Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence should be notified to sue.whitehead@oxfordshire.gov.uk or Tel: 07393 001213 prior to the start of the meeting.

Apologies were received from Jeremy Long, Phil Shadbolt and Andrew Harrison.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Oxfordshire Growth Board held on 30 November 2016.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2016 were approved and signed as a correct record.

To receive Communications from the Chairman.

Councillor Hudspeth welcomed Kevin Bourner from the HCA replacing David Warburton.

Members of the public may ask questions of the Chairman of the Growth Board, or address the Growth Board on any substantive item at a meeting subject to the restrictions set out in the public participation scheme.

Deadline to submit questions: By Thursday 23 March 2017 in writing or email to the Chief Executive or Secretariat of the host authority

Deadline to submit requests to address the meeting: No later than noon on the day before the meeting (Tuesday 28 March 2017) in writing or email to the Chief Executive or Secretariat of the host authority

In accordance with the Public Participation Scheme, the Chairman invited individuals and groups who had submitted questions to present them to the board.

The Chairman advised that responses to the submitted questions were available in the addenda to the meeting and would be made available on the Growth Board web pages and published with the minutes of the meeting.

Report Contacts: Paul Staines, Growth Board Programme Manager

Adrian Colwell, Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy, Cherwell District Council

Report Purpose

1)    At the Growth Board Executive Officer Group (EOG) meeting on 13th March 2017, EOG were invited to consider the preparation of an Oxfordshire Joint Spatial Plan (the Spatial Plan).

2)    EOG approved the report and a detailed project outline for consideration by the Growth Board. The project outline is attached as an appendix to this report.

Recommendation

That the Growth Board approve the project outline- attached at appendix one- as the basis for the preparation of a detailed project plan and business case for an Oxfordshire Spatial Plan

At the Growth Board Executive Officer Group (EOG) meeting on 13th March 2017, EOG were invited to consider the preparation of an Oxfordshire Joint Spatial Plan (the Spatial Plan).

Adrian Colwell presented the report and a detailed project outline for consideration by the Growth Board. He advised that the Growth Board were being asked for an in principle endorsement to proceed and that this report would be followed by much more detailed plans.

In agreeing the recommendations the following points were made:

1.    There was a welcome for the plans for a joint spatial plan which had been a long term aspiration.

2.    The link to the statutory process was seen as significant.

3.    Some caution was expressed that it was not wholly clear what problem could be resolved by this process that could not be resolved elsewhere. There was concern that this would affect the validity of the local plans. It was important not to upset processes that were already underway and to safeguard emerging and existing local plans.

4.    It was suggested that references to the SHMA in the scope needed to be treated with caution as the figures will be outdated.

5.    There needed to be greater clarity/understanding expressed on ‘made’ neighbourhood plans.

Adrian Colwell responded to the points made and emphasised that the pilot was an opportunity to work with the DCLG to shape reforms. He stressed that there was no intention to impede any local process.

Councillor Price proposed additional recommendations and it was:

RESOLVED:            to:

(a)   approve the project outline, attached at appendix one to the report, as the basis for the preparation of a detailed project plan and business case for an Oxfordshire Spatial Plan;

(b)  That the EOG should engage with the DCLG to explore the scope for the work in the JSP to be supported as a pilot project for the Departments wider work on the NPPF;

(c)  that the EOG should explore the key benefits for Oxfordshire which could be sought as part of a Spatial Plan

(d)  That the EOG should engage as part of this process with DCLG to resolve the housing delivery issues which are being experienced in different guises in various parts of the county.

In agreeing the above they also agreed that should it be necessary to meet the timescales involved they were willing to meet in advance of the next meeting in order to sign off the detailed project plan.

Cllr Anna Badcock, Chairman of the Health Improvement Board and Dr Joe McManners, Deputy Chairman of Health & Wellbeing Boardand Clinical Chair of OCCG will be in attendance for this item.

To inform members of the Growth Board of recommendations from the Health Inequalities Commission report and seek their involvement in taking the recommendations forward.

Cllr Anna Badcock, Chairman of the Health Improvement Board and Dr Joe McManners, Deputy Chairman of Health & Wellbeing Boardand Clinical Chair of OCCG were in attendance for this item.

Dr Sian Griffiths, Chair of the Health Equalities Commission gave a presentation informing the Growth Board of recommendations from the Health Inequalities Commission report and seeking their involvement in taking the recommendations forward. In particular Dr Griffiths highlighted detailed recommendations and sought support for taking those forward. She also sought support for a bid by Oxfordshire Sport and Physical Activity and support for consideration of a local innovation fund. Dr McManners provided detail of the intention behind the Innovation Fund aimed at enabling small steps to improve health for all.

Councillor Wood proposed the recommendations, they were seconded by Councillor Mills and it was:

RESOLVED:                         to

—  accept the recommendations and report of the Health Inequalities Commission and support the implementation of recommendations within and between their organisations as appropriate;

—  asked to endorse and support Oxfordshire Sport and Physical Activity in their bid to Sport England for money to tackle health inequalities in Oxfordshire;

—  consider how a local Innovation Fund can be established by all partners and to offer a small contribution of £2000 each to get the fund started;

—  to consider and support further action which will facilitate implementation of the recommendations and enable review and reporting progress on a regular basis.

Contact Officer: Paul Staines, Growth Board Programme Manager

Report Purpose

1)    At the Growth Board in May 2016, the Board approved the commissioning of an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OXIS).

2)    This report for information updates the Board with progress with this project

Recommendation

That the Growth Board note progress with OXIS.

At the Growth Board in May 2016, the Board approved the commissioning of an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OXIS).

The Growth Board received a report that updated the Board on progress with this project

RESOLVED:  to note progress  progress with OXIS.

Contact Officer: Growth Board Programme Manager

Report Purpose

1)    At the Growth Board in September 2015, the Board were invited to adopt a protocol for public participation in future meetings.

2)    The proposal was adopted, together with a commitment to review the effectiveness of the scheme at some point in the future.

3)    Accordingly, this report offers the opportunity for review, predicated upon feedback from recent participants who have suggested changes to the current scheme.

Recommendation

That the Growth Board consider the proposed changes to the current scheme of public participation contained in this report.

At the Growth Board in September 2015, the Board were invited to adopt a protocol for public participation in future meetings.The proposal was adopted, together with a commitment to review the effectiveness of the scheme at some point in the future.

The Growth Board considered a report offering the opportunity for review, based upon feedback from recent participants who have suggested changes to the current scheme. Recommendations for amendments to the protocol were set out in paragraphs 9-22.

Members in supporting the recommendations recognised the protocol’s limitations in being process driven. There was support for allowing supplementary questions. In response to concerns about the limits on the number of questions and petitions it was confirmed that this had been in the earliest protocol but was not in the current version. It was suggested that public participation could be encouraged by having a questions process separate to the meetings process.

RESOLVED:                        to support the proposed changes to the current scheme of public participation contained in this report.

Nigel Tipple

The Oxfordshire Growth Board noted an update from Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive OXLEP on the LGF allocation, the launch in February of the SEP, work on Innovation and Industrial Strategies and the agreement for work around the devolution deal context.