Oxfordshire County Council logo

Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 20 November 2007

 
To Members of the Cabinet
 
 
 
Notice of a Meeting of the Cabinet

 

Tuesday 20 November 2007 at 2.00 pm

 

County Hall, Oxford

 

 

Joanna Simons

Chief Executive                                                                                                                                  

 

November 2007

 

Contact officer:          Steven Howell

Tel: 01865 815463

E-mail: steven.howell@oxfordshire.gov.uk

 

 

Membership

 

Councillors

 

 

Keith R Mitchell CBE

-

Leader of the Council

David Robertson

-

Deputy Leader of the Council

C.H. Shouler

-

Cabinet Member for Finance

John Howell

-

Cabinet Member for Change Management

Louise Chapman

-

Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families

Michael Waine

-

Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement

Roger Belson

-

Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development

Jim Couchman

-

Cabinet Member for Social & Community Services

Ian Hudspeth

-

Cabinet Member for Transport

Mrs J. Heathcoat

-

Cabinet Member for Community Safety

The Agenda is attached.  Decisions taken at the meeting

will become effective at the end of the working day on 28 November 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: 18 December 2007


If you have any special requirements (such as a large print version of these papers or special access facilities) please contact the officer named on the front page, but please give as much notice as possible before the meeting.

 


AGENDA

 

 (Addenda)

 

1.                 Apologies for Absence

 

2.                 Declarations of Interestsee guidance note

3.                 Minutes

 

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2007 (CA3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

 

4.                 Petitions and Public Address

(see Addenda)

 

5.                 Financial Monitoring

(see also Addenda)

 

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/172

Contact: Stephanie Skivington, Strategic Finance Manager/Mike Petty, Strategic Financial Planning Manager (01865 815426/815622)

 

Report by Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Office (CA5).

(CA5 - download as .doc file)

(CA5 - Annexes 1 - 6 - download as .pdf file)

(CA5 - Annex 7 - download as .pdf file)

(CA5 - Annex 8 - download as .pdf file)

 

 

The report sets out the Council’s forecast financial position for the 2007/08 financial year based on actual figures to the end of September 2007.

 

The in-year overspend for the Directorates is predicted to be £1.655m a reduction of £0.642m from August. This excludes the City Schools reorganisation overspend of £1.957m (repayment planned over a number of years) and the Schools Transport days variation of -£0.320m. An underspend is also reported on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) of £1.144m.

 

Supplementary estimates totalling £0.955m are requested in the report associated with costs incurred as a result of the July floods.  Allowing for this and balances are £20.2m at the end of September.  This gives an overall consolidated balances forecast for the year-end of £18.894m.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)              note the report;

 

(b)              approve the virements as set out in Annex 2a;

 

(c)               approve the supplementary estimates as set out in Annex 2c; and

 

(d)              approve the changes to the Capital Programme as set out in paragraphs 54 to 62.

 

6.                 Outcome of Formal Consultations on Proposals to Close Peers School to Enable it to Become an Academy

 

         Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/175

Contact: Michael Mill, Strategic Manager (01865 816458), Shannon Moore Assistant Head: Learning & Achievement, Educational Effectiveness Service (01865 428084)

 

Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families (CA6).

 

The Cabinet approved the issue of statutory notices for the closure of Peers School at its meeting in September. This report details the outcome of this formal consultation and outlines who has been sent the statutory information and notified of the publication.

 

The Cabinet is making a decision whether to proceed with the closure and is doing so under the guidelines in the Education & Inspections Act 2006. The report outlines the guidance from the Government that decision makers must have regard to when reaching a decision and the statutory information providing the background information is provided as an Annex, which is available in the Members' Resource Centre. The report also outlines the decisions that can be made within the appropriate legislative background.

 

An Outline Business Case will be submitted to the Cabinet in January 2008, so that all financial and legal issues relating to the establishment of an Academy to replace Peers School can be taken into account. 

 

The Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee considered the report at its meeting on 30 October and it agreed to advise the Cabinet that it would wish the County Council to express a preference for a stakeholder governing body to be put in place should agreement be given for an Academy to be established.

 

Given that the Committee has considered this item, under Rule 16(j)(i) of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules in the Council’s Constitution (reproduced below), the decision of the Cabinet on this item will not be subject to Call-In.

 

The foregoing provisions of this Rule shall not apply to any decision of the Cabinet where the Scrutiny Committee has already made observations to the Cabinet on the basis of substantially the same report and/or other information or advice as that on which the Cabinet’s decision is based and the Cabinet has had regard to those observations in taking the decision.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to: either,

 

(a)              reject the proposal for the closure of Peers School on 31 August 2008; or

 

(b)              approve the proposal to close Peers School on 31 August 2008, conditional on the making of an agreement under Section 482(1) of the 1996 Act for the establishment of an Academy, where the proposal in question provides for all of the pupils currently at the school which is the subject of the proposals to transfer to the Academy and set a date by which the condition should be met.

 

7.                 OxfordLondon Road Corridor Scheme and Summertown Shopping Area Street Environmental Scheme

 

Cabinet Member: Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/233

Contact: Mike Collins, Principal Engineer - Transport Project Implementation (01865 815877)

 

Report by Head of Transport (CA7).

 

The London Road Corridor scheme (Pullens Lane – Osler Road) and the Summertown shopping area street environmental scheme are included in the Oxfordshire County Councils Local Transport Programme for 2006-2011.

 

Both schemes have been the subject of public consultation exercises and the design developed to a stage where a more detailed cost estimate has now been produced.

 

The Financial Procedure Rules in the Council’s constitution require a detailed project appraisal for all capital projects that exceed £1,000,000 to be submitted to Cabinet for approval.

 

This report seeks approval to the Detailed Project Appraisals for the above schemes.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)              approve Project Appraisal H188 for the London Road Corridor (Pullens Lane to Osler Road) scheme; and,

 

(b)              approve Project Appraisal H187 for the Summertown Shopping Area Environmental Scheme.

 

8.                 Flooding in Oxfordshire 2007

 

Cabinet Member: Community Safety

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/222

Contact: John Parry, Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer (01865 855205)

 

Report by Director for Community Safety & Support Services/Chief Fire Officer (CA8).

 

The purpose of the report is to identify the strategic learning points that arose from the multi-agency emergency response to the flooding in Oxfordshire in July 2007.

 

Beginning on Friday 20 July 2007 and continuing throughout the weekend, torrential rain and flash flooding occurred in many areas with, in some cases, evacuation of residents being required. Thirty agencies were involved during the period of the flooding and the identified learning points from those groups and their debriefs have been incorporated into this report with the objective of determining common themes and seeking shared solutions to improve future responses to major incidents.

 

The learning points are broken down into Command and Control; Communication; and Pre-Planning issues.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)              note the report and acknowledge the contribution of all the agencies involved; and

 

(b)               task the Head of Fire & Rescue Service Delivery and Emergency Planning to table the development and action plan for collective emergency response improvement through the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum.

 

9.                 Service & Resource Planning 2008/09 – 2012/13

 

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/186

Contact: Lorna Baxter, Principal Financial Planning Manager (01865 816087), Paul Edwards, Corporate Performance Manager (01865 815307)

 

Report by Chief Executive, Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer (CA9).

 

This report is the second in a series on the service and resource planning process for 2008/09 to 2012/13.  The report sets out the main issues from the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and, where it can be ascertained, the impact on Oxfordshire. The report also provides the latest information available on capital resources available for Schools over the CSR period.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)              note the report;

 

(b)              consider, as part of the Service and Resource Planning process for 2008/09, exploring the possibility of a scheme for Supplementary Business Rates in Oxfordshire; and

 

(c)               consider, as part of the Service and Resource Planning process for 2008/09, how they would address the implications of the unannounced schools capital allocations for 2008/09 to 2010/11 being received through supported borrowing.

 

10.             Asset Management Plan and Capital Strategy for 2008/09 to 2012/13

(see also Addenda)

 

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/225

Contact: Mark Tailby, Team Leader, Strategic Asset Management, Property Services (01865 816012)

 

The Corporate Asset Management Plan (AMP) and the Capital Strategy (CS) have been updated for the period 2008/09 – 20012/13. These documents are an important part of the overall planning framework for the Council. The final versions will go to Council for approval alongside the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) on 12 February 2008. They are attached as (CA10) Annex 1 (download as .doc file) and (CA10) Annex 2 (download as .doc file).

 

The AMP sets out the Council’s current and future property asset needs that arise from the Council’s corporate and service priorities and the Council’s approach to meeting those needs. The CS sets out the County Council’s investment strategy.

 

The Capital Steering Group (CSG) considered the draft AMP and the CS at their meeting on 9 November 2007. On 21 December, they will consider the capital needs set out in the AMP and follow the process used for prioritisation set out in the CS, to recommend to Cabinet on 15 January 2008 the schemes to be added to the Capital Programme 2008/09 – 2012/13 as part of the service and resource planning process. This report will be considered by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee on 10 January 2008.

 

Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee considered the AMP and CS at their meeting on 8 November 2007. Their comments will be reported to this Cabinet as Addenda.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)               endorse the Corporate Asset Management Plan & Capital Strategy in the light of any advice from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee; and

 

(b)              to RECOMMEND the Corporate Asset Management Plan and the Capital Strategy to the Council.

 

11.             Director of Public Health Annual Report – Six-Month Review

 

Cabinet Member: Social & Community Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/216

Contact: Dr Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health (01865 226626)

 

Report by Director of Public Health (CA11) (download as .doc file).

 

The Director of Public Health (DPH) for Oxfordshire’s first independent Annual Report on the health of the population in Oxfordshire was published as a working draft in March 2007 and was consulted on widely.

 

This report summarises the consultation and progress made so far and proposes further action.  Consultation undertaken is summarised in Annex 1 and responses are summarised in Annex 2. 

 

In summary, four key challenges for the public health of Oxfordshire were proposed as priorities for action, which have been widely accepted.  These are:

 

(i)                 An ageing population (tackling the demographic time bomb);

(ii)               Breaking the cycle of deprivation in children and families;

(iii)             Preventing obesity, a major cause of chronic disease; and

(iv)              Fighting infectious disease.

 

Additional challenges were proposed in the consultation process for consideration.  The most obvious challenge that could be investigated was the mental health of people in Oxfordshire.  This will feature as a main chapter in the next DPH Annual Report.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)              note the 6-month review of the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report; and

 

(b)              take account of its findings in the development of multi-agency partnerships and in the County Council’s own ongoing funding round.

 

12.             Second Annual Report of the Change Management Board – Taking Forward the Change Agenda

(see also Addenda)

 

 

Cabinet Member: Change Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/241

Contact: Hilary Simpson, Corporate Change Manager (01865 815487)

 

Report by Chief Executive & Cabinet Member for Change Management (CA12).

 

In November 2005, the Cabinet considered a report entitled ‘Taking Forward the Change Agenda’. It confirmed the setting up of the Change Management Board as the body responsible for overseeing the coordination of change management within the authority and agreed its terms of reference.

 

The Cabinet requested further reports and this request was met last year by the submission of a first Annual Report from the Board. The Board is now submitting its second Annual Report, which summarises the progress made by the Board in delivering the Council's change programme over the last year and sets out its priorities for the future.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to receive the second Annual Report of the Change Management Board and agree the Board’s priorities for its third year of operation, subject to any changes that the Cabinet Member for Change Management would wish to make in light of any comments by the Cabinet.

 

13.             Effective Communication with Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Scrutiny Review

 

Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement and Children, Young People & Families

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/228

Contact: Michael Chard, Scrutiny Research & Support Assistant (01865 816383)

 

Report by Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee (CA13) (download as .doc file).

 

To consider the findings and recommendations of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree the recommendations outlined on Page 3 of the report.

 

14.             Forward Plan and Future Business

(See also Addenda)

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 CA14. 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.

 

EXEMPT ITEM

 

The written report contains information related to the bidding process for the purchase of the site. Therefore, it is RECOMMENDED that the public be excluded for the duration of items 15E since it is likely that if they were present during those items that there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, including the authority holding that information: namely, the estimated value of property in respect of which a sale is in contemplation) and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information on the grounds set out in those items.

 

THE REPORT RELATING TO THE EXEMPT ITEM HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC AND SHOULD BE REGARDED AS STRICTLY PRIVATE TO MEMBERS AND OFFICERS ENTITLED TO RECEIVE IT.

 

15.E       Sale of Site of the Former Lawn Upton School

(See also Addenda)


Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/244

Contact: Mark Tailby, Team Leader, Strategic Asset Management, Property Services (01865 816012)

 

Report by Head of Property (CA15E).

 

The Diocese of Oxford is disposing of the former Lawn Upton Middle School site and the County Council is entitled to a majority share in the proceeds of the sale.  The site is to be sold by binding tender, with the closing date for receipt of the tenders set for 15 November 2007 and completion scheduled for 14 December 2007

 

Cabinet approval may be required for acceptance of a bid, if the Council is requested to accept a lower capital receipt than was assumed in the Capital Programme. The Diocese is responsible for the sale and for deciding which offer to accept, but it has been asked to consult the County Council on its recommendation.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to consider the oral report at the meeting and determine whether a reduction in the capital receipt payable to the County Council from the sale of the Lawn Upton site should be accepted.

 

Return to TOP