Meeting documents

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To Members of the Cabinet

Notice of a Meeting of the Cabinet

Tuesday 17 January 2006 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford

Derek Bishop
Head of Democratic Services

Contact officer: Kath Coldwell (Tel: 01865 815902; E-mail)

Membership

Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 25 January 2006 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.

AGENDA

Addenda

1. Apologies for Absence
   
   
2. Declarations of Interest – see guidance note
   
   
3. Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 December 2005 (CA3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

4. Petitions and Public Address
   
   (See Addenda)
   
   
5. Financial Monitoring

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the report;
2. approve a supplementary estimate of £0.100m to assist in the reduction of delayed transfers of care, to be repaid in 2006/07;
3. approve a supplementary estimate of £0.010m to cover the costs of the Oxford Castle opening ceremony;
4. approve the adjustments to the capital programme as shown at paragraph 48.

6. Medium Term Corporate Plan 2006-2010: Strategic Priorities

• maintain a prosperous economy which gives you real choice of access to jobs, homes, leisure and services;
• give all of us – throughout our lives – the opportunity to enjoy effective teaching and learning;
• safeguard our communities and maintain our rural character;
• help the disadvantaged among us to live better and more fulfilled lives and to promote personal independence;
• keep improving your services by listening to what you tell us about them;
• make Oxfordshire – its City, towns, villages and countryside - welcoming, safe and exceptional places to live, work, learn and visit.

7. Review of Charges

Cabinet Member: Finance
Forward Plan Ref: 2005/150
Contact: Lorna Baxter, Principal Financial Planning Manager (01865 816087)

Report by Head of Finance & Procurement (CA7).

This report sets out, by way of context, a summary of the Council’s Charging Policy and then, for approval by this meeting, the proposed charges for the 2006/07 financial year. The budget proposals considered elsewhere on this agenda assume an increase in charges of 3%, and this report highlights those areas of service where the change in charge has been varied from this general level of increase.

As part of the work of the Efficiency Savings Steering Group, all Heads of Service were asked to review their charges against the Council’s Charging Policy during 2005/06. The exercise did benchmark current charging arrangements where data was available, but for the majority of areas there were no readily available benchmark data. All Heads of Service will be asked to undertake further benchmarking work during 2006/07, in line with the Council’s Charging Policy. The proposed charges are set out in detail in the Annex to the report.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED, subject to consideration of any advice from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee, to note those charges prescribed by legislation, and to approve those charges where there is local discretion, as set out in the Annex to the report.

8. Service and Financial Planning Programme 2006/07 - 2010/11
   
   (See also Addenda)
   

(1) a budget for 2006/07;

(2) a Medium Term Financial Plan to 2010/11;

(3) a budget requirement for 2006/07;

(4) a precept for 2006/07;

(5) a Council Tax for Band D equivalent properties;

(6) and virement arrangements to operate within the approved budget;

(1) a Capital Programme for 2006/07;

(2) prudential indicators from April 2006;


(c) to ask the Capital Steering Group to consider and make recommendations as to which schemes to bring forward to the Capital Programme for other services.

9. Treasury Management Strategy

1. increase external debt by £37 million to finance the capital programme;
2. to borrow from PWLB or the money market at the most advantageous rates for the Authority;
3. to actively take advantage of small movements in PWLB rates in order to restructure debt;
4. to take advantage of higher market rates by investing for longer periods;
5. to invest a total of £20 million with two external fund managers, with the possibility of increasing the total amount to £30 million.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to endorse:

1. the Prudential Indicators in Annex 1 to the report;
2. the use of Lender Option/Borrower Option loans restricted to 20% of the portfolio;
3. the use of forward borrowing;
4. the restriction of in-house lending for periods in excess of 1-year to £20 million;
5. the removal of the Country Limits from the Lending List;
6. the transfer of £10 million to each of the selected external fund managers, with the possibility of transferring another £5 million to each

10. Cogges Manor Farm Museum

Cabinet Member: Health & Community Services
Forward Plan Ref: 2005/040
Contact: Nancy Hood (01865 810292)

Report by Director for Social & Community Services (CA10).

After notice from West Oxfordshire District Council that it could not renew its five-year agreement to operate Cogges Manor Farm Museum from April 2005, the future of the museum was considered by the Executive in September 2004. This report summarises the progress since that report and assesses the future of the Museum.

This report outlines the revenue estimates for 2005/06/07/08 of four options for the future management of the museum by the County Council, ranging from retention of the pattern of opening as in the recent past (Option A) to closure and mothballing of the museum (Option D). A pressure of £93,000 has been identified in the budget process for 2006/07 which if funded would enable the museum to continue. If not, and Option D becomes a firm prospect, there will need to be consultation with staff and stakeholders before any formal decision is taken to confirm closure.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a) approve the implementation of Option A described in the report, in the event that the revenue resources become available through the service and budget planning process;

(b) in the event that it does not prove possible to make the necessary resources available to implement Option A the Head of Cultural Services & Adult Learning be instructed to undertake appropriate consultation urgently with staff and stakeholders on such of Options B-D as may be available within the resources allocated through the service and budget planning process and report the outcome to the Cabinet at the earliest possible date for final decision.

11. Oxford Eastern Bypass: Study of Possible Further Road Safety Measures

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. agree that on the basis of current evidence further safety fencing or other measures on the A4142 Oxford Eastern bypass in relation to cross-over accidents are not required as ‘stand alone’ schemes;
2. ask officers to consider the opportunity to provide further safety measures to prevent cross-over accidents when other major works are being planned on the bypass;
3. note that monitoring of road casualties will continue as normal and may justify other types of casualty reduction measures on the bypass.

12. Real Time Information System on Bus Routes

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the progress made on delivery of a Real Time Information System in Oxfordshire and the system testing already undertaken;
2. note the outcome of County Council surveys into the performance of on-street Real Time Information displays;
3. note the findings of the comprehensive evaluation of the Trial Scheme implementation undertaken by the County Council and endorse expansion of the system as set out in paragraphs 25 to 30 of the report and in Annex A;
4. approve the revised Resource Appraisal at Annex B;
5. approve implementation of the Real Time Information System displays on the Kennington Premium Route and traffic signal bus priority measures on the Oxford - Kidlington/Bicester Premium Routes as described in paragraph 38 of the report utilising the £48,000 Supported Capital Expenditure available in the remainder of 2005/06;
6. endorse the priorities for investment in 2006/07 set out in paragraph 26 of the report and the outline phasing for the next Local Transport Plan period, subject to the required funding being allocated by the Council and the Cabinet in the capital programme for 2006/07 and subsequent years;
7. instruct officers to include a requirement in all tenders for significant subsidised services which will, during the life of the subsidy contract, serve corridors with Real Time Information equipped boarding stops:

 

1. that operators should fit Automatic Vehicle Location equipment, to be supplied by the County Council, to sufficient vehicles to cover the service;
   
   

2. that operators must ensure that the vehicles are fitted with suitable ticket machines; and
3. that drivers are trained and managed to ensure that they use the equipment correctly.

13. Inspection of Children's Social Care Services

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the contents of the Inspectors’ report;
2. endorse the draft action plan, subject to (c) below;
3. authorise the Director for Children, Young People & Families, in consultation with the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families, to agree any amendments to the action plan that may appear appropriate in the light of responses to consultation.

14. Burford School and Community College

Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement
Forward Plan Ref: 2005/162
Contact: John Phipps, Education Officer, Planning & Development (01865 816455)

Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families (CA14)

Detailed Project Appraisal - Burford Community College - Phase 2 (download as .doc file)

Project Appraisal No. ED632 relates to the provision of a new 8 classroom teaching block as a replacement of classrooms currently housed in temporary accommodation which are beyond economic repair. This is the second phase of a long-term site development plan to provide for pupil growth, new curriculum requirements and replacement of temporary accommodation. The project provides dedicated teaching accommodation for the modern foreign languages and business studies faculties together with staff workbases, storage, toilet and ancillary accommodation and site works. The works include the demolition and removal of a minimum of 10 temporary classrooms, which will achieve a reduction of £97,000 in assessed needs liabilities.

The total estimated cost of the scheme is £1,400,000, which will be met from NDS Modernisation funding with a small balance from government loan sanction.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve Detailed Project Appraisal ED632.

15. Waste Reduction, Re-Use and Recycling : the "Wild Waste Show"

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. agree the funding of the Wild Waste Show in 2006/07 and 2007/08 from Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant;
2. agree in principle the employment of a high level officer (and potentially support staff) to coordinate and support the work of the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, funded from Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant, subject to the exact nature and arrangement of these resources being determined following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development.

16. Oxford Castle – Heritage Interpretation Centre

1. to agree that the Oxford Castle Trust should be brought to an end; and
2. to consider whether one or two of the present County Council trustees of the Oxford Preservation Trust should be appointed to the Oxford Castle Committee, and if so which they should be.

17. Project Link

Cabinet Members: Finance, Social & Community Services
Forward Plan Ref: 2005/219
Contact Officer: Simon Kearey, Business Manager, (01865 815565)

Report by Director for Social & Community Services (CA17).

In May 2004, the County Council commissioned Robson Rhodes to review their existing financial management arrangements. The consultants identified significant weaknesses in the financial controls within Oxfordshire County Council’s Abacus Social Care system. The existing technical solution was not delivering the required business benefits and is still weak in the area of financial control.

This report introduces Project LINK – the proposed long term business solution. This project aims to deliver an assessment system, a charging system and financial recording and management that is integrated and delivers the financial management and controls around both client charges and provider payments along with processing financial transactions through onto SAP R/3 the Council finance system. The implementation of this integrated system will provide both benefits in accuracy of charges and visibility of transactions to clients as well as process efficiencies and effectiveness for operational and financial staff in the directorate.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to endorse the details of the project set out in the report for implementation, subject to confirmation of the necessary financial resources in the finally approved budget.

18. Forward Plan and Future Business
    
    (See also Addenda)
    

January 2006

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