Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies were received from Cllr Ashby (substitute: Cllr Henwood), Cllr Gordon (substitute: Cllr Boucher-Giles), Cllr Kerr (substitute: Cllr McLauchlan), and Cllr Brant (substitute: Cllr Batstone).

See guidance note on the back page.

There were none.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 25 June 2025 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes from the previous meeting held on 25 June 2025, were APPROVED as a true and accurate record.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Applications to speak must be submitted no later than 9.00 a.m. three working days before the meeting, i.e., Thursday, 21 August, 2025.

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 9.00 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

Where there are a number of requests from persons wishing to present similar views on the same issue, the Chair may require that the views be put by a single spokesperson. It is expected that only in exceptional circumstances will a person (or organisation) be allowed to address more than one meeting on a particular issue in any period of six months.

Cllr Brighouse criticised the proposed temporary congestion charge as inequitable and inconsistent with Council policies.

Cllr Malik argued that the congestion charge and bus filter proposals conflicted with Council policy and would not help residents, especially those on Oxford Road

Richard Parnham argued bus speeds had not worsened since 2019 and criticised the lack of supporting data. Graham Jones questioned whether the scheme’s inconvenience and harm to businesses were justified. Emily Scaysbrook highlighted business opposition, poor timing before Christmas, and issues with consultation. Nicholas Hardiman warned of increased traffic and pollution near schools, and negative effects on local shops. Peter West doubted the scheme’s effectiveness. Philippa Jackson cited hospital staff shortages, road safety risks, and a contradiction with Vision Zero policy. Paul Major suggested the scheme was rushed for funding and would hurt retailers during the holiday season.

Danny Yee addressed the committee in support of the temporary congestion charge, suggesting that inaction on congestion would only worsen the congestion in and around Oxford.

Those addresses which were provided in written form are appended to this minute.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Liz Leffman, has been invited to present a report on the proposed Oxford temporary congestion charging points before it is submitted to Cabinet for determination.  Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (Deputy Chief Executive), Hannah Battye, Head of Place Shaping, and Aron Wisdom, Programme Lead – Central (Infrastructure Delivery) will attend to answer the Committee’s questions.

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.

The annexes to this report have also been published at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-travel/connecting-oxfordshire/temporary-congestion-charge

Annex 24 to the report comprises email responses where respondents to the consultation did not provide consent for publication.  It is therefore exempt from disclosure.  The information in this case is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category: 1. ‘information relating to a particular individual’ and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

In the event that any Member or Officer wishes to discuss the information set out in Annex 24, the Committee will be invited to resolve to exclude the public for the consideration of the annex by passing a resolution in the following terms: 

"that the public be excluded during the consideration of the report since it is likely that if they were present during that discussion there would be a disclosure of "exempt" information as described in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972 and specified below the item in the Agenda". 

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Liz Leffman, was invited to present a report on the proposed Oxford temporary congestion charging points before it was submitted to Cabinet for determination.  Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Hannah Battye, Head of Place Shaping, and Aron Wisdom, Programme Lead – Central (Infrastructure Delivery) also attended to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Leader of the Council presented the Oxford Temporary Congestion Charge report, explaining that Botley Road closures had caused congestion and unreliable buses, which had led the City Council to request interim measures. She acknowledged a level of public opposition, emphasised the aim to support bus users, and noted exemptions would be included to reduce negative impacts.

The Committee raised a number of questions and concerns related to the proposed Oxford Temporary Congestion Charge Points, including the following:

·       Whether the Council had plans to mitigate the impact of the congestion charge on SEND students, referencing report sections that stated pupils at certain schools would face longer journey times. The Programme Lead replied that SEND pupils attending affected schools would be able to apply for permits to pass through congestion charge points, and that the equalities impact assessment would be kept under review, though this was challenged as not being a concrete mitigation. Follow-up questions raised concerns about children awaiting SEND assessment, asking how their needs would be addressed, and officers advised that they would discuss this with SEND colleagues but could not promise anything immediately.

·       Whether the Council could work with councillors on school streets and drop-off points in the north of the county to help parents who drop off children before onward journeys. The Programme Lead confirmed they would be happy to collaborate and would connect the councillor with the relevant school travel planning staff. Further discussion covered the need to accelerate school traffic reduction schemes, including working with private schools on shuttle buses and encouraging more schools to adopt school streets, with officers stating that extra staff were being brought in to expedite these programmes and that engagement with schools was already underway.

·       Concerns around the quality and frequency of bus services, particularly on Botley Road and in rural areas outside Oxford. It was noted that Botley Road bus services had declined in popularity and quality owing to the road closure, with fewer and smaller buses running, and that elderly residents were increasingly using the subsidised Botley Flyer instead of regular buses.

Officers responded that bus usage on Botley Road had dropped, but that subsidies had been provided to maintain services, and a recovery plan was in place to encourage people back onto buses once the road reopened. Regarding rural areas, officers stated that Oxfordshire had a relatively good rural bus network compared to other counties, but acknowledged gaps and the need for further improvement. They explained that, given most bus service start or end in Oxford, reducing congestion in Oxford would make rural bus routes more reliable and attractive, potentially  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37/25

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.

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 Cabinet Forward Plan can be found here: https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgListPlanItems.aspx?PlanId=433&RP=115

The most recent BMMR, submitted to Cabinet in March 2025, can be found here: https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=33404

The Committee discussed the possibility of scheduling an October meeting, reviewed agendas for September (including verge and vegetation management, City Centre strategy and action plan, part-night lighting, and local government reorganisation) and November (section 106 dashboard, Fire and Rescue improvement plan, Oxfordshire rail strategy).

Members suggested future items on bus services and rural transport.  The Committee had received letters from Sutton Courtenay and Appleford on Thames Parish Councils requesting that it scrutinised the Council’s work on minerals and waste planning.  The Committee agreed that it would welcome a report on this in the future, recognising that – given the level of specialist knowledge needed – it would need to be carefully scoped so that the Committee could add value.

Monitoring the congestion charge scheme in 2026 was proposed and it was agreed that this should be placed on the work programme for April 2026.

Concerns were raised about a Cabinet response to the Transport Working Group’s recommendations not yet having been received.

The Committee was keen for the work programme to remain flexible, with further suggestions invited by email.

Attached are the Cabinet responses to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee reports on the Rail Strategy, and S106 improvement programme. The Committee is asked to NOTE the response.

The Committee NOTED the Cabinet responses to the reports on the Rail Strategy and S106 Improvement Programme.