Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

There were none.

- guidance note below

There were none.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 21 April 2026  (CA3) and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 April 2026 were approved as a correct record.

Any county councillor may, by giving notice to the Proper Officer by 9 am three working days before the meeting, ask a question on an item on the agenda.

The number of questions which may be asked by any councillor at any one meeting is limited to two (or one question with notice and a supplementary question at the meeting) and the time for questions will be limited to 30 minutes in total. As with questions at Council, any questions which remain unanswered at the end of this item will receive a written response.

Please see the attached annex.

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 present a petition must be submitted no later than 9am ten working days before the meeting.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting.

Requests should be submitted to committeesdemocraticservices@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.

A list of speakers can be found below:

7 - Reports from Scrutiny Committees

Cllr Ian Snowdon

8 – Oxford Congestion Charge Investment Plan

Luke Marion

Robin Tucker

Danny Yee

10 – Quiet Lanes Policy & Pilot Programme

Cllr Emily Kerr

Robin Tucker

Danny Yee

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2026/100

Non-key decision

Contact: Tom Hudson, Scrutiny Manager

Tom.hudson@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer (CA6)

To confirm the Cabinet's appointments for the civic year 2026/27.

The Cabinet is recommended to AGREE the appointments set out in the annex to the report

Cabinet had before it a report asking it to consider member appointments to a variety of bodies which in different ways supported the discharge of the Council’s executive functions.

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, proposed that the appointments be deferred to the next appropriate meeting, and it was approved.

RESOLVED:

To defer the agreement of appointments to the bodies set out in the annex to the report to the next appropriate meeting.

Cabinet will receive a report from the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Domestic Abuse - Safe Accommodation Provision

Cabinet received the following report from the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee and will respond in due course:

a)    Domestic Abuse – Safe Accommodation Provision

Cabinet Member: Transport Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2026/007

Key decision

Contact: Hannah Battye, Head of Place Shaping

Hannah.battye@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CA8)

Cabinet will be asked to consider officer recommendations for uses of the income generated by the temporary congestion charge

Following Cabinet’s 21 April 2026 deferral, and request to consider revised recommendations in relation to the Congestion Charge Investment Plan,  Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    approve the congestion charge investment plan, as detailed at Annex 1 and outlined in paragraph 20, including a £3 combined parking and bus ticket to replace the current free park and ride offer as soon as practically possible after 1 June 2026

b)    approve the amendments to the council’s Fees and Charges for 2026/27 as shown in Annex 2

c)    delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Transport Management for:

                                 i.         the allocation of any remaining unallocated surplus

                               ii.         the apportionment of the funds for “Active travel and additional public transport schemes” (Table 1) to specific projects, including but not limited to the list of such schemes in Annex 1

Cabinet had before it a report setting out revisions to the proposed investment plan for surplus income from Oxford’s temporary congestion charge scheme, outlining recommended allocations and justifications for spending to support local transport policies, following the item’s deferral from the previous Cabinet meeting in April.

Cabinet heard from external speakers on several matters, including the performance of the free park and ride scheme, bus usage, schemes to support NHS staff and teachers, active travel infrastructure and improvements in safety for pedestrians and cyclists at junctions.

Councillor Bekah Fletcher, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, presented the report.

Cabinet noted the improved reliability and timings of bus services since the temporary congestion charge’s introduction in October, which had also led to increased passengers using bus services. Members thanked the outgoing Cabinet Member for his work on this scheme.

Members particularly highlighted the good value of the proposed £3 Park & Ride offer, the incentives specifically for NHS staff and teachers and junction safety improvements but reflected that future income from the scheme was not guaranteed.

Councillor Fletcher moved and Councillor Gaul seconded the recommendations and they were approved.

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve the congestion charge investment plan, as detailed at Annex 1 and outlined in paragraph 20, including a £3 combined parking and bus ticket to replace the current free park and ride offer as soon as practically possible after 1 June 2026.

b)    Approve the amendments to the council’s Fees and Charges for 2026/27 as shown in Annex 2

c)    Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Transport Management for:

i.               the allocation of any remaining unallocated surplus

ii.             the apportionment of the funds for “Active travel and additional public transport schemes” (Table 1) to specific projects, including but not limited to the list of such schemes in Annex 1

Cabinet Member: Children and Young People

Forward Plan Ref: 2026/084

Non-key decision

Contact: Annette Perrington, Deputy Director of Education

Annette.perrington@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CA9)

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the release of the plan and share any feedback about its content.

Cabinet received a report on the Best Start in Life Plan, which was aimed at improving early childhood development outcomes for all children but particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Councillor Sean Gaul, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report.

Cabinet noted that the intention was to get more children achieving the good level of development (GLD) indicators, reflecting the system-wide approach to achieve this through family support, auto-enrolment on free school meals, early intervention and wider community facilities such as libraries. Cabinet noted the oversight of this plan through the Children’s Trust Board, which reported into the Health & Wellbeing Board.

Councillor Gaul moved and Councillor Gregory seconded the recommendations and they were approved.

RESOLVED to:

a)    Note the release of the plan and share any feedback about its content.

Cabinet Member: Transport Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2026/066

Key decision

Contact: Daniel McCrory, Technical Lead – Place Shaping

Daniel.mccrory@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CA10)

This is a proposal to develop a Quiet Lanes policy for the county, along with an associated framework for their implementation.
The policy, its benefits and the framework should be first tested through the implementation of a programme pilot (through 2026/27) before being fully adopted and rolled out on wider scale if appropriate.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)    Approve the county council’s Quiet Lanes Policy statement as attached at Annex 1

b)    Approve the Assessment criteria for consideration of Quiet Lanes at Annex 2 and the Implementation Toolkit at Annex 3

c)    Endorse the proposed approach to implementing, and testing, the Quiet Lanes Policy across Oxfordshire through a programme of pilot schemes (to be identified with local county councillors and parish/town councils)

d)    Delegate authority to Director of Environment & Highways, in consultation with Cabinet Member for Transport Management, to bring into operation Traffic Regulation Orders (both permanent and experimental) for the pilot schemes

Cabinet considered a report on Quiet Lanes Policy & Pilot Programme, aimed at making rural roads safer and more suitable for walking, cycling, wheeling and horse-riding through pilot schemes using existing allocations of funding and policy frameworks based on support from local areas.

Cabinet heard from external speakers on matters including the benefits for rural communities, road safety and danger, the structured pilot approach working with local communities, the prioritisation of schemes that enhance the wider active travel network and the need to have physical interventions to restrict access to quiet lanes.

Councillor Bekah Fletcher, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, introduced the report.

Cabinet noted the synergies with the direction set in the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP), supporting vision zero, healthy streets and public health aims. It was confirmed that after the pilot schemes had been rolled out, evaluation would be undertaken and it would be brought back to Cabinet to present the evaluation and refine the policy if required. Members also noted the importance of engagement with the community, parish council and local councillors to ensure it was requested, as was the case with the introduction of 20mph speed limits.

Councillor Fletcher moved and Councillor Epps seconded the recommendations and they were approved.

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve the County Council’s Quiet Lanes Policy statement as attached at Annex 1

b)    Approve the Assessment criteria for consideration of Quiet Lanes at Annex 2 and the Implementation Toolkit at Annex 3

c)    Endorse the proposed approach to implementing, and testing, the Quiet Lanes Policy across Oxfordshire through a programme of pilot schemes (to be identified with local county councillors and parish/town councils)

d)    Delegate authority to Director of Environment & Highways, in consultation with Cabinet Member for Transport Management, to bring into operation Traffic Regulation Orders (both permanent and experimental) for the pilot schemes.

Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Chris Reynolds, Senior Democratic Services Officer, chris.reynolds@oxfordshire.gov.uk

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 CA.  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 changes and additions set out in the schedule of addenda.

RESOLVED:

a)    To note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.