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To All Members of the County Council

Notice of a Meeting of the Council

Tuesday 15 June 2004 at 10.00 am

County Hall, Oxford

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

4 June 2004

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

AGENDA

1. Minutes

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 April 2004 (CC1) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

2. Apologies for Absence
3. Declarations of Interest
4. Official Communications

1. To receive the following report from the County Returning Officer on the outcome of the by-election in the Thame Division held on 29 April 2004:-

No of Votes

AITKEN, Euan Hunter 222
DODDS, David William 926
LAVER, David Arthur 1000

David Arthur Laver was accordingly elected county councillor for the Thame Division.

2. To receive a report from the County Returning Officer on the outcome of the by-election in the Hanborough Division held on 10 June 2004.
3. Any other official communications.
   
   
5. Petitions and Public Address
6. Questions with Notice from Members of the Public
7. Review of Political Balance on and Appointments to Committees

Following the by-election held on 29 April 2004 in the Thame Division, Councillor David Laver has given formal notice requesting that a review be undertaken of the allocation of seats on committees to political groups.

The Council is asked to:

1. review the allocation of seats on committees and to determine any changes; and
2. make any consequential/other changes in membership on the nomination of the political groups.

8. Report of the Executive
   
   (CC8)
   

In relation to Item 2 (Financial Control Systems), the Executive RECOMMENDS the Council to approve the establishment of strengthened credit control arrangements in Social & Health Care, the cost to be funded by way of a supplementary estimate in 2004/05 and to be built into the budget for 2005/06 and future years.

In relation to Item 3 (Oxfordshire Community Strategy), the Executive RECOMMENDS the Council to adopt the Oxfordshire Community Strategy.

In relation to Item 4 (Oxfordshire Plan 2004/05), the Executive RECOMMENDS the Council to adopt the Oxfordshire Plan/Best Value Performance Plan and Programme.

In relation to Item 11 (Adult Learning Plan 2004/05), the Executive RECOMMENDS the Council to approve the Adult Learning Plan 2004/05 for submission to the Learning & Skills Council.

9. Report of the Best Value Committee
   
   (CC9)
   

The Committee RECOMMENDS the Council (by 6 votes to 2) to:

• (the strategic Internal Audit Services Plan and annual work plan, advising on any changes required to ensure that statutory duties are fulfilled;
• performance indicators and resourcing for the service, making recommendations to the Executive and Council on the budget for the service; and)
• arrangements for the prevention and detection of fraud and corruption;

10. Meeting Dates 2005/06

The schedule of meeting dates proposed for the 2005/06 Council year is attached for approval (CC10).(Download as .xls file) (Key to table (download as .doc file))
Directors and Political Groups were consulted on a draft schedule, with the views of scrutiny committee Chairs/Chairwomen/Chairmen and their Deputies being sought specifically, and one or two minor amendments have been made as a result of that consultation.

The schedule has been drawn up to reflect the various rules regarding frequency of meetings set out in the Council’s Constitution and generally follows the pattern of meetings agreed for the current year. An attempt has been made to even out the cycles of scrutiny committee meetings but a degree of bunching cannot be avoided. It should also be noted that, because of the County Council Election in May 2005, the scrutiny cycle that would ordinarily have been scheduled for that month has been omitted.

The Council is RECOMMENDED to approve the proposed dates of meetings for 2005/2006 as set out in CC10.

11. Scrutiny Report 2003-2004
    
    (CC11 - download as .pdf file)
    

The Scrutiny Co-Ordinating Group RECOMMEND the Council to receive the Scrutiny Report 2003-2004.

12. Questions with Notice from Members of the Council

Motions with Notice from Members of the Council

13. Motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson

This Council notes the comments made by the District Audit officer to the effect that the Council’s audit and risk management functions should be independent from the Administration of the Council. This Council also believes that neither the audit nor the best value function is well served within the democratic process by having one committee covering the two functions, especially with that committee having a Chair and Deputy Chair drawn from the Administration. Accordingly, this Council resolves to create an Audit & Risk Management Committee, independent of the Executive and separate from the Best Value Committee, and agrees that it should be chaired by a member who is not a member of any of the political groups from which the Executive members are drawn.

14. Motion from Councillor Liz Brighouse

This Council welcomes the prospect of a referendum on approval of a new Constitution for the European Union. It is clearly in the interests of all Oxfordshire people and businesses that the population should be well informed across the complete breadth of the issue on which they are being asked to express a view. This Council is also aware that opponents of the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union have been responsible for wide circulation of myths and untruths, designed to distance people’s understanding of what Europe is about, and to loosen this country’s belief in its place in Europe. Accordingly this Council asks the Government to arrange for the production and wide-scale distribution of copies of a leaflet explaining the real issues facing the European Union, including the extent of EU Funding in each region in the UK. Such information has already been produced by GOSE for the South East.

15. Motion from Councillor Robert Evans

This Council notes that Section 71 of the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, places a statutory general duty on local authorities to promote race equality. Under this duty, the Council must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; to promote equal opportunities; and to promote good relations between people from different racial groups when carrying out its functions. Under the Act, the term ‘functions’ means the full range of the Council’s duties and powers. The Act also imposes additional specific duties on local authorities, including the requirement to train staff on meeting the general duty. Accordingly, and mindful of the importance of these duties, and of the relevant legal and democratic responsibilities of the Council’s political leadership in these matters, this Council recommends the Executive to arrange for its own members to undertake appropriate training, learning and development on the extent and nature of the Council’s duties under the Act, as a matter of considerable urgency.

16. Motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson

This Council

1. notes that: nationally, six times more children are being treated for asthma than 25 years ago; British children are almost twice as likely to have asthma as those in other EU countries; and the Thames Valley has a higher than average incidence rate, with the total number of emergency admissions to hospital in the County over the past three years having risen as follows:

2000/01	277
2001/02	281
2002/03	313

2. recalls that two years ago we voted for every local school to have an asthma policy, so that pupils with asthma are encouraged always to have their inhalers available, avoidable triggers are removed and teachers know what to do when a pupil has an attack;
3. now resolves to urge the government to ensure that all sufferers from asthma are given "personal care plans" to help them to manage their illness far better – following the example of Australia, Norway and Finland, where death rates, hospital visits and medical bills have all fallen after individually tailored personal plans were introduced.
   
   

The Council is also concerned that research on both sides of the Atlantic suggests that tiny particulates from vehicle exhausts can sidestep the body’s natural defences and set off asthma. Noting that the new findings have raised serious questions about the safety of diesel cars in particular, the Council resolves to ask the government to fund greater efforts to design much more effective particulate traps to be fitted to diesel exhausts.

17. Motion from Councillor Ted Cooper

Whilst the elderly with certain medical conditions can receive free podiatry treatment both inside and outside hospital, and Age Concern run the very excellent Sole Mates scheme for a limited number of clients without medical need, this in no way addresses the serious problem that a large number of elderly people cannot avail themselves of this most basic service and are suffering considerable hardships, as well as being in great danger of falling or even of serious infection caused by in-growing nails.

The hospital service is reviewing its criteria in order to relieve budget pressures and those in the least medical need will obviously be the sufferers. Whilst Sole Mates can only serve limited numbers in the Vale and West Oxfordshire, with a view possibly to expanding to the City and South Oxfordshire, their funding is uncertain and their service limited by a lack of trained volunteers. The magnitude of this problem needs to be assessed urgently, starting by establishing a tripartite approach by the Social & Health Care Directorate, the lead Primary Care Trust and Age Concern. To this end the Council calls on the Executive to:

1. commission a review to establish provision across the County, possibly by a panel from the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee;
2. establish an Action Plan with targets and timescales; and
3. consider a partnership agreement with PCTs, possibly including the pooled funding that already exists.
   
   
18. Motion from Councillor Steve Hayward

In view of government pending decision to abandon the AS levels, this Council supports the urgent review of year 12 and 13 education to give the young adults a qualification suitable for universities and employers to assess their academic attainment.

19. Motion from Councillor Peter Skolar