Meeting documents
Cabinet
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
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To Members of the Cabinet Notice of a Meeting of the CabinetTuesday 20 March 2007 at 2.00 pm County Hall, Oxford
Contact
officer: Matt Bayliss Tel: 01865 815384
Membership
Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 28 March 2007 unless called in by that date for review by the appropriate Scrutiny Committee. Copies of this Notice, Agenda and supporting papers are circulated to all Members of the County Council. Date of next meeting: 17 April 2007
AGENDAAddenda
(See also Addenda)
To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 February 2007 (CA3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.
Cabinet
Member: Finance Report by
Head of Finance & Procurement (CA5). The financial monitoring report covers the period ended 31 January 2007 for both revenue and capital. Changes to the forecast revenue outturn are reported against the position at the end of December 2006. The consolidated revenue forecast for the year-end shows a balance of £16.433m. This is made up of £16.020m general balances and a forecast directorate underspend of £0.413m (excluding the City Schools reorganisation). Within Children, Young People & Families the main area of pressure continues to be the Early Years and Family Support Service with a forecast overspend of £1.380m. An increase in the forecast overspend within Agency Placements is broadly offset by a reduction in overspends across other budgets within the service. There has been no change to the forecast Asylum Seekers overspend (£0.240m) although significant uncertainty remains over grant income as a result of disputed income arising from data matching issues with the Home Office. Within Social & Community Services, Cultural Services is forecast to broadly breakeven as the remaining cost of the projected write-down of Audio Visual stock is currently offset by underspends elsewhere. £0.311m of this underspend may be requested to be carried forward. The remaining services within the Directorate are broadly forecast to breakeven after allowing for an underspend on grant funded preventative technology which, if unspent at the year-end, will be carried forward as a receipt in advance. The pooled budget for Older People, Physical Disabilities and Equipment is forecasting a £0.879m overspend and the Learning Disabilities pooled budget is forecasting a £0.300m overspend. This forecast is prior to the transfer of additional contributions following the Cabinet approval of the draw-down of £0.977m from the Emergency Reserve. There are increased underspends reported for Environment & Economy and Resources, however proposals will be brought at the year-end to carry some of this forward to meet costs to be incurred in 2007/08. There has been a decrease in the forecast underspend for Community Safety as the underspend identified on a grant will be carried forward as a receipt in advance to match related expenditure. The Capital Programme monitoring is attached in Annex 6-6f to the report. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: Transport Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA6). The Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 (LTP) set out a framework and programme for capital investment in transport for this five year period. The programme set out in the LTP needs to be flexible in order that it can respond to the changing demands placed on transport in the county. The report updates the LTP programme in the light of the progress made in its first year and the changes in the financial allocations made by the Government in the LTP Settlement in December 2006. In this settlement the County's LTP and its delivery of the First Plan were both judged to be ‘good’. Unfortunately the final settlement for the five years is slightly lower than the Planning Guidelines that were assumed in developing the LTP so that amendments have had to be made to the programme. The aim has been to retain the overall balance of the programme as outlined in the LTP. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the 2007/08 Transport Capital Programme as set out in Annex 1 to the report and note the revised programme for the remainder of the Local Transport Plan programme.
Cabinet
Member: Leader of the Council Report by Assistant Chief Executive (Strategy) (CA7) (download as .doc file) This report informs the Cabinet about our Audit Commission Comprehensive Performance Assessment for 2006. It shows that the Council has demonstrated 4 star overall performance - the highest level that can be achieved. Our 4 star status is as a result of improvements in our use of resources assessment, which measures how well the council manages its finances and delivers value for money; and in our environment assessment, which measures our performance across the range of environmental services. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.
Cabinet
Member: Change Management Report by Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development (CA8). This report gives an update on activity since the implementation of the new Establishment Review and associated Recruitment Approval process on 1 August 2005. It provides detail on the overall objectives of the review and summarises progress made against the targets which were agreed to ensure delivery of those objectives. Details of the agreed establishment figure at 31 December 2006 in terms of Full Time Equivalents is provided, together with the detailed staffing position at 31 December 2006. These are shown in the report by directorate and service area. The report also provides information on current activity and in addition there is information on grant funded posts and those vacancies which are being covered by agency staff and at what cost. The cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: Social Care & Policy Co-ordination Report by Director for Social & Community Services (CA9). This report recommends to the Cabinet that the County Council confirms its commitment to purchase 20 beds in a new 50 bed care home development in Chipping Norton and the signing of non-binding heads of terms for an agreement between the partners in the scheme. Cabinet received a report on 19 December 2006 setting out the remaining issues in reaching such an agreement, and agreed to a deadline of 31 March 2007 for the outstanding issues to be resolved or the Council would have to withdraw from the scheme. The PCT Board considered the Chipping Norton scheme at its meeting on 22 February 2007. The PCT agreed to confirm its purchase of 14 beds in the new care home. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: Transport, Schools Improvement, Social Care & Policy
Co-ordination Report by Head of Transport (CA10) (download as .doc file). The former Best Value & Audit Committee on 19 January 2005 included a Best Value Review on Funded Transport Services in the Council’s ‘Value for Money Programme for 2005 and Beyond’. The Review has examined three service areas:
On 25 May 2005 the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Group agreed that the outcome of the Review should be referred to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee for comment prior to Cabinet consideration. (The Committee’s comments will be available at the meeting). The report is prefaced by an executive summary. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: Transport Report by Head of Transport (CA11). This report identifies the proposed capital and revenue expenditure for highway maintenance in 2007/08. The budget allocations are set to deliver standards of service that meet minimum safety criteria, or affordable levels of amenity. They take account of identified budget pressures, and efficiency savings made through Oxfordshire Highways and Business Process Re-engineering. A copy of the 2007/08 assessed schemes programme has been placed for information in the Members Resource Centre. Oxford City Council continues to claim their right under Section 42 of the Highways Act to maintain the unclassified roads in Oxford and has submitted an estimate of maintenance works for 2007/08. The County Council may approve the estimate as submitted or with modifications. The report proposes a modified estimate based on a proportionate share of relevant County Council allocations and efficiency savings. The figures include an adjustment for 2006/07 inflation, and an agreed deduction for works brought forward for co-ordination reasons that the County Council provided funds for in 2006/07. There are strong linkages between budget, levels of service and policy. Annex 6 of the Report contains a new policy on ‘Decluttering and the Public Realm’. This applies to new and existing highway installations and will positively influence the quality of the built environment in Oxfordshire. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: Schools Improvement Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families (CA12). New housing growth in Banbury and Bicester has led to the requirement for new Primary schools in these towns. At its meeting on 18 July 2006 The Cabinet agreed to a consultation process in both areas. The report outlines the need arising from the new housing proposals and how it is intended to meet this need. The outcomes of the consultation process are summarized or will be reported to the meeting. Questions have been raised as to the need for the school in Bicester and this is discussed in the report. The report also provides a brief overview of the changing legislative background that will impact on the final decision making should the proposals go forward. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree the publication of statutory notices for new community schools in Bodicote/Banbury and Gavray Drive, Bicester and the final decision to be made by the Cabinet Member for School Improvement or through the school organisation arrangements in place at the time.
Cabinet
Member: Social Care & Policy Co-ordination The Cabinet makes appointments to those Outside Bodies which have been designated as ‘strategic’. Councillor Don Seale has been the County Council representative on the Board of the Oxfordshire Care Partnership since the contract was signed in December 2001. Councillor Jim Couchman has taken over the portfolio for Adult Social Care and it has therefore been agreed that Councillor Couchman should be proposed as the representative for the County Council in place of Councillor Don Seale. The contribution made by Councillor Seale to the work of the Oxfordshire Care Partnership is recognised by fellow Trustees and has been a very productive relationship. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to appoint Councillor Jim Couchman as the Oxfordshire County Council’s representative on the Board of the Oxfordshire Care Partnership.
Cabinet
Member: Community Safety Report by Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer (CA14) (download as .doc file). This report proposes a number of projects to be included within the Fire Authority’s Integrated Risk Management (IRMP) – Action Plan for the fiscal year 2007–08. The proposals summarise those areas where the Service’s Senior Management Team believe service improvements may be achieved. To meet the requirements of the IRMP process each proposal is supported by robust evidence, validating both their inclusion and their contribution to improved community safety and/or firefighter safety. Similarly, each proposal is cognisant of the prevailing economic constraints. The proposals for the 2007/08 IRMP Action Plan are as follows:-
These proposals have been approved by the Cabinet member for Community Safety and have been subjected to a comprehensive process of ‘risk analysis’ and offered for appropriate, internal and external, formal consultation. Feedback from the 12 week consultation process is included and provided in this report to the Cabinet, for due consideration, prior to the agreement of adoption in the final version of the Action Plan in April 2007.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet
Member: All The Cabinet Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting at the Cabinet is to include "updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting". Items from the Forward Plan for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet appear in the Schedule at CA15.This includes any updated information relating to the business for those meetings that has already been identified for inclusion in the next Forward Plan update. The Schedule is for noting, but Cabinet Members may also wish to take this opportunity to identify any further changes they would wish to be incorporated in the next Forward Plan update. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.
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