which represented just part of the service’s work.

Victims of domestic abuse assessed for refuge accommodation were required to agree to the move, with decisions influenced by factors such as proximity to an ex-partner, children’s schooling, or financial circumstances. Data on those declining a space existed and could be provided, with reasons often linked to personal and practical considerations.

The County Council had established a domestic abuse partnership with district councils, including a dedicated safe accommodation working group involving housing officers and service providers. This group met regularly to address challenges in securing suitable housing for families leaving refuge. Difficulties persisted, particularly for larger families and in finding appropriate move-on accommodation, sometimes resulting in families remaining in refuge longer than ideal and affecting the availability of spaces for new arrivals.

The 12-month health visiting check, a statutory requirement, had a local target of 87%, with Oxfordshire achieving around 84%. Performance had improved since the pandemic and was comparable to statistical neighbours. Including parents who declined or did not attend would raise the figure to 96%. Efforts continued to understand and address non-attendance, especially in deprived areas.

Smoking prevalence in Oxfordshire had fallen significantly to about 7.5%, down from 11%. The reduction was particularly notable among routine and manual workers, though rates remained high  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43/25

Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, and Kim Sawyer, Programme Director: Devolution, have been invited to present a report on Devolution.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, Cllr Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation, Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, and Kim Sawyer, Programme Director: Devolution, were invited to present a report on Devolution.

The Leader introduced the devolution agenda, outlining progress towards submitting an expression of interest to government for a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) covering Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The region’s economic significance and the need for a strategic approach to transport, energy, and water were highlighted, with regional collaboration seen as essential. All council leaders from Oxfordshire and Berkshire had expressed support, aiming to promote inclusive growth and improved opportunities for residents. Despite recent government announcements delaying devolution elections, the Leader recommended that preparations continue, including the establishment of a board to define regional priorities ahead of any mayoral election.

The Programme Director clarified the distinction between Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and devolution. LGR involved consolidating county and district council services into unitary authorities to simplify governance and deliver daily services, such as children’s and adults’ services and waste collection. Devolution, by contrast, entailed the creation of new powers and the transfer of existing ones to a new regional body, a Mayoral Strategic Authority. The MSA’s purpose would be to provide a strategic framework for the region, enabling investment and granting local control over funding decisions.

The Programme Director explained that the expression of interest served as an invitation to government to discuss how devolution might work for Oxfordshire, with the process still at an early stage. The MSA would focus on strategic growth, planning, transport, skills, and public sector reform, supporting the business ecosystem and improving infrastructure for residents. Oxfordshire’s strong innovation ecosystem, where universities, entrepreneurs, and risk capital combined to drive growth, was cited as an example. The MSA would not deliver local services directly but would create an investment framework to support them, aiming to enable inclusive and sustainable regional growth.

Discussion turned to the absence of a list of councils in the report and expression of interest, with members seeking clarification on why councils were not explicitly mentioned and how this related to the membership of the devolution board. It was explained that the letter would be signed by the Leader, representing Oxfordshire, and the Leader of Bracknell Forest Council, Councillor Mary Temperton, representing Berkshire, rather than by all individual council leaders. The letter would refer to the Oxfordshire joint leaders and the equivalent Berkshire group, thereby covering all relevant councils.

Members enquired whether the Expression of Interest (EOI) would be amended in light of the government’s recent announcement to postpone the first round of devolution. The Chief Executive responded that, as the EOI had already been substantially approved by various councils, there was a desire to avoid making material changes out of respect for those decisions. However, it was advised that, given the government’s announcement, the EOI should still be submitted, and councils should proceed as if they were already acting as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44/25

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment & Highways, and Phil Whitfield, Head of Network Management, have been invited to present a report on Parking Permits.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment & Highways, and Phil Whitfield, Head of Network Management, were invited to present a report on Parking Permits.

The Cabinet Member opened the discussion on parking permits, noting that the committee had previously reviewed the issue in September and was now returning for a more substantive discussion. He explained that main parking permits had been digital for three years, with the visitor system moving online the previous December.

Paul Fermer and Phil Whitfield presented the item, highlighting that the report addressed all previously raised concerns, particularly the proposal to extend the current contract by two years. This extension would allow time for due diligence and a thorough procurement process for a new system. Improvements had already been made to the system based on committee and user feedback, focusing on user-friendliness and efficiency. Ongoing discussions aimed to review and challenge the system’s performance, ensuring it met expectations for the remainder of the contract. Both officers stressed the importance of continuous improvement and responsiveness to user concerns.

Concerns were expressed about the Council’s travel permit websites, which were described as unintuitive, text-heavy, and confusing in terms of login steps. Members questioned the use of email notifications instead of SMS and suggested that a more intuitive website would reduce the need for guides and drop-in sessions. Officers responded that improvements had been made based on feedback, but some limitations stemmed from integration with the main civil enforcement back-office system. While emails were currently used for notifications, the system’s capabilities and user experience remained under constant review. Officers confirmed that a more user-friendly system would be a priority in future procurement and that ongoing discussions aimed to address these issues for the remainder of the contract.

The possibility of shortening the contract extension for the digital permit system to one year, rather than two, was discussed. Officers explained that the contract allowed for a 1+1 year extension, so a shorter extension was possible. However, a longer extension would provide sufficient time for market engagement, encourage competition, and ensure a better system could be procured. Officers emphasised the need for due diligence and market engagement but confirmed that a shorter extension could be considered if circumstances allowed.

The removal of physical paper permits raised concerns about how residents could check if a vehicle’s registration had a valid permit for the correct controlled parking zone (CPZ). Officers explained that, under the digital system, the public could check if a vehicle had a permit, but not whether it was valid for a specific CPZ, due to data protection (GDPR) considerations. Enforcement officers could be called to check permits, and officers indicated they would explore whether trusted community volunteers could be given special access to help address this issue.

Members requested data on the number of permits issued in each category, the number of paper scratch cards issued, ease of obtaining them, revenue generated, and the contract’s cost or profit margin. Officers acknowledged these requests and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45/25

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, and Sean Rooney, Head of Highway Maintenance and Road Safety, have been invited to present a report on FixMyStreet.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Sean Rooney, Head of Highway Maintenance and Road Safety, Paul Wilson, Operations manager (Operations), and Matthew Timms, Team Leader (Engagement) – Highway Maintenance, were invited to present a report on FixMyStreet.

The Head of Highway Maintenance and Road Safety introduced the FixMyStreet item, explaining that the platform enabled the public to report highway defects and issues, and had seen around 41,000 reports since January. While acknowledging the system’s imperfections, he emphasised its role within a wider transformation programme aimed at improving customer experience, with several workstreams underway to address known issues. Ongoing collaboration with colleagues was highlighted, alongside recognition that not all users were satisfied with the service.

Reports from residents about submissions disappearing, allegedly due to a system “cleanse,” were discussed. The Head of Highway Maintenance and Road Safety confirmed that a cleansing exercise had taken place, typically closing older reports that had been inspected multiple times or were no longer relevant. He clarified that closures could also occur if issues were moved to planned works or deemed not immediate safety concerns but acknowledged confusion over language and process.

The committee discussed the report’s reference to “disproportionate reporting by high active users.” Officers clarified that active reporting by residents was encouraged and valued, and that the phrase referred to data analysis for benchmarking and understanding usage patterns, not to discourage participation. The aim was to ensure satisfaction and usage statistics were interpreted in context, recognising that some individuals or areas might report more frequently.

The process and uptake of becoming a FixMyStreet super user were examined. Members noted that some individuals completed training but did not become active super users and requested figures on this. Officers indicated that the exact numbers would be checked and reported back, but noted a significant increase in super users, with around 220 across the authority. The need for clarity and improvement in the process and follow-up for trained super users was acknowledged.

Suggestions were made to authorise other authorities in the county to act as “super users” under Section 42 agreements, as Oxford’s Street cleansing teams currently do. Officers explained that Oxford City Council’s ODS operated under a legacy Section 42 agreement for maintaining unclassified roads, and that similar arrangements with other districts would require those authorities to approach the county. ODS used a slightly different version of the FixMyStreet platform, and any expansion of delegated reporting or inspection roles would depend on legal agreements and district willingness.

Cllr Mallon left the meeting at this stage.

The use of aerial mapping and the WhatThreeWords system to improve defect reporting accuracy was discussed. Officers confirmed that WhatThreeWords had been used for some time and was valuable for pinpointing locations. Ongoing work with the platform provider aimed to integrate new technologies, including mapping and geotagged photos, as part of broader efforts to enhance reporting accuracy and efficiency.

Concerns were raised about potholes being repaired multiple times, with specific examples  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46/25

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, having raised any questions on the contents.

The Committee NOTED the action and recommendation tracker.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings, having heard any changes from previous iterations, and taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

The Council’s Forward Plan can be found here: Browse plans - Cabinet, 2025 | Oxfordshire County Council

The Committee AGREED to its work programme with the following amendments:

• To invite Adult Social Care to be the focus on the BMMR report in April
• To take a report on the new Social Value Policy after the budget in January

Attached are the Cabinet responses to the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee reports on the Oxfordshire Strategic Plan, Hire Bike and Scooters, and Our People and Culture. The Committee is asked to NOTE the responses.

The Committee NOTED the Cabinet responses to the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee reports on the Oxfordshire Strategic Plan, Hire Bike and Scooters, and Our People and Culture.