Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

There were none.

See guidance note on the back page.

There were none.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2026 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting on 15 January 2026 were AGREED as a true and accurate record.

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 speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting, i.e. Monday, 16 March 2026.

Requests should be submitted to the Scrutiny Officer at scrutiny@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.

There were none.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet member for Public Health & Inequalities, Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health and Communities, Serna Abel, Interim Head of Public health Programmes & Public Health Principal (Domestic Abuse), and Shajaat Hussain, Service Manager for Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Service, have been invited to present a report on Domestic Abuse - Safe Accommodation Provision in Oxfordshire.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet member for Public Health & Inequalities, Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health and Communities, and Serena Abel, Interim Head of Public Health Programmes & Public Health Principal (Domestic Abuse) (Interim Head of Public Health), were invited to present a report on Domestic Abuse - Safe Accommodation Provision in Oxfordshire.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health & Inequalities introduced the domestic abuse report by outlining the Council’s statutory duties under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, including the requirement to assess need, commission safe accommodation, and maintain a dedicated strategy. She clarified the distinction between the overarching Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Strategy and the more focused Safe Accommodation Strategy, which concerned accommodation‑based support. She highlighted the service’s role in providing refuge places, places of safety, and assurance on demand, capacity and system pressures.

The Director of Public Health and Communities placed the report in a wider context, noting that domestic abuse work had moved into Public Health around five years earlier, allowing a more holistic and preventative approach linked with services such as mental health, substance misuse, and protective behaviours in schools.

Cllr Overton joined the meeting at this stage.

The Interim Head of Public Health outlined the Safe Accommodation Strategy within Oxfordshire’s four-pillar domestic abuse framework. She stressed shared responsibility between the County Council, Districts and police, with the County Council leading on statutory duties and funding, while districts help shape housing pathways.

A2Dominion had provided commissioned safe accommodation since 2018, with plans to benchmark and recommission ahead of 2028. Funding comes from district contributions based on estimated prevalence. Service developments addressed growing complexity of need, including cost-of-living support, hospital-based advocacy, and dedicated complex-needs provision. The strategy also covered support for male victims, rural outreach, referral rejections, tenancy length, move-on challenges, police check delays, and out-of-hours support via the national helpline.

Cllr Boucher-Giles joined the meeting at this stage.

Following the introduction and presentation, the Chair opened the discussion and invited questions and comments from Members.

Members requested clarification on the financial figures. The Interim Head of Public Health stated that all district councils funded the service based on estimated prevalence and agreed to maintain funding until the contract ends.

Members explored the procurement history and asked why A2Dominion had been the sole bidder for the safe‑accommodation contract, and what assurances existed regarding quality and value. The Interim Head of Public Health explained that a full procurement process had been followed, including predetermined quality thresholds and independent evaluation. The Officers confirmed that if the bidder had failed to meet the quality requirements, the Council would not have awarded the contract and would instead have re‑tendered. Officers noted that the main risk of a single‑bid procurement was delay and uncertainty had the bidder failed to meet the threshold, potentially disrupting service continuity. Officers advised that future recommissioning would place greater emphasis on early market engagement, benchmarking, and exploration of alternative delivery models to widen the provider base.

Members queried which costs were encompassed by the A2Dominion contract in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12/26

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings, having heard any changes from previous iterations, and taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

The Committee recognised that it was not within its authority to commit future Committees to any proposed programme of work. Nevertheless, the Committee AGREED that the suggested work programme would serve as an appropriate starting point for subsequent Committees.

The Committee suggested the following amendments for the future Committee:

·       Bring back the domestic abuse item after the needs assessment, inviting the provider and including lived-experience input. Provide more comprehensive statistics at that session, with detailed information on male victim-survivors. Consider presenting the remaining three pillars of the domestic abuse strategy to the Committee in the future.

·       That the Community Grants Panel report, which had been delayed, be scheduled to return to the Committee at a forthcoming meeting.

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, having raised any questions on the contents.

The Committee NOTED the action and recommendation tracker.