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Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 20 January 2009

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

 

Tuesday 20 January 2009 at 2.00 pm

 

County Hall, Oxford

 

 

Joanna Simons

Chief Executive                                                                                                                                  

January 2009

 

Contact officer:          Sue Whitehead

Tel: 01865 810262

E-mail: sue.whitehead@oxfordshire.gov.uk

 

 

Membership

 

Councillors

 

 

Keith R Mitchell CBE

-

Leader of the Council

David Robertson

-

Deputy Leader of the Council

Roger Belson

-

Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development

Louise Chapman

-

Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families

Jim Couchman

-

Cabinet Member for Social & Community Services

Mrs J. Heathcoat

-

Cabinet Member for Community Safety

Ian Hudspeth

-

Cabinet Member for Transport

C.H. Shouler

-

Cabinet Member for Finance

Melinda Tilley

-

Cabinet Member for Place

Michael Waine

-

Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement

The Agenda is attached.  Decisions taken at the meeting

will become effective at the end of the working day on 28 January 2009

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 February 2009


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 December 2008 (CA3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

 

4.                 Petitions and Public Address

(See also Addenda)

 

5.                 Financial Monitoring

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/163

Contact: Lorna Baxter, Assistant Head of Finance (Corporate Finance) (01865 816087)

 

Report by Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Office (CA5) (download as doc file).

(CA5 - Annexes 1 - 5 - download as .pdf file)

(CA5 - Annex 6 - download as .pdf file)

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

 

This report sets out the Council’s forecast financial position for the 2008/09 financial year based on eight months of actuals to the end of November 2008.  It includes projections for revenue, balances, reserves and capital.  The report sets out explanations where the forecast outturn is significantly different from the budget with action plans to recover the position where appropriate.

 

The in-year overspend for Directorates is forecast to be £0.201m.  This position excludes the -£1.000m underspend on the ICT Investment Fund which will be carried forward to 2009/10.  The year-end forecast of general balances is £21.352m. After taking into account the forecast Directorate outturn, the consolidated revenue balances forecast is £21.151m.

 

The projected in-year commitment on capital is estimated to be £99.8m as at the end of November.  This is -£0.9m less than the capital programme reported to Cabinet on 21 October 2008. Actual expenditure to the end of November was £49.9m, 51% of projected spend.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)               note the report; and

 

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

 

6.                 Service & Resource Planning Report for 2009/10 - 2013/14

(See also Addenda)

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/173

Contact: Lorna Baxter, Assistant Head of Finance (Corporate Finance) (01865 816087)

 

Report by Chief Executive and Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer
(CA6) (download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 1 - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 2 - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 3(a) - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 3(b) - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 4(a) - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 4(b) - download as .doc file)

(CA6 - Annex 5 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 6 - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 7 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 8(a) - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 8(b) - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 9 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 10 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 11 - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 12 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Annex 13 - download as .pdf file)
(CA6 - Annex 14 - download as .doc file)

 

Report by the Cabinet Member for Finance (CA6a)

 

This report is the fourth in a series on the Service and Resource Planning process for 2009/10 to 2013/14, providing councillors with information on budget issues for 2009/10 and the medium term. It is the final report to Cabinet before Council considers the budget on 10 February 2009.  The report sets out the latest information on the Council’s financial position, includes the Treasury Management Strategy for 2009/10 and considers the capital funding, including an updated Capital Programme. 

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance has prepared a separate report, circulated alongside this report, which sets out the basis for the Cabinet’s budget proposals to Council and Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2009/10 to 2013/14.  This takes into consideration comments on the draft budget proposals from the individual Scrutiny Committees in December 2008 as well as the latest information on the Council’s financial position as outlined in this report.  It also takes account of the public consultation on the budget which was undertaken on 17 November 2008, the initial outcomes of which are set out in an annex to that report.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)               (in respect of revenue) RECOMMEND Council to approve:

(1)               a budget for 2009/10 and a medium term plan to 2013/14, based on the proposals set out by the Cabinet Member for Finance;

(2)               a budget requirement for 2009/10;

(3)               a precept for 2009/10;

(4)               a council tax for band D equivalent properties;

(5)               virement arrangements to operate within the approved budget;

(6)               the £30.2m virement proposed in paragraph 41 and annex 4b for the Older Persons Pooled Budget.

 

(b)              (in respect of treasury management) RECOMMEND Council to approve:

(1)               the Treasury Management Strategy Statement

(2)               the use of internal funds instead of external borrowing up to a maximum of 25% of the portfolio;

(3)               Prudential Indicators from April 2009;

(4)               that in relation to the 2009/10 strategy any further changes required to the credit matrix be delegated to the Chief Finance Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and leaders of the Opposition and other groups.

 

(c)               RECOMMEND Council to approve the Minimum Revenue Provision Methodology Statement as set out in paragraphs 10 to 14 of Annex 9.

 

(d)              (in respect of capital) RECOMMEND Council to approve:

(1)               the updated Capital Strategy and Corporate Asset Management Plan;

(2)               a Capital Programme for 2009/10 to 2013/14;

(3)               Prudential Indicators from April 2009.

 

7.                 Draft Corporate Plan 2009/10 to 20

(See also Addenda)


Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/214

Contact: Maggie Scott,Corporate Policy Manager (01865 815307)

 

Report by Assistant Chief Executive (Strategy) (CA7)

 

A draft of the Corporate Plan for the period 2009/10 to 2013/14 is provided for approval by Cabinet on 20 January 2009 in advance of consideration by the full Council in February 2009. By the time of the meeting the draft plan will have been considered by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee. The Committee’s advice will be reported to this meeting as part of the schedule of addenda.

 

The plan is still in a draft format, and further work is required, particularly reviewing the nature of the targets for each priority. We will be working with Directorate teams early in the New Year to ensure that the targets are outcome focused, challenging and measurable.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED, subject to consideration of any advice from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee and to the inclusion of consequential and editorial changes in the text as agreed by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to RECOMMEND the Council to approve the Medium Term Corporate Plan 2009/10-13/14.

 

8.                 Annual Report  by the Commission for Social Care Inspection on Adult Social Services - Adult Social Care Star Rating

Cabinet Member: Social & Community Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/164

Contact: Steve Thomas, Performance Information Manager, (01865 323609)

 

Report by Director for Social & Community Services (CA8).

 

Each year the Commission for Social Care Inspection provides an annual report on how each council serves the people in their area who use adult social care. The 2007/8 report for Oxfordshire is attached as annex 1. Oxfordshire is rated a 2 star authority, delivering good outcomes and with promising prospects for improvement. This rating is based on a 4 point scale from zero to three stars and a 2 star rating is described as ‘good’. Oxfordshire was originally awarded the top three star rating by its inspector, which was upheld at regional moderation, but reduced at national moderation.

 

The report is structured around seven key outcomes, which are used to evaluate how well the council currently serves people, and 2 further criteria which are used to describe the future prospects for the council. The council was described as good on 5 of the outcomes, on one it is described as adequate and on another as excellent. On the 2 further criteria the council was described as having excellent leadership and promising commissioning and use of resources.

Within the report the Commission identify key strengths and areas for development. The report identifies over 40 key strengths and 10 areas for development. For areas of development an action plan has been agreed with the Commission and will be monitored via the routine business meetings the council has with them.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

 

(a)               receive the report; and

 

(b)              review progress on the areas for development through the quarterly monitoring of the directorate balanced scorecard.

 

9.                 The Demographic Challenge in Oxfordshire - Scrutiny Review Looking into the Demographic Challenge  for Older People’s Services within Oxfordshire

Cabinet Member: Social & Community Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/067

Contact: Roger Edwards, Scrutiny Review Officer - Health Specialist (01865 810824)

 

Summary report by the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutny Committee and the Social  & Community Services Scrutiny Committee (CA9).

 (Full Demographic Review - download as .doc file)

The report describes the pressures of an increasing and ageing population on Oxfordshire.

 

On current trends, the population of the county could increase by 20% by 2031, from 685,600 to 758,000 people.  There will be 154,200 people aged over 65 in 2031 (66% more than in 2006); numbers of the very elderly (85 years plus) are projected to increase by almost 40% by 2016, and by 143% by 2031. This means that there will be a greater proportion of older people in the population by 2016, from just under 15% in 2006 to just over 20% in 2031, while a decrease is projected in the proportion of the population of working age, from 54% in 2006 to 48% in 2031.

 

Demographic change will have a significant impact on services for older people and on service-provision in general.  In addition Central Government expects positive net migration to account for half of UK population growth, and expects this trend to remain positive in the longer term. Migrants are overwhelmingly of working-age, and this should be taken as a corrective to viewing the phenomenon of population ageing outside of the broader demographic context.

The report identifies the pressures that this demographic growth will have; outlining a series of ‘red flags’ that detail the areas and issues that the Lead Member Group felt warranted most attention. In particular, these are Managing Future Care (Section 5 of the report), Promoting Good Health and Good Mental Health (Section 6), New Criteria for Housing, Planning and Transport (Section 7), and Other Issues (including learning disability, physical disability, information and advocacy, and black and minority ethnic issues)  (Section 8). 

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(1)       endorse the proposal to hold a Demographics Conference on the 19th March 2009;

 

(2)       accept the report as a whole and in doing so, endorse the “red flags” as the main areas for work and development in the future;

 

(3)       agree that the red flags should be used as the main underlying themes for the conference in order to lead to agreed actions as appropriate and necessary in the future.

 

10.             Didcot Parkway Station Interchange Scheme


Cabinet Member:
Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2007/272

Contact: Adrian Saunders, Rail Development Officer, (01865 815080)

 

Report by Head of Transport (CA10).

 

The Didcot Parkway Station Interchange scheme is included in the Local Transport Programme for 2006-2011, and was identified as a key deliverable from phase one of the Didcot Area Integrated Transport Strategy.

 

The objective of the scheme is to improve the attractiveness of public transport by tackling the congestion that occurs at peak times within the existing forecourt, giving the more sustainable travel modes such as walking, cycling and bus greater prominence but improving facilities for all users. The interchange will provide a gateway to the Southern Oxfordshire Quadrant and be capable of handling the increased demand for rail travel from Didcot and the surrounding area that will arise from housing and economic growth.

The scheme has been developed with Network Rail, First Great Western and more recently, South Oxfordshire District Council. The scheme has now reached a stage where a more robust cost estimate can be produced.

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

This report seeks approval of the Detailed Project Appraisal for the scheme.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the Project Appraisal H186 for the Didcot Parkway Station Interchange scheme.

 

11.             Reading Area Transport Innovation Fund Bid

(See also Addenda)


Cabinet Member:
Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/207

Contact: Owen South, Senior Transport Planner (01865 815735)

 

Report by Head of Transport (CA11).

 

This report describes Reading Borough Council's plans to bid for £275 million under the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).  This would cover most of the costs of a £300 million package of measures.

 

This includes:

 

£78 million, mainly for improved bus services but also travel planning and cycling

 

£153 million for bus based mass rapid transit (MRT) including track and vehicles (with park and ride) for Phases 1-6 south of the Thames

 

£21 million for rail measures, mainly upgrading the Reading-Basingstoke line

 

£48 million for a Third Thames Crossing package which covers bridge construction and MRT Phase 7 (including park and ride) north of the Thames.

 

These measures could have a significant effect on South Oxfordshire.  The County Council is invited to be represented on a TIF Partner Authority Members’ Liaison Group in order to influence the final package of measures.

 

This appears to offer the County Council the best opportunity to understand and influence the emerging proposals and to identify risks to and opportunities for South Oxfordshire.  In particular, we need to protect the interests of this part of the county in terms of avoiding traffic growth and ensuring local people can enjoy good access to jobs and facilities in Reading.

 

            The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)               agree that the Cabinet Member for Transport should represent Oxfordshire County Council on Reading Borough Council’s TIF Partner Authority Members’ Liaison Group; and

 

(b)              support the principle of the TIF bid by Reading Borough Council to secure transport improvements into the town, including from Oxfordshire, acknowledging that this does not commit this Council to support any specific measures.

 

12.             Appointment to South East England Councils (SEEC)


Cabinet Member:
Leader of the Council

Forward Plan Ref: 2008/224

Contact: Tony Cloke, Assistant Head of Legal & Democratic Services (01865 815314)

 

The Cabinet has previously considered, at its meeting on 16 December 2008, a report on the South East England Councils (SEEC) and agreed to recommend to Council to add South East England Councils to the list of ‘strategic’ Outside Bodies to which the Cabinet makes appointments. By the time of the meeting this recommendation will have been considered by Council at it’s meeting on 13 January.

 

SEEC has been set up to work with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) on developing the Single Integrated Regional Strategy for the South East. SEEC came into being on Friday, 12 December 2008 following a meeting of the Leaders of the 74 principal councils in the South East region, constituted on the basis that a member is nominated from each of the 74 principal councils in the South East region.

 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED (subject to the decision of Council on 13 January 2009) to appoint a member to the South East England Councils).

 

13.             Forward Plan and Future Business

(See also Addenda)


Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manager (01865 810262)

 

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 CA13 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.

(Supplementary Agenda)

 

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