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ITEM EX3

EXECUTIVE – 15 OCTOBER 2002

EXECUTIVE – 1 OCTOBER 2002

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 5.40 pm

Present:

The Executive considered the matters, reports and recommendations contained or referred to in the agenda for the meeting, together with a schedule of addenda tabled at the meeting, and decided as set out below. Except insofar as otherwise specified, the reasons for the decisions are contained in the agenda, reports and schedule, copies of which are attached to the signed Minutes.

342/02. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor John Farrow.

343/02. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2002 were approved and signed, subject to the amendments set out in the schedule of addenda.

344/02. PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS

The Chair reported that the following request to address the meeting had been agreed:-

Request from	Agenda Item
Councillor Mrs Hibbert-Biles, West Oxfordshire District Council	10 – Draft Care Homes Redevelopment Strategy

The address is recorded at the relevant Minute (350/02) below.

345/02. FINANCIAL STRATEGY AND BUDGET ISSUES

(Agenda Item 5)

The Executive considered:

EX5: a report by the Director for Business Support & County Treasurer setting out proposals for the budget process and the timetable for the 2003/04 budget;

EX5A: a draft Financial Strategy prepared by the Chief Executive and Director for Business Support & County Treasurer;

EX5B: a draft Budget Strategy prepared by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.

Councillor Harper expressed concern that the proposed process would concentrate attention on possible budget additions, and would militate against consideration of the relative priorities of these and discretionary expenditure within the existing budget. He suggested that Directors should be asked to list for Scrutiny Committees those areas of existing expenditure which were not statutory or contractual obligations to enable the Committees to identify any items which they might judged to be of lower priority than new bids.

In response to questions by Councillor Hodgson on the draft Budget Strategy, the Leader of the Council reported that the shortfall in health funding was believed to be of the same order as the shortfall in the County Council's Learning Disability budget; that work was being undertaken to extend the successful Public Service Agreement affordable housing initiative with the City Council to other district councils and potentially to other partners such as the police authority and major private sector employers; that the concerns identified in relation to the pension fund were those which affected pension funds nationally; and that the proposal to consolidate the modernisation and innovation funds was seen as a means of strengthening the Council's ability to drive forward the modernisation process, on the basis that all bids would be expected to be innovative. The Deputy Leader of the Council responded to concerns expressed by Councillor Hodgson about the timescale of the Job Evaluation Scheme by confirming that whereas implementation had been expected to taper over 3 years, 4 to 5 years now appeared more likely.

RESOLVED: to:

1. approve the basis and process set out in the report (EX5) for development of the 2003/04 budget and capital programme and authorise consultation with the Scrutiny Committees accordingly;
2. adopt the Financial Strategy (EX5A) and agree the action points set out in it;
3. endorse the draft Budget Strategy (EX5B) as a basis for consultation in accordance with (a) above;
4. note the recommendations forwarded by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee for consideration within the process agreed under (a) above;
5. ask the Director for Business Support & County Treasurer to brief Scrutiny Committees on the scope for economies within the existing base budget using updated material prepared earlier in the year, to enable the Committees to consider relative priorities for possible savings in existing budgets alongside possible bids identified as possible additions to the budget.
   
   

346/02. CORPORATE PARENTING

(Agenda Item 6)

The Executive considered a report by the Executive Member for Children & Young People (EX6) which proposed the setting up of a member/officer panel to ensure that the Council was fulfilling its corporate parenting responsibilities for the children in its care, including participating in inspections of children’s homes.

The Executive Member for Children & Young People commended the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee comments set out in the schedule of addenda.

RESOLVED: to agree to the establishment of a Children’s Panel in accordance with paragraphs 5 to 11 of the report and the advice of the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee.

347/02. HOMELESS FAMILIES - SOCIAL SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES

(Agenda Item 7)

The Executive considered a report (EX7) which provided an update on the legislation in respect of homeless families, highlighted the implications of such legislation for the Social Services Children’s Division and outlined significant unfunded budget pressure.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the unfunded budget pressure and associated risks;
2. request the lead service manager to liaise with local housing agencies with a view to contributing to inter-agency response to the problems posed, and faced, by families who were, or were at risk of, homelessness;
3. ask the Director to be proactive in exploring potential for developing a scheme to provide accommodation for homeless vulnerable families to be funded in main by Housing Benefit and Supporting People grant, but recognising that such a scheme could not be provided at nil cost.
   
   

348/02. ALLOWANCES FOR CHILDREN LIVING AWAY FROM HOME

(Agenda Item 8)

The Executive considered a report (EX8) which outlined the need to raise the maintenance allowance for foster carers up to the agreed National Fostering Network recommended rates, and outlined the current system of Adoption and Residence Order Allowances and their implications in terms of the benefits for the children and the cost to the Authority.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the contents of the report;
2. endorse the strategy currently followed by Social Services with regard to the support of children in families;
3. note that the funding pressures in this area exceeded the current level of budget provision.
   
   

349/02. THE SUPPORTING PEOPLE PROGRAMME

(Agenda Item 9)

The Executive considered a report (EX9) which summarised the key elements of the Supporting People reforms, identified a range of service and other issues for the County Council as the Administering Authority for Supporting People reforms, and proposed a process for enabling the Council to agree to the Shadow Strategy that the Government required to be submitted by the end of October.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the scale and complexity of the Supporting People reforms and in particular the impact on the County Council as administering authority and as Social Services Authority and additional costs that the Council would have to carry;
2. authorise the Executive Member for Community Care & Health to decide on behalf of the Council any matter relating to the approval and submission of the Supporting People Strategy, in consultation (so far as he might think necessary) with other relevant members of the Executive and the Chair, Deputy Chair and the third Group Spokesperson of the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee.
   
   

350/02. DRAFT CARE HOMES REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

1. endorse the redevelopment strategy for those homes previously consulted upon and for St. Edburgs, Bicester, Witan House, Witney, Iffley House, Rose Hill, Orchard House, Sandford-on-Thames and Meadowcroft, Thame, and authorise consultation on the proposed Redevelopment Strategy and Programme for these homes, with the outcome reported to the Executive in December 2002; and
2. authorise consultation on option appraisals for Spencer Court, Woodstock, Castle View, Chipping Norton, and Langston House, Milton-under-Wychwood working with the District Council, the local housing association, the primary care trusts and other interested parties, with a report back to the Executive within six months.

351/02. INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EQUIPMENT SERVICE

(Agenda Item 11)

The Executive considered a report (EX11) outlining the objectives of the "Guide to Integrating Community Equipment Services" issued by the Department of Health in March 2001 and the action taken in Oxfordshire so far; and recommending an action plan for approval before being sent to the Department of Health.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note progress to date summarised in the report and that a further report was planned in April 2003;
2. agree the Action Plan for Integrating Community Equipment Services set out in the draft annexed to the report.
   
   

352/02. GTE FOR OXFORDSHIRE

(Agenda Item 12)

The Executive considered a report (EX12) on progress made on the guided transit express (GTE) project, setting out the timetable for further work on the project. The report also identified the funding requirements for this work.

RESOLVED: (by 5 votes to 0, Councillors Fawcett, Margaret Godden, Mitchell, Robertson and Seale voting in favour) to:

1. agree in principle that the County Council should fund GTE work through to the end of the project authorisation phase in 2005/06;
2. ask the Director of Environmental Services to include the sum of £800,000 in 2003/04 for GTE Project Development and Authorisation in the review of the Transport Capital Programme to take place on 15 October and identify the appropriate budgetary provision for GTE in 2004/05 and 2005/06;
3. approve the creation of an additional post within Transport Development to manage GTE and other public transport development projects, funded from the capital programme.
   
   

353/02. THREE COUNTIES LOCAL BIOLOGICAL RECORDS CENTRE

(Agenda Item 13)

The Executive had before them a report (EX13) which outlined the development of Biological Records Centres and the implications of establishing a Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Centre.

RESOLVED: to:

1. agree, in principle, the establishment of a new Local Biological Records Centre to service Biodiversity Action Planning requirements in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire;
2. agree, subject to appropriate legal arrangements, the location of the new unit at the Oxfordshire Museum;
3. agree the principle of joint funding for the project by all the local authorities in Oxfordshire over a 3 year period (April 2003-2006);
   
   

354/02. CHARGING POLICIES BEST VALUE REVIEW

(Agenda Item 14)

The Executive considered a report (EX14) which sought approval for the Charging Policies Review and Action Plan and a Corporate Charging Policy.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the comments of the Scrutiny Committees and the current position with regard to each of the points raised as noted under "officer comments";
2. agree the Charging Policies Review and Action Plan; and
3. adopt the Corporate Charging Policy set out at Annex 2 to the report.
   
   

355/02. DELEGATION ARRANGEMENTS

1. create a Transport Implementation Committee, comprising the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management, to consider and determine:
1. individual local highway, traffic and parking matters, including: the promotion and implementation of schemes within the ambit of the transport capital programme; the approval of any order, arrangement, agreement or other instrument required in relation to that matter; and the consideration of responses to consultation; and
2. support for individual public transport services, including the conduct of area reviews and the authorisation of the making, variation or termination of service subsidy agreements;

subject to positive notification to the local member(s) for each division directly affected by the schemes to be considered under this procedure to enable them to make their views known to both officers and Executive Members;

2. adopt the rules and conventions set out in the report for the operation of the Committee;
3. confirm the powers of the Director of Environmental Services to take action in relation to highway, traffic and parking matters where there were no material objections or representations which fell to be considered in relation to that matter;

1. review these arrangements after 12 months of operation, or earlier if appearing to the Executive Members concerned or the relevant scrutiny committee to be expedient to do so.

356/02. FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS

in the Chair

Date of signing 2002

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