Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Steve Harrod.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 12 February 2018 (CA3 – to be circulated separately) and to receive information arising from them.

ERRATUM

The attached annex was omitted in error from the minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2018. The annex contains corrected information is respect of question 2.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 February 2018 were approved and signed as a correct record.

ERRATUM

Cabinet agreed an annex containing the questions from Councillors and responses from Cabinet Members which was omitted in error from the minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2018 and is now attached to the relevant minutes. The annex contains corrected information is respect of question 2.

Councillor Cherry had given notice of the following two questions to Councillor Constance:

1.    Has there been any progress in recruiting more road gangs to repair potholes by Council highways contractors Skanska  

Councillor Constance replied:

Skanska have allocated additional gangs to respond to the increase in reported pothole numbers, this equates to one gang in the North and similarly in the south. In addition to this where resources permit weekend working is being undertaken

2.    After a Banbury Guardian article on Thursday 15th February 2018, can I be assured that the FixMyStreet depth and width for fixing potholes has not been changed this includes highways officers inspecting potholes that have been reported by FixMyStreet or directly by local councillors.  

Councillor Constance replied:

Official intervention levels for footway and carriageway defects have not changed, however, a small element of discretion has been introduced for the inspectors to reduce the ‘pothole next to a pothole not being fixed’ type of enquiry

Councillor Howson had given notice of the following question to Councillor Hibbert-Biles

Following this comment from Ofsted in a recent report on a visit to a maintained primary school in London:

‘The local authority has provided some support to the school in managing the manipulative and sometimes abusive correspondence and comments made by email and across social media. However, considering the position the school found itself in, and the fact that some correspondence appears to have been coordinated, the local authority’s approach has been perfunctory at best, stopping short of supporting the school in its policy position. Instead, the local authority has positioned itself as a moderator to manage relationships between the school, councillors and community groups. The expected level of emotional care and public support for school staff from the local authority has been too limited and, as a result, ineffective.’

What mechanisms does this local authority have available to deal with any contentious issues affecting a maintained school in Oxfordshire?

Councillor Hibbert-Biles replied:

“Through ‘Workforce Steering Group and the ‘Oxfordshire County Council and Teachers Joint Committee’ a new social media policy is in the process of being agreed. This will apply to all maintained schools and will be available to academies to adopt or adapt as they see fit. The policy will include clear guidance about how school staff should deal with cases of ‘cyber bullying’ including the importance of retaining evidence. Where schools buy into the Council’s legal services they can access support where there may have been a potentially criminal act or, if short of this, perpetrators could be written to requiring them to desist. In principle this would be the same approach as adopted in the case of a vexatious parent or member of the public who could be barred from a school site. Ultimately the Council could take legal action on behalf of its employees, including head teachers.”

Supplementary: Councillor Howson queried how far the Cabinet Member believed that it was the duty of local authorities to provide emotional care and public support for school  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20/18

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/023

Contact: Ben Threadgold, Policy & Performance Service Manager Tel: 07867 467838

Report by Chief Executive (CA6).

To consider next steps in developing and finalising the Corporate Plan, following comments from Council on 13^th February 2018.

Agree to receive a final version of the corporate plan once work on the performance outcomes and measures, and to engage fully with Councillors, has been completed.

Cabinet considered a report setting out next steps in developing and finalising the Corporate Plan, following comments from Council on 13^th February 2018.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Opposition Leader, spoke at the invitation of the Leader of the Council. Councillor Brighouse welcomed the recommendations as eminently sensible as the production of the Prospectus allowed time to get the Corporate Plan right and she thanked Cabinet for listening to the comments of Scrutiny and Council.

Councillor Heathcoat, Deputy Leader of the Council, in moving the recommendations commented that the Prospectus had been well received. Cabinet had taken on board comments on the Corporate Plan from full Council, Performance Scrutiny Committee and others and the Corporate Plan would be coming back again. Councillor Bartholomew drew attention to a third document that would be circulated with Council Tax Bills and give details of services provided by the County, District and Parish Councils respectively. Cabinet welcomed the opportunity for others to further engage.

RESOLVED:                        to agree to receive a final version of the corporate plan once work on the performance outcomes and measures, and to engage fully with Councillors, has been completed.

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council

Forward Plan Ref: 2017/115

Contact: Sarah Currell, HR Manager – Business Systems Tel 07867 467793

Report by Director of Human Resources (CA7).

The report gives an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2017.  It gives details of the actual staffing numbers at 31 December 2017 in terms of Full Time Equivalents.  These are shown by directorate in Appendix 1. In addition, the report provides information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff and an Agency Trend analysis in Appendix 2. 

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Cabinet had before them a report that gave an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2017. In addition, the report provided information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff and an Agency Trend analysis.

Councillor  Judith Heathcoat, Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the contents of the report and moved the recommendations. Councillor Heathcoat responded to comments about a press article on agency and consultancy staff and explained that need to ensure that services continued despite staff illness and vacancies. Figures always increased during winter due to illness. Councillor Stratford, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, paid tribute to a successful campaign to recruit social workers.

RESOLVED:                              to note the report.

Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manager Tel: 07393 001213

The Cabinet Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting at the Cabinet is to include “updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting”.   Items from the Forward Plan for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet appear in the Schedule at CA8.  This includes any updated information relating to the business for those meetings that has already been identified for inclusion in the next Forward Plan update.

The Schedule is for noting, but Cabinet Members may also wish to take this opportunity to identify any further changes they would wish to be incorporated in the next Forward Plan update.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.

The Cabinet considered a list of items for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet together with the following addition notified at the meeting:

Area Highway Operations in the City Council Authority Boundary – Agency Agreement (Ref 2017/134) - To seek approval for new Highways Management Agency agreement with Oxford City Council.

RESOLVED:                        to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.