To Members of the Cabinet
Notice of a Meeting of the Cabinet
County Hall,
Tony Cloke
Assistant Head of Service
(Democratic) June
2007
Contact officer: Michele
Cooke
Tel: 01865 815463
E-mail: michele.cooke@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Membership
Decisions taken at
the meeting
will become effective
at the end of the working day on
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:
AGENDA
Addenda (download as .doc file)
1.
Apologies
for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest – see guidance note
3.
Minutes
To
confirm the minutes of the meeting held on
4.
Petitions
and Public Address
5.
Provisional
2006/07 Revenue and Capital Outturn
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/98
Contact: Ken Bell,
Assistant Head of Finance (Finance Accounting) (01865 815411)
Report
by Head of Finance & Procurement (CA5).
This
report presents the provisional outturn for revenue (Part 1) and capital (Part
2) for the 2006/07 financial year. Figures shown in the report reflect those
included in the Council’s Statement of Accounts in 2006/07, which is submitted
to the Audit Committee on
The
provisional outturn for the Council shows general balances of £22.933m; an
increase of some £7.9m compared to the last report to Members, which was based
upon the period to the end of February. The £22.9m incorporates the receipt of Local Authority Business growth
Incentive grant (LABGI), the allocation of which in 2007/08 has been
recommended by Cabinet and the receipt of £2.744m of Performance Reward Grant
which will be applied in 2007/08. When
these two elements are taken in to consideration the ‘free’ balances taken
forward into 2007/08 reduce to £19.224m.
The Directorate carry forward position stands
at £3.667m underspend (net of £2.533m overspend on
City Schools’ reorganisation). This
compares to a carry forward position of £3.020m (net of
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a)
note
the provisional revenue and capital outturn set out in the report;
(b)
approve
the Directorate carry-forwards as set out in annex 2(a), including the virement of carried forward underspends to other budget heads in 2006/07 as set out in annex 2(b);
(c)
approve
the use of balances to meet the
overspend of £0.009m on non-domestic rates (paragraph 59);
(d)
approve
the use of balances to meet £0.037m overspend on the Coroners Service
(paragraph 59);
(e)
agree
that the surplus in the On-Street Parking Account at the end of the 2006/07
financial year, so far as not applied to particular eligible purposes in
accordance with Section 55(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, be
carried forward in the account to the 207/08 financial year (paragraph 43);
and,
(f)
rescind the approval given to the formation of a £1.0m provision from the Strategic
Measures surplus in respect of debt restructuring (paragraph 50).
6.
Financial
Monitoring
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/52
Contact: Stephanie Skivington, Strategic Finance Manager/Mike Petty, Strategic
Financial Planning Manager (01865 815426/815622)
Report
by Head of Finance & Procurement (CA6).
The
financial monitoring report covers the period ended
Based
on the Provisional Outturn report for 2006/07, the closing balances figure is
£22.933m. Taking in to account the
budgeted changes to balances set out in the Medium Term Financial Plan this
falls to £22.537m balances at 1 April. Included in balances is £3.709m (£0.965m relating to Local Authority
Business Growth Incentive grant and £2.744m Performance Reward Grant). The use of the Local Authority Business
Growth Incentive (LABGI) grant was approved by Cabinet in April 2007 for
recommendation to Council and the Performance Reward Grant funding will be
allocated in accordance with the schedule agreed by Council in February
2007. After adjusting for these two
items and a forecast additional interest on balances (£1.0m), the general
revenue balances forecast for the year-end shows a balance of £19.676m.
Within
Children, Young People & Families the main area of pressure continues to be
the Early Years and Family Support Service. A supplementary estimate is requested to meet the balance brought
forward on the Agency Placements budget that has not been offset by the virement of underspends from
elsewhere in this Directorate. High
financial risk arising from unresolved Home Office data matching issues for
2006/07 earlier years in the Asylum Seekers budget is taken forward into
2007/08 and Oxfordshire’s special representation claim is due to be submitted
to the Home Office in July.
Within
the Social & Community Services Directorate a balanced year-end position is
anticipated although the overspend of £0.255m carried forward on the Library
Service budget will need to be addressed as part of the fundamental review of
this service, which if delayed, will impact on the extent of savings realised
this year.
The
Directorates for Environment & Economy, Community Safety and Corporate Core
have not identified any key risks that could cause a significant variation to
budget although based on previous years’ trends, slippage could arise on a number of projects throughout the course of the year.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a)
note
the report;
(b)
approve
the non-repayable supplementary estimate of £0.152m requested by the Director
of Children, Young People & Families as detailed in paragraph 6;
(c)
approve
the permanent virements from Social & Community
Services to Community Safety of £0.046m and from Community Safety to Social
& Community Safety of £0.024m (paragraph 22);
(d)
approve
the permanent internal virement of £1.376m within
Corporate Core (paragraph 23);
(e)
approve
the permanent virement of £2.733m from all
directorates to Shared Services (paragraph 27);
(f)
approve
the permanent virement of £0.335m from all
directorates to Corporate HR (paragraph 28);
(g)
approve
the temporary virement of £0.255m from Corporate Core
to Social & Community Safety (paragraph 29); and
(h)
approve the permanent virement of £0.056m from Social &
Community Services to Corporate Core (paragraph 30).
7.
Performance
Management
Cabinet Member: Change Management
Forward Plan Ref: 2006/041
Contact: Paul Edwards,
Corporate Performance Manager (01865 815307)
Report
by County Council Management Team (CA7).
This quarterly report shows our performance against the key
targets contained in the Council's Balanced Scorecard at the end of the fourth
quarter of 2006/7. The report identifies performance against each priority
target using a traffic light system to show progress within four blocks:
customers, finance, process and people.
Performance at the end of the fourth quarter is encouraging,
showing green traffic lights for over 75% of indicators where information is
available.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note
the report.
8.
Establishment
Monitoring
Cabinet Member: Change Management
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/29
Contact: Steve Munn, Head
of Human Resources & Organisational Development (01865 815191)
Report by Head of Human Resources &
Organisational Development (CA8).
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:
(a)
note the report; and
(b)
confirm that the Establishment Review continues to meet requirements in reporting and
managing staffing numbers.
9.
Oxfordshire Local
Area Agreement Annual Review
Cabinet Member: Leader of the
Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2006/182
Contact: Paul James, Head
of Partnership Working, (01865 816031)
Report
by Chief Executive (CA9).
Oxfordshire's
Local Area Agreement (LAA) was signed in March 2006 for delivery from April
2006 to March 2009. The Public Service Board manages the LAA for the
Oxfordshire Partnership and has been monitoring performance against the targets
on a quarterly basis. Oxfordshire County Council is the accountable body for the Local Area Agreement on behalf of the Oxfordshire Partnership and
Councillor David Robertson chairs the Public Service Board.
The
Local Area Agreement contains 12 ‘stretch’ outcomes, achievement of which if
met, will bring £16m in reward grant to the Partnership and 25 non-stretch
outcomes and associated targets. Targets are shared across the five blocks of
the LAA; Children & Young People; Economic Development and
Risk
profiles have been developed to help each LAA “block” assess where some of the
performance risks are higher for some targets than others. For example, whether
there are dependencies between targets or where there is no previous
performance data for the target. This has helped to focus where closer
performance monitoring is required or where there are gaps that need to be
addressed. LAA Programme and governance arrangements are in place. The GOSE 12
month review (June 2007) will identify strengths and weaknesses which could
impact on CPA Corporate assessment score. (Risk register reference CC PU7).
GOSE
requires that there is a report on the Council’s LAA every six months. The
first six month review adopted a light touch approach but the first annual
review provides the opportunity to evaluate the Council’s performance, focusing
on its successes, weaknesses and the added value of the LAA. The self
assessment report has been prepared to inform our discussion with the
Government Office. The review meeting will take place on 21st June. As the accountable body for the Local Area Agreement, Oxfordshire
County Council is responsible for managing the programme and co-ordinating the
review process.
A
working draft of the Annual Report text for consideration by Cabinet is
attached. The Public Service Board meets on 12 June to agree the Annual Review
Self Assessment Report. The report is then submitted to the Government Office
in advance of the review meeting. The final draft is available as part of the
Cabinet addenda available at the meeting.
It
is intended to report to Cabinet on 17 July on the outcomes of the annual
review meeting.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to endorse the Local
Area Agreement self assessment report and note progress against outcomes in the
first year of delivery.
10.
Annual Audit
& Inspection Letter 2005/06
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/43
Contact: Sue Scane, Head of Finance & Procurement (01865 816399)
Report by Head of Finance & Procurement
(CA10) (download as .doc file).
The
Audit Commission has issued the Annual Audit & Inspection Letter
2005/06. The letter represents a summary
of the Auditors’ work and key findings relating to the financial year
2005/06. The timing of the letter is
later this year than previously due to a review of the Fire Service Use of
Resources assessment. However, the
financial aspects of the letter have already been considered in a separate
report from KPMG LLP which was considered by the Audit Committee at its meeting
on
The
Council needs to consider the issues and recommendations arising from the letter,
and this role is carried out for the Council by the Audit Committee, who will
be considering it at their
The
Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a)
receive the
Annual Audit and Inspection Letter 2005/06;
(b)
consider whether there are any matters/recommendations
for Cabinet action arising from the Annual Audit & Inspection Letter
2005/06;
(c)
invite individual Cabinet Members to pursue with the
appropriate Directors the respective Recommendations in the Letter; and,
(d)
note that the Audit Committee on
(i)
receive the Letter and note any comments from
the Audit Commission/KPMG;
(ii)
refer sections of the letter to scrutiny
committees as appropriate; and,
(iii)
refer the
Letter to the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Group to help
develop work planning for 2007/08 onwards.
11.
Provision of
Additional Secondary Pupil
Places in Wantage,
Grove and Surrounding Villages
Cabinet Member: Schools
Improvement
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/07
Contact: Michael Mill,
Strategic Manager (01865 816458)
Report
by Director for Children, Young People & Families (CA11) (download as .doc file).
This
report summarises the findings from the public consultation in Wantage and Grove which concluded in January 2007 and
recommends a way forward to meet the future demand for secondary school places
in the area.
The
key drivers for undertaking the consultation were:
·
Need for 700 additional secondary pupil
places in the Grove area – 150 by 2011 and a further 550 by 2026.
·
Need for the Council to negotiate with the
developer to secure a site in Grove for additional provision.
·
Desire from King Alfred’s Community and
The
area currently has one secondary school: King Alfred’s Community and
A)
Two schools each with 1,250 pupils;
B)
One school on two sites with 2,500 pupils; and,
C)
New 600 place 11-16 school for Grove and retain King Alfred’s as existing.
The
Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a)
consider
the Options as set out in this paper and decide to:
(1)
proceed
with Option A and propose 2 schools each with 1,250 pupil places; or
(2)
proceed
with Option B and expand King Alfred’s Sports and Community College to 2,500
pupil places; or
(3)
proceed
with Option C and provide a new 600 place 11-16 schools for Grove and retain
King Alfred’s Sports and Community College under the existing arrangement; and
(b)
authorise Officers to complete negotiations with developers to secure a sufficient and
appropriate site to meet the needs of the selected option and any possible
future expansion and report back on the potential implications in terms of timeline and cost of
the preferred option.
12.
Healthy School
Scrutiny Review
Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/106
Contact: Julian Hehir, Scrutiny Review Officer (01865 816673)
Report by Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee (CA12).
On 27 September last year, the Children's
Services Scrutiny Committee agreed as part of its work programme to undertake a scrutiny review of
The
Review itself involved interviewing expert witnesses, visiting schools and
other local authorities and secondary research. These provided evidence to support the conclusions reached.
The
Review Group was impressed by the effectiveness with which the overall programme was being delivered and implemented in schools,
the numbers of schools achieving the Healthy School Standard (HSS), and the
commitment of everyone involved. But, there were areas of concern:
·
the long term
sustainability of and ongoing financial support for “Healthy Schools”;
·
external agencies’ support
for schools at acute times;
·
the difficulty in obtaining
tangible evidence to indicate the long term health and achievement benefits for
pupils and schools;
·
access to and commitment
from schools who did not wish to register for the Standard;
·
inadequate dining and
lavatory facilities;
·
perhaps, over-emphasis in some instances on the Healthy Eating theme of Healthy
Schools.
However,
the overall impression was very positive and there have been significant
achievements around “Healthy Schools”.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to consider the
Scrutiny Review Report and communicate to the Children’s Services Scrutiny
Committee its response to the Review’s recommendations.
13.
A Review of the
First Year of Delegating
the Statementing Budget
Cabinet Member: Schools
Improvement
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/109
Contact: Janet Johnson,
SEN Service Manager – SEN Lead (01865 815129)
Report
by Director for Children, Young People & Families (CA13).
This report reviews the first year on
implementing the scheme of SEN delegation introduced in April 2006. In December 2005 the then Executive agreed:
(a) the introduction of a scheme of delegation from April 2006 using the SEN Index
formula, on the following basis:
(1)
all of the statementing budget for secondary schools should be delegated;
(2)
for
primary schools, funding equivalent to the first 15 hours of provision should
be delegated;
(3)
introduction should be phased over two year;
(4)
exceptional
arrangements should be made for the hundred primary schools with the smallest
whole school budgets and other exceptional circumstances, on a basis agreed by
the Director for Children, Young People & Families;
(5)
a
contingency fund should be retained for exceptional arrangements, ring-fenced
within the school’s block so that any surplus is re-distributed to schools at
the end of the year;
(b)
the Director for Children, Young People
& Families be asked to:
(1)
review the implementation within the first year
for consideration by the Schools Forum and Cabinet;
(2)
produce a full review of the scheme within
the first two years, in time for any changes to be made for April 2008;
(3)
report to the Cabinet in Summer 2007 on the
use of “additional funding” and any proposals for its redistribution from 2008;
(4)
work on extending the scope of ‘School
Action Plus’ in the hundred primary schools with the smallest whole school
budgets to enable, where appropriate, further centrally agreed funding for
specified pupils.
The introduction of the new scheme has been
phased over two years. A further detailed report will be submitted to the
Cabinet in autumn 2007 to allow decisions to be made in advance of the April
2008 budget cycle.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a)
endorse the continued
implementation of the delegation scheme as described within the report;
(b)
seek the views of the
Schools Forum on the scheme as monitored hitherto;
(c)
request a further report
to Cabinet in the autumn, in time for any changes for April 2008; and
(d)
instruct the Director for Children, Young People & Families to re-distribute savings
from central SEN staffing to schools.
14.
Better Offices
Programme – Northern Area
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/36
Contact: Mark Tailby – Property Services (01865 816012)
Report by Head of Property Services and Head
of Finance & Procurement (CA14).
This project appraisal
relates to acquisition of a freehold site in Banbury town centre and
procurement of a new office building to consolidate staff from 10 existing Council
offices.
The report describes the
proposals in terms of location, size of building, environmental standards and
benefits of service integration; the main risks which relate to ground
conditions, planning, procurement and the timetable and how the proposal meets
County Council objectives.
Providing a consolidated
office in Banbury is a major component of the Better Offices Programme and will
contribute significantly to achieving a smaller, better quality, flexible
portfolio to improve service delivery. It will allow freehold disposal of 3 properties, surrender of 2
leasehold buildings and will release space within a further 5 County Council
buildings. The new offices will be fit
for purpose, whereas those to be released are generally under-performing in
energy and maintenance terms, having been acquired on a piecemeal basis over
many years.
The
report lists the other options considered and sets out the financial
implications for the preferred option. Initial estimates suggest that the cost of construction may not fall
within the previously approved Business Case for the Better Offices Programme
and the report explains the further work which will be carried out before legal
commitment to ensure that the overall financial case remains in balance.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to
approve the Detailed Project Appraisal
R2.
15.
Better Offices
Programme –
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/37
Contact: Mark Tailby – Property Services (01865 816012)
Report by Head of Property Services and Head
of Finance & Procurement (CA15).
The
Business Case for the Better Offices Programme requires the identification of
suitable premises for an “East Oxford Hub”. An opportunity to lease a suitable office building in
This
refurbished office building will form the "East Oxford Hub" enabling
Service Directorates to share office accommodation, encouraging team working,
and facilitating the disposal of various older less suitable office
buildings. This all goes towards meeting
the Corporate Objectives of providing value for money and assisting with the
objective of “Improving the Performance of our Property.”
The
Business Case for the Better Office Programme sets out a timescale for
developing several Hubs, including
This is a key opportunity to secure a
suitable modern office building in an accessible location in
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve
the Detailed Project Appraisal –
R1/1.
16.
Better Offices
Programme – Southern Area
Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/38
Contact: Mark Tailby – Property Services (01865 816012)
Report by Head of Property Services and Head
of Finance & Procurement (CA16).
On
the
(a)
agree the funding required to implement the
programme, subject to a project appraisal for the necessary capital expenditure
being approved by the Cabinet;
(b)
authorise officers to pursue negotiations for the acquisition of additional office space
in the South.
This report sets out the proposals and
financial implications of acquiring this additional accommodation. This project
appraisal relates to the acquisition of 2 units at
The Cabinet is
RECOMMENDED to approve the Detailed Project Appraisal R3.
17.
Examination of
The Oxfordshire Partnership
and LAA Scrutiny Review
Cabinet Member: Leader of the
Council and Deputy Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2007/108
Contact: Matt Bramall, Scrutiny Review Officer (01865 810822)
Report
by Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee (CA17).
On 5 October 2006, the Corporate Governance
Scrutiny Committee agreed as part of its work programme to undertake a select
committee style investigation of the Oxfordshire Partnership and Local Area
Agreement (LAA) and appointed Councillors Brighouse, Bryden and Wilmshurst to undertake background research to
ensure that the public meeting was well planned and focused. The public meeting
took place on
The
Committee recognised it was still early days for the development of the
Partnership. That said, there are already examples of
excellent practice; including the joint PCT and County Council appointment of a
Director of Public Health. Also the strong levels of commitment observable in
the leaders of key organisations were recognised and their belief in the
desirability of succeeding at defining some shared priorities. But, there were areas of concern, including:
·
The fact that major decisions were being
taken by a forum in which elected members were in the minority.
·
The lack of a complete list of contacts and
members that is updated on a regular basis.
·
There is a subtle difference between working
genuinely together in a sense of shared purpose to solve a set of agreed common
problems, and simply working on one’s own issues and ‘badging’
the contribution this makes to shared agendas.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to consider the
Scrutiny Review Report and communicate to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny
Committee its response to the Review’s recommendations.
18.
Forward Plan and Future Business
Cabinet Member: All
Contact Officer: Tony Cloke, Assistant Head
of Service (Democratic) (01865 815314)
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 CA18. 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. |