Agenda item

Councillor Howson had given notice of the following question to Councillor Tilley:

“How many Oxfordshire schools imposed fines for absence by pupils during the autumn term of the current academic year; and what was the percentage of these fines paid?”

Councillor Tilley replied:

“During the Autumn term (terms 1&2) there were 441 Penalty Notice Warning letters issued by the Attendance and Engagement Team on behalf of Oxfordshire Schools. Of this number 26 resulted in Penalty Notices being issued. Some Oxfordshire Schools may have issued Penalty Notice Warnings without informing the Attendance and Engagement Team.

There were 6 prosecutions taken between 1st September 2013 and 28th February 2014 for failing to pay a Penalty Notice.”

Supplementary:  Responding to a question on whether the Cabinet member would make representations to the school commissioner and Ofsted as to the very high non-attendance at St. Gregory the great school, Councillor Tilley replied that the School Improvement officer had been sent into the school to try and establish the underlying cause of the high absence rate .  She had further requested that an analysis of poor attendance be undertaken on a class by class and year by year basis. This has been successful in improving attendance in the past.  Should this not improve attendance, she would then consider contacting Ofsted?

Councillor Tanner had given notice of the following question to Councillor Nimmo Smith:

“In preparing for the 6 months of road works at the Hinksey Hill and Kennington roundabouts what consideration was given in the final scheme to improving the situation for bus passengers, Park & Ride users and cyclists? Why are there no bus lanes, no better access to Redbridge Park and Ride and no safer routes for cyclists in the scheme? How much extra traffic will be drawn along Abingdon Road in my division as a result of the increase in traffic on the ring road?”

Councillor Nimmo Smith replied:

“The scheme when completed will deliver substantial improvement in congestion which will benefit all vehicles, including buses, as the Abingdon Road/A423 is a key bus corridor route. This will make getting into and out of the Park & Ride site easier for cars and buses.  As part of the Kennington Roundabout improvements, a new subway is being provided under the ‘hamburger’ lane to ensure the existing, good quality cycle routes between Kennington and Abingdon Road/A423 are maintained.  The scheme has previously undergone a full consultation exercise back in 2012, and the results carefully considered to finalise the design.

An additional scheme is being developed as part of the City Deal initiative, which is aiming to provide a bus lane coming off the A34 northbound offslip at Hinksey Roundabout, with the specific aim of improving bus journey times/reliability at peak times along the Oxford/Abingdon corridor.

Traffic modelling undertaken for the scheme indicates that residents on the Abingdon Road using the Kennington Roundabout will experience improvements in journey times at peak hours.”

Supplementary:  Councillot Tanner enquired as to whether the bus lane works would be carried out along with the other works scheduled to finish in November or be implemented later, causing further delay and congestion for the residents of Oxford.  Councillor Nimmo Smith responded that the funding available wass for the current works being undertaken at the moment and   that the bus lane would be implemented when the funding became available.

Councillor Glynis Phillips had given notice of the following question to Councillor Nimmo Smith:

“In the minutes of the 13th May Cabinet meeting in response to a question I raised about the possibility of a pedestrian crossing on the A40 at the bottom of Collinwood Road the Leader advised that he would investigate the possibility of directing section 106 funding to this project. Can I be advised of the results of these investigations”

The answer supplied by Councillor Nimmo Smith was as follows:

“The general principle is that S106 monies are intended to ameliorate the effects of individual developments on existing infrastructure, in this case the highway

With no significant developments in the vicinity of Collinwood Road then there is no specific S106 money which could be used for this project

We are able to pool S106 monies in Oxford so that larger strategic projects (such as Thornhill Park & Ride extension and the improvements at Frideswide Square) can progress, but we must still show that there is a relationship between the traffic arising from the development and the project concerned. I’m advised that officers do not consider that such a  linkage could be made in the case of a pedestrian facility for Risinghurst.”

Councillor Glynis Phillips had given notice of the following question to Councillor Nimmo Smith:

“In the minutes of the 13th May Cabinet meeting in response to a question I raised about the timetable for the rebuilding of the London Road in Headington the Leader advised that further details would be sent to me about widening the scope of the original scheme as a result of receiving additional DfT funding. When will this information be sent to me?”

The answer supplied by Councillor Nimmo Smith was as follows:

“The A420 London Rd Improvement and Maintenance scheme continues to be developed. With the additional £0.491 DfT maintenance funding, we are now able to deliver a more comprehensive scheme and therefore an appropriate longer service life/durable carriageway reconstruction treatment is being finalised.  

The road works are programmed to commence late summer 14 and be completed by late Spring 15 with a break of road works during the Christmas Embargo period.”