Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/059

Contact: Hannah Battye, Growth Manager, Central Tel: 07808 573932

Report by Assistant Director for Growth & Place (CA8).

N.B.  The report does not contain exempt information and is available to the public. Exempt information is contained in the confidential annexes at Item 12 below. In the event that any Member or Officer wishes to discuss the information set out in the Annex to Item 7, the Cabinet will be invited to resolve to exclude the public for the consideration of that Annex by passing a resolution in relation to that item.

Oxfordshire was successful in bidding for the Housing and Infrastructure Fund (HIF) for West Oxfordshire A40 Smart Corridor. The County Council has now met all the contract pre-conditions which enables the Grant Determination Agreement Heads of Terms to be agreed and the legal agreement drafted.

In agreeing the Head of Terms, the County Council will be signing up to receiving £102m to fund the improvements to the A40 corridor which will support additional housing within West Oxfordshire and wider economic benefits.

By accepting the funding and agreeing to deliver the infrastructure by April 2024, the Council will be taking on a level of financial risk if the programme goes off track or there is non delivery and these are outlined in the report. The County Council have forward funded the development of the HIF A40 scheme upto this point of approximately £800k which will be claimed from Homes England.

The scheme is also intrinsically linked to the Science Transit Local Growth Funded (LGF) scheme which is a business case being developed to be submitted to the Department of Transport. The County Council will have to fulfil a number of conditions relating to the LGF scheme to ensure that both elements are delivered together.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)  Subject to the confirmation from Homes England that the contract pre-conditions have been met and due diligence has been completed to manage programme and financial risk to the Council, authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Environment to:

i)   approve any final detailed amendments of the drafted Heads of Terms.

ii)  approve the Grant Determination Agreement (GDA).

(b)  Subject to the satisfactory completion of recommendation (i) approve the inclusion of all three elements (identified in para. 4 and Appendix 1) of the programme into the Capital Programme and report the governance of these projects at a HIF2 programme level with an overall budget provision of £102m subject to the implementation of the grant determination agreement with Homes England.

(c)  Note the draft Heads of Terms (Annex 1) that form the basis of grant determination agreement between Homes England and Oxfordshire County Council for West Oxfordshire Housing Infrastructure Fund Grant Award.

(d)  Note the Assurance Framework (explained in para 27) which sets out the background to the Housing Infrastructure Funding process and establishes the approach to reporting and monitoring implementation.

Recommendations agreed.

N.B.  The report does not contain exempt information and is available to the public. Exempt information is contained in the confidential annexes at Item 12 of the agenda.

Oxfordshire was successful in bidding for the Housing and Infrastructure Fund (HIF) for West Oxfordshire A40 Smart Corridor. The County Council has now met all the contract pre-conditions which enables the Grant Determination Agreement Heads of Terms to be agreed and the legal agreement drafted.

Cabinet considered the report seeking authority for the Chief Executive to have delegated authority to progress the project.

Sue Halliwell introduced the contents of the report explaining the background to the current position reached following close working with Homes England.

Councillor Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment (including Transport) moved the recommendations.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)  Subject to the confirmation from Homes England that the contract pre-conditions have been met and due diligence has been completed to manage programme and financial risk to the Council, authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Environment to:

i)    approve any final detailed amendments of the drafted Heads of Terms.

ii)   approve the Grant Determination Agreement (GDA);

(b)  Subject to the satisfactory completion of recommendation (i) approve the inclusion of all three elements (identified in para. 4 and Appendix 1) of the programme into the Capital Programme and report the governance of these projects at a HIF2 programme level with an overall budget provision of £102m subject to the implementation of the grant determination agreement with Homes England;

(c)  Note the draft Heads of Terms (Annex 1) that form the basis of grant determination agreement between Homes England and Oxfordshire County Council for West Oxfordshire Housing Infrastructure Fund Grant Award; and

(d)  Note the Assurance Framework (explained in para 27) which sets out the background to the Housing Infrastructure Funding process and establishes the approach to reporting and monitoring implementation.