Issue - meetings

This report outlines the ongoing work with the Homes and Communities Agency to develop a Local Investment Plan (LIP) and Local Investment agreement (LIA) for Oxfordshire. The aim is to produce a final LIP signed off by the Oxfordshire local authorities by 31 March 2010.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to delegate to the Head of Sustainable Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure authority to agree to and sign off the final Local Investment Plan.

Cabinet considered a report (CA8) that outlined the ongoing work with the Homes and Communities Agency to develop a Local Investment Plan (LIP) and Local Investment agreement (LIA) for Oxfordshire. The aim was to produce a final LIP signed off by the Oxfordshire local authorities by 31 March 2010.

Councillor Purse, Shadow Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure, congratulated the officers and lead members on a hugely important piece of work. She recognised the tight timescales and accepted the need to delegate the authority to agree the final document. However in view of its significance she asked that members be kept informed by way of Council or at least the Growth & Infrastructure Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Hudspeth added his thanks to officers for bringing the report together in a very short time period. He was happy for the item to come back to the Scrutiny Committee. He proposed that in addition to himself the Leader also be consulted on the final Plan.

Officers drew attention to the comments of the Growth & Infrastructure Scrutiny Committee set out in the addenda and noted that the Plan was a work in progress. The Leader commented on the priorities, feeling that work was needed to better reflect the balance between economy, housing and infrastructure. He queried how much funding would eventually come with the process and emphasised that the priorities should reflect deliverability and effectiveness and not merely geographic spread. He also noted that the pilot was the only one covering a County Council and he would wish the Plan to be recognised as County wide and not restricted to the Central area.

Responding to a query from Councillor Couchman about the links to the 14 localities and 6 priority areas previously agreed, Cabinet was advised that there was representation across the County and work was continuing to develop a relationship with the locality work.

RESOLVED:             to delegate to the Head of Sustainable Development in consultation with the Leader and the Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure authority to agree to and sign off the final Local Investment Plan.