Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2019/205

Contact: Steven Fairhurst Jones, Corporate Performance & Risk Manager Tel: 07932 318890/ Hannah Doney, Head of Corporate Finance Tel: 07584 174654

Report by Corporate Director Customers & Organisational Development and Director of Finance (CA8).

The report sets out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and provides an update on the delivery of the Medium Term Financial Plan, at 31 March 2020. A summary of overall performance and description of change is contained within the report. The report contains four annexes:

·         Annex A shows our current performance against targets and summarises progress towards overall outcomes set out in our Corporate Plan.

·         Annex B sets out the Leadership Risk Register which has been developed as part of the Council’s work to strengthen risk and opportunities management

·         Annex C sets out the current financial position, providing detailed explanations of significant budget variations and an update on the Medium-Term Financial Plan including the delivery of savings agreed by Council in February 2019 

·         Annex D provides a note of the expected costs and loss of income expected relating to Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020/21

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)         note the contents of this report;

(b)         note the virements set out in Annex C – 2b;

(c)         note the provisional revenue outturn for 2019/20 along with the yearend position on general balances and earmarked reserves as set out in Annex C;

(d)         approve the remaining directorate overspend £0.3m after using the unused corporate contingency should be transferred to balances along with the Strategic Measures underspend of £2.8m as set out in paragraph 29;

(e)         agree that the surplus on the On-Street Parking Account at the end of the 2019/20 financial year, so far as not applied to particular eligible purposes in accordance with Section 55(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, be carried forward in the account to the 2020/21 financial year as set out in Annex C-4;

(f)          To note the expected costs and loss of income expected relating to Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020/21 as set out in Annex D.

Recommendations agreed.

Councillor Phillips to receive a written answer on her query on the use of Care Act easements.

Cabinet considered a report that set out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and provided an update on the delivery of the Medium Term Financial Plan, at 31 March 2020. A summary of overall performance and description of change is contained within the report. The report additionally provided a note of the expected costs and loss of income expected relating to Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020/21.

Dr Liz Sawyers, speaking on behalf of Oxfordshire Liveable Streets, spoke on the challenges presented by the end of lockdown. She referred to government advice to avoid public transport and to drive where walking and cycling are not possible. The upswing in private car usage will present a challenge. Dr Sawyers commented that the Council had the power to protect Oxford business and futures by creating an environment that put people first by protecting public space for social distancing and protecting air quality to prevent exacerbating the impact of covid-19. Dr Sawyers urged the bringing forward of a ‘plus’ version of Connecting Oxford so that it was in place by 1 July. Dr Sawyers added that the ‘Plus’ version was only two bus gates away from the original agreed at Cabinet on 21 January 2020.

Whilst commending the work being undertaken and recognising the pressures the Council were under, Dr Sawyers further urged the Council to work closely with Oxford City and the District Councils to provide public space for city business to restart; to fast track ‘liveable neighbourhood schemes’ and to commit to segregated and continuous cycle lanes along the City’s main arterial routes.

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance began by thanking staff for going  above and beyond their day to day duties: not just all those front line staff but also other staff still answering casework queries by councillors.

Councillor Phillips commented that she understood there was agreement to move the information about the process of writing the report into a separate annex.

Referring to paragraph 6, which advised of the return to quarterly reporting Councillor Phillips commented that she would welcome a streamlined, slimmed down report just focussing on key issues on a monthly basis. For good governance there was a need to maintain a monthly focus in order to understand how the Council’s response to the virus is impacting on Council services and finance. She commended Annex D as an excellent summary of the effects thus far.

Referring to the risk LR8 at page 21 Councillor Phillips suggested that this be increased to reflect the interim appointment of a non-legally trained Monitoring Officer. The appointment had been made unanimously at Council but it was right to be aware of the increased risk of issues not being identified because of a lack of legal training. She suggested that a timetable for the appointment of a Director of Legal Services, or the appointment of an existing solicitor into the interim position would mitigate the risk.

Councillor Phillips also sought assurances on the following: firstly  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38