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To All Members of the County Council

Notice of a Meeting of the Council

Tuesday 5 November 2002 at 10.30 am

County Hall, Oxford

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

25 October 2002

Contact officer: Ann Lowe (Tel: 01865 815384; E-mail)

AGENDA

Minutes

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2002 and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.(CC1)

Apologies for Absence

Declarations of Interest

Official Communications

1. To receive the following report from the County Returning Officer on the outcome of the by-election held on 3 October 2002 in the Deddington Division:-

No of Votes

CLARK, Paul Francis 205
JELF, Raymond 1172
MAKEPEACE, Richard John 588

Raymond Jelf was accordingly elected county councillor for the Deddington Division.

2. Any other official communications
   
   

Appointments

1. Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee

To appoint The Revd Kenneth Reeves of The Vicarage, Filkins, Lechlade, Gloucestershire GL7 3JQ as the representative of the Church of England on the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee in place of The Revd. Dr. John Gay.

2. Standards Committee

Mr Tim Bailey has resigned as an independent member of the Standards Committee, leaving one vacancy to be filled. Members are reminded that, under The Relevant Authorities (Standards Committee) Regulations 2001, the appointment of independent members must be approved by a majority of the members of the Council.

The three Group Leaders have reconsidered applications from those members of the public who expressed an interest in serving on the Committee but were unsuccessful when applications were first invited last year. The Group Leaders were of the view that Mr R.A. Cowdrey of the Thames Business Advice Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford should be appointed. Mr Cowdrey is the Chief Executive of the Small Business Support Agency and is also a Board Member of the Princes Trust and Chairman of the Institute of Business Advisers.

The Council is RECOMMENDED to appoint Mr R.A. Cowdrey of the Thames Business Advice Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0DR as an independent member of the Standards Committee.

3. To make any other changes to membership of the Executive. scrutiny and other committees on the nomination of the political groups.
   
   

Petitions and Public Address



Questions with Notice from Members of the Public



The Annual Library Plan 2002

On 23 July 2002 the Executive approved in principle a draft Annual Library Plan and invited the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee to consider and comment on it. The Scrutiny Committee considered the draft Plan on 10 September, when the following key points arose from debate:-

Paragraph 1.1.3.2 paragraph 5

Noted that the County average was proposed to be included.

Paragraph 3.2.1/2: buildings/mobile libraries

Scrutiny supported a positive review of library services in the County with a view to improving provision. In response to a suggestion that mobile libraries be increased to supplement static libraries, it was noted that a comprehensive review of the mobile library service would shortly be undertaken as one of the outcomes of the Best Value review.

Page 443.5.1.2: Widening Participating Partnerships

This initiative was drawn to the attention of the review group (included in the Scrutiny Committee’s Work Programme) which was considering members’ visits to partnerships of schools.

Page 90 onwardsAppendix: Public Library Standards (page 90 onwards)

Scrutiny considered that it would be helpful in future Plans if national standards figures were to be incorporated in the tables monitoring Oxfordshire’s performance.

At the Executive’s meeting on 17 September the comments made by the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee were endorsed. Subject to the specific amendments identified by the Committee the Executive authorised the Director of Cultural Services, in consultation with the Executive Members for Learning & Culture and Schools, to agree the final narrative sections and the foreword to the Plan. The Plan has now been finalised and submitted to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by their deadline of 30 September, with the proviso that it is subject to final approval by the full Council at this meeting. A copy of the Plan is circulated with this agenda (CC8). (download as .doc file)
charts (download as xls. file)


The Executive RECOMMEND the Council to approve the Annual Library Plan 2002 (CC8).

Proposed Amendment to Council Procedure Rules –

Motion with Notice from Councillor Brian Hodgson

The Monitoring Officer reports as follows:-

At the meeting on 3 September, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule (21) the Council deferred consideration of the following motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson for consideration at this meeting in the light of a report from the Monitoring Officer:-

"The Council agrees to amend its Constitution in order to give any member whose motion is adopted by the Council, and that motion then requires the Executive to consider taking action on the issue(s) raised, the right to attend and speak on the matter when it is discussed at the relevant Executive meeting."

The rules relating to members’ motions on notice are set down in Council Procedure Rule (11) and the mover of a motion has the usual rights to speak to his/her motion as set down in the Rules of Debate (Council Procedure Rule (13)).

Where a motion if adopted would constitute the exercise of an executive function, the Council can only debate it and then refer it to the Executive for determination, together with any advice the Council may wish to give. Council Procedure Rule (11)(g) provides that in those circumstances a member whose motion has been referred to the Executive for determination has the right to attend and speak to, but not vote on, that motion at the meeting of the Executive when the motion is debated.

However, where a member’s motion merely asks the Council to request the Executive to consider taking action on an issue, that motion will be debated and determined by the Council itself. In those circumstances the motion as such has been disposed of and whatever decision has been reached is a decision of the whole Council and is required to be actioned in the same way as any other decision.

What Councillor Hodgson’s motion is now seeking is that, where the Council has adopted a member’s motion that requires the Executive to consider taking action on the issues raised in that motion, the originator of the motion should have a right to attend and speak (but not vote) at the meeting of the Executive when the matter is discussed. At present such a member would have to seek an invitation from the Executive to speak.

It is a matter for Council to determine its own Procedure Rules and members need to take a view on whether it would be appropriate to confer on members who move motions on notice additional rights to speak at Executive meetings. Should the Council wish to do so, this could be achieved by inserting a new paragraph (h) into Council Procedure Rule (11) (Motions on Notice) as follows:-

"(h) Where a motion has been determined by the Council and the Council’s decision then requires the Executive to consider taking action on the issue(s) raised in that motion, the originator of the motion may attend and speak, but not vote, on the matter at the meeting of the Executive when it is discussed."

The Council is RECOMMENDED to determine Councillor Hodgson’s motion in the light of this report.

Proposed Amendment to Council Procedure Rules –

Timing of September Council Meetings

The Monitoring Officer reports as follows:-

With the exception of the date proposed for the September 2003 Council meeting, the Council on 3 September approved the calendar of meeting dates for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, and, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule (21), deferred for consideration at this meeting a proposal from Councillor Tompkins (seconded by Councillor MacKenzie) that the September Council meeting should be held later in the month so as to avoid school holidays.

The dates of ordinary meetings of the Council are prescribed in Council Procedure Rule (2), which states that there shall be a meeting on the first Tuesday in September. Should the Council wish to put back the September meeting in order to avoid the school holiday period, it will be necessary to amend this Procedure Rule.

This issue was discussed at a meeting of political group leaders on 30 September, when there was support for moving the September meeting from the first Tuesday to the second Tuesday in the month. In 2003 this would mean the Council meeting taking place on 9 September, rather than on 2 September as previously proposed.

It is the usual practice for the Executive to meet at 2pm on every other Tuesday. However, if this clashes with a meeting of the full Council, the Executive is switched to 10am on the next day. Because it was envisaged that Council would meet on 2 September 2003, the calendar of meetings approved by Council at the last meeting provides for the Executive to meet on the following day, ie Wednesday the 3^rd. Moving the Council meeting from 2 September would enable the Executive to meet at its usual time of 2pm on that day, should members wish.

The Council is RECOMMENDED:

1. that with immediate effect Council Procedure Rule (2) be amended to provide for an ordinary meeting of the Council to take place on the second Tuesday rather than the first Tuesday in September; and
2. if (a) is agreed, to indicate whether the meeting of the Executive planned for 10am on Wednesday 3 September 2003 should revert to its usual time of 2pm on Tuesday 2 September 2003.

 

1. Report of the Executive
   
   (CC11)
   
   Report of the Executive - Item 2 - Public Service Agreement
   

Questions with Notice from Members of the Council (CC12)


Motions with Notice from Members of the Council

Motion from Councillor Power

This Council welcomes Warden Housing offer to provide the physical infrastructure of an elderly persons day centre on the Oseney Court site.

Motion from Councillor Tony Crabbe

Bearing in mind the national targets set by government for educational achievement at Key Stage Two, this Council :-

1. congratulates all Oxfordshire Primary Schools who achieved that standard in 2002;
2. notes with regret that in 2002 the government's overall target for Key Stage Two was not achieved nationally; and furthermore
3. calls on the former Education Minister Mr Blunkett to confirm whether he, or the current Minister Ms Morris, will honour his pledge to resign if targets for Key Stage Two were not met in 2002.
   
   

Motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson

This Council urges the Government to use the opportunity of the Company Law Review to make annual company reporting on key social and environmental indicators compulsory. Nearly half of the largest 200 companies in the UK still do not report on corporate social responsibility matters at all. Despite the Prime Minister’s challenge to FTSE companies to produce a substantive environmental report by the end of 2001, fewer than two thirds of them did so.

In the light of our new powers of general well-being, the relevant Scrutiny Committee or Committees are invited to study a selection of company reports of local companies and/or companies with local branches or offices in relation to their social and environmental reporting. The Scrutiny Committee(s) are also invited to decide what action(s) they wish to take following their studies of these reports.

Motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson

This Council invites the Executive

1. to congratulate the Co-op for introducing 100% degradable plastic bags in their supermarkets, thereby reducing landfill waste;
2. to urge all other supermarket companies with local stores to follow suit as soon as possible; and
3. to continue to support the idea of a tax of, say, 10p per plastic bag, as introduced recently in Ireland, unless the bags are degradable.
   
   

Motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson

This Council welcomes the fact that all our local schools are involved in the active development of an up-to-date and effective curriculum in the field of disability awareness and practice. The Council therefore invites the Executive

1. to plan to ensure that all pupils are taught the Standard Manual Alphabet, as a basic signing medium for communicating with deaf people; and
2. to urge the government to provide funding:

1. for an Oxfordshire pilot project for the teaching in school of the basics of British Sign Language (BSL); and
2. to help the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) in its efforts to train more BSL interpreters nationwide.
   
   

Motion from Councillor Chris Robins

This Council supports the campaign for doorstep recycling services to every home by 2010, with central government providing the resources for our partner authorities with responsibilities for waste collection to deliver such schemes. Benefits would include: reduced pressure for landfill sites and incinerators; benefits to the environment via further cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases; and a reduction in the demand for raw materials, so encouraging sustainable and local waste management.

Motion from Councillor Margaret Ferriman