Agenda and minutes

Cllr Patrick Greene substituted for Cllr Keith Strangwood and Cllr Lawrie Stratford substituted for Cllr Michael Gibbard.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 6 October 2010 (GI3a) and Monday 20 December 2010 (GI3b) and to note for information any matters arising on them.

The minutes of 20 December 2010 meeting were agreed and signed. The minutes of 6 October 2010 meeting were agreed and signed.

No requests were received to speak to or petition the Committee

The report provides an overview of what Oxfordshire County Council has been doing as a part of the Schools’ Carbon Reduction Strategy and outlines future work (GI6).

Report by Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director (Growth & Infrastructure)

Contact Officer: Susan Kent, Environment & Climate Change Manager, 01865 815089

The Committee is invited to discuss and comment to the Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure.

Sue Kent, Environment and Climate Change Manager, updated the Committee on the School’s Carbon Reduction Strategy. This includes working with schools to improve energy efficiency through culture change, installing energy monitoring equipment in school buildings and providing support for installing Photo Voltaic panels. Councillors emphasis that communicating with schools would be key to ensuring this works.

The Committee AGREED to note the good work Officers and Cabinet Members are doing to reduce school carbon emissions.

The report provides an update on Oxfordshire County Council renewable energy projects and outlines the potential approach to be employed on both school and non-school sites (GI7).

Report by Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director (Growth & Infrastructure)

Contact Officer: Susan Kent, Environment & Climate Change Manager, 01865 815089

The Committee is invited to discuss and comment to the Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure.

Sue Kent, Environment and Climate Change Manager, updated the committee on ongoing work to install Photo Voltaic (PV) panels on Oxfordshire County Council sites to benefit from Feed In Tariffs from Government. The current approach will be reviewed in April 2012.

The Committee AGREED to note the report and thanked Officers for their ongoing work.

The report provides an overview of the Carbon Management Programme, and outlines what Oxfordshire County Council is doing to increase energy efficiency (GI8).

Report by Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director (Growth & Infrastructure)

Contact Officer: Susan Kent, Environment & Climate Change Manager, 01865 815089

The Committee is invited to discuss and comment to the Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure.

The Committee received an update on the Carbon management programme. Officers emphasised the focus on increased financial savings from carbon management efficiency. The Committee discussed the advantages and disadvantages of part-night lighting and suggested the issue comes back to the Committee for further scrutiny at an appropriate time. Noted the data collection issues and would like to have an update on this on the future scrutiny work plan.

The Committee AGREED to note the report and requested that a draft policy on part-night street lighting comes back to the Committee at an appropriate time.

The report provides an overview of government’s public consultation on its intention to sell 15% of the Public Forest Estate (GI9).

Report by Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director (Growth & Infrastructure)

The Committee is invited to consider the issues set out in this paper and highlight points for consideration in preparing the response.

This item was withdrawn from the agenda due to changes to Government proposals.

The report outlines the work on the development of the Council’s Local Transport Plan(LTP3) and outlines the comments that have been received through the consultation (GI10).

The Growth & Infrastructure Scrutiny Committee is invited to:

(a)  note the work conducted by the working group over the past year;

(b)  consider the comments received on the Plan through consultation process, including adding any further views it may have;

(c)   agree to the Working group continuing to meet for the next year.

Report by Steve Howell, Deputy Director (Transport)

Contact Officer: John Disley, Strategic Manager (Policy & Strategy), 01865 810460

The Committee noted the report and heard that the Working Group working with Officers on this strategy had added a lot of value. The Committee heard that the short term funding available for transport projects is extremely limited and many of the projects that are still on the table have section 106 funding behind them too.

The Committee AGREED to note the report and AGREED that the working group should continue to meet throughout the next year.

The Director for Environment & Economy will give an oral update on key issues.

Huw Jones, Director for Environment and Economy, updated the Committee on the financial position of the Directorate after the budget was set on 15 February 2011. This highlighted the key areas where savings will be made over the medium-term and the key risk areas. 

The Committee is asked to suggest items from the current Forward Plan on which it may wish to have an opportunity to offer advice to the Cabinet before any decision is taken, together with details of what it thinks could be achieved by looking at any items.