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To Members of the Executive

Notice of a Meeting of the Executive

Tuesday 15 October 2002 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

Contact officer: Graham Warrington (Tel: 01865 815321; E-mail)

Membership

The Agenda follows. Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 23 October 2002 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

1. Apologies for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest
3. Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2002 (EX3 – to follow) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

4. Petitions and Public Address
5. SSI Inspection of Children’s Services

• Whilst accepting the SSI report, the Committee nevertheless believes that the judgement stating that the future is "uncertain" is disappointing, particularly as the report identifies extensive positive practice.
• It is clear that officers were not complacent in acknowledging and working on improvement.
• The Committee commend the managers and staff in the Children & Families division, for all their hard work towards improving services.
• The Committee note that the inspection was a snap-shot impression in March and that significant improvement had taken place since that time.

1. accept the report of the Department of Health Social Services Inspectorate into the County Council’s Social Services Children’s Services;
2. commend the action plan developed by County officers in response to the Inspector’s report and recommendation;
3. note the views of the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee.

6. Best Value Review (Supplementary Report on Children in Public Care) Behaviour, Attendance and Exclusions

Executive Member: Schools Children & Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/101
Contact Officer: Sandra Bingham, Senior Education Officer (Social Inclusion) (01865 816217)

Report by Director for Strategy (EX6).

On 8 January 2002 the Executive had considered the Best Value Review Report on Behaviour, Attendance and Exclusions g on 8 January 2002 and resolved:-

1. to note with concern the increase in the number of children in the care of this authority permanently excluded from school and the number of children in care without a school place;
2. in view both of the detrimental effect of absence from school on the life chances of the children concerned, and of the knock-on consequences for foster carers and the children’s residential homes of children out of school, to ask the Best Value review team to reconvene to consider these issues in more depth, and to report to with an action plan for implementation in September 2002;
3. to ask officers to ensure that appropriate stakeholders are consulted for the purpose of (b) above, and that these consultees include children in care, representative foster carers and the managers of the authority’s children’s residential homes.

1. referred the report to the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees;
2. agreed to forward the report to the Executive and urge that the resources are made available to achieve the very desirable aims.

7. New Early Years Units: Cholsey Primary School and Kidmore End CE (Aided) Primary School

Executive Member: Children & Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/187
Contact Officer: Annie Davy, Head of Early Years (01865 815493)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX7).

The Executive is asked to consider two applications to open new Early Years Units. The proposals are also being considered by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) on 17 October who are required to make a recommendation to the County Council. However, in order to open in January 2003, Cholsey Primary School requires approval before half term and the Executive is therefore asked to approve that scheme subject to any comments from the EYDCP. The main purpose of creating the units is to provide equality of access to early years education opportunities within the schools, and to raise standards and provide high quality education and continuity for children in the foundation stage and in the case of Kidmore End transition to Key Stage 1.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED subject to any comments from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership Meeting, to approve the proposals for new Early Years Units at Cholsey Primary School from January 2003 and Kidmore End C.E. (aided) Primary School from September 2003.

8. Call-In of Executive Decision Growing Our Corporate Capacity

Executive Member: Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/154
Contact Officer: Richard Shaw (01865 815330)

The Assistant Chief Executive reports as follows:

On 17 September 2002 the Executive resolved subject to deletion of "first and foremost" where applied to the corporate leadership role of Directors, to:-

1. approve the proposals at paragraph 46 of the consultation paper Growing our Corporate Capacity, subject to the Chief Executive being asked to review further the best structural location for Countryside Services, Registration and Emergency Planning in consultation with staff and Members, and to decide the way forward by mid December;
2. ask the Chief Executive to start recruitment for the three new Director posts immediately through external advertisement, with a view to appointments being made by end-December 2002; and
3. confirm the titles for the three Director posts in light of the proposals at paragraph 7(g) of the report.
   
   

The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee have called in that decision in accordance with the Council’s Scrutiny Procedure Rules as set out in the constitution. The reason given was that, "in reaching their decision, the Executive have, without due cause, disregarded nearly all the considered and well-argued advice given to them by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee, despite the matter of the wholesale reorganisation of the Council’s senior management structure being of such great importance to the efficient working of the entire County Council."

The call-in is to be considered by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee on 4 October 2002, which is after these papers had been prepared. The outcome will be reported to the Executive.

9. Special Educational Needs – Scrutiny Review: Process for Executive Response

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/189
Contact Officers: Matt Bramall and Julian Hehir, Scrutiny Review Officers (01865 815673)

Report by Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee.

The Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee has submitted for the Executive’s consideration a report on the review of this service, which has been carried out by a member review group appointed by the Committee for that purpose. The report (EX9) (download as .pdf file) as agreed by the Scrutiny Committee, is circulated with the agenda to all members of the Council, and is available for public inspection.

The report recognises the good work of this service and its importance in terms of meeting the Authority’s statutory duties and two of its key priorities within the corporate strategic objective of ‘Helping People to Fulfil their Potential’. However it also outlines areas of concern and suggests ways that the service may be made even better, in keeping with the Council’s commitment to continuous improvement. The report’s analysis reflects current government thinking around this service and makes thorough use of the principles contained within the new DfES Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs.

Recognising the importance of the review the Leader of the Council, following consultation with other members of the Executive, proposes that the Executive should at this meeting discuss and decide on the appropriate way to consider and respond to the report. He is extending an invitation to Councillors Christine Witcher and Zoe Patrick (the members of the review group) to attend and participate in this discussion, together with Councillor Robert Evans as Chair of the Scrutiny Committee and the Acting Chief Education Officer.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to decide on arrangements to be made for considering the substance of the report and formulating a response to it.

10. Establishment of a Schools Forum

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: -
Contact Officer: John Mitchell, Education Officer (01865 815619)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX10).

The School Standards and Framework Act 1988 as amended by the Education Act 2002 requires that all LEAs introduce a Schools Forum by 15 January 2003. The Forum must be consulted by the LEA about a number of matters, mostly of a financial nature. (There is nothing, however, to prevent the LEA consulting the forum about a wider range of financial matters if it wishes.) It should be noted that the Forum can only act in an advisory capacity (as originally conceived it had powers to, for example, determine whether the LEA could retain funding centrally for specific expenditure items).

The Forum must have at least 15 members, at least four fifths of whom must be headteacher or governor representatives of the County’s primary, secondary and special schools.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to agree to the composition of the Schools Forum as set out in paragraph 6 of the report and to ask the Acting Chief Education Officer to establish the Forum by 15 January 2003.

11. Delivery Framework for E-Government and IEG2 Statement

Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/147
Contact Officer: David Sibbert, e-Government Advisor (01865) 816018

Report by E-Government Adviser (EX11) (download as .pdf file)

Each local authority is required to submit a statement on its plans for implementing electronic government (IEG2 Statement) to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister before 31 October 2002. The statement has been prepared in accordance with guidance provided by the Government and includes proposals for developing a contact centre. It supports existing planning processes and the ambitions set out in ‘Raising Our Performance’ and includes proposals for enhanced partnership working with the District Councils and other public bodies.

The advice of consultants has been sought on an appropriate delivery framework for IEG2 and further guidance is being obtained on the far-reaching proposals outlined in the statement. This includes exploring the opportunities for partnership working with the private sector to help fund the finance implications outlined in the report. Their advice will be made available prior to final discussions being taken on the budget for 2003/04 onwards.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

1. subject to (b) and (c) below, to endorse the strategy reflected in the IEG2 statement;
2. to refer the report and statement to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee for consideration and comment at its meeting on 24 October 2002;
3. to authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council, to finalise the IEG2 statement taking account of the views of the Scrutiny Committee, for submission to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by 31 October 2002;
4. to ask officers to report to the Executive by the end of December 2002 on the additional information referred to at paragraphs 7-8 of the report;
5. to authorise the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council to agree appropriate partnership arrangements with the District Councils within the context set out in the IEG2 statement;
6. to agree that the financial implications of implementing urgent actions in the IEG2 implementation plan in 2002/03 be met from the new technology fund, subject to the detailed agreement of the Leader and Deputy Leader.

12. "In the Service of Democracy" – Consultation Paper on a Policy for Electronic Democracy

• support the proposals for further pilot schemes based on the whole range of options set out at paragraph 13 of the report DO5 but, in doing so, highlight the need to ensure security and the maintenance of secrecy in whatever voting systems are introduced, and draw attention to the danger that any form of remote voting has the potential for undue influence to be exerted on voters;
• support the introduction of standards for e-voting systems;
• endorse the Government’s objective of introducing a secure interactive electronic electoral register with adequate on-line authentication systems, but emphasise the fact that many voters may prefer to continue using the traditional voting system at polling stations and/or postal/proxy votes and that the option of universal postal voting is particularly effective in increasing voter turnout;
• ask the Government to ensure that e-campaigning is properly controlled as to nature, content and cost in ways that are similar to the current controls exercised over election publicity, eg those relating to broadcasts on the television and radio and to the printed media.

1. noted how much progress was being made in the authority with e-participation and the amount of the Council information which was already on the Council’s website;
2. welcomed the progress with the provision of IT for members subject to the comment (at 6(a)(ii) above) about members who preferred to rely on non-IT based systems.

13. Transport Capital Programme 2002/03 to 2005/06

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/93
Contact Officer: Peter Mann (01865 815479)

Report by Director of Environmental Services (EX13).

On 17 April 2002, the Executive approved the transport capital programme for 2002/03 to 2004/05 and asked for an update on progress on the programme in October 2002. This report updates the 2002 /03 programme and also seeks approval, in principle, to a revised allocation for the programme under the six main budget headings, as set out the Local Transport Plan (LTP), for the period 2003/04 to 2005/06 to assist with the forward planning of the programme.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:-

1. approve the revised provisional transport SCP allocation for 2003/04 to 2005/06, as set out in Annex 2, for forward planning purposes;
2. authorise the Director of Environmental Services, in consultation with the Director of Business Support to increase the 2002/03 SCP allocation for Hennef Way, with a corresponding reduction in the 2003/04 SCP allocation to Hennef Way, to ensure that the £18.613m SCP allocation for 2002/03 is fully utilised;
3. approve the transfer of a total of £750,000 from the forecast underspend on the 2002/03 Sustainable Transport, Community Safety (Transport) and Casualty Reduction budgets to the Structural Maintenance budget and make an equivalent reduction in the proposed provisional Structural Maintenance allocation set out in Annex 2 for 2003/04, to enable the 2002/03 schemes carried forward to 2003/04 for implementation to be funded; and
4. approve the use of an additional £135k of SCP underspend in 2002/03 for the funding of the Thornhill Park and Ride Extension to release the allocated developer contribution of £135k, subject to the agreement of the City Council, to support proposed contracted bus services from Thornhill Park and Ride to the Churchill and Nuffield Hospitals.

14. Carterton, Witney and Oxford – Transport Links

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/133
Contact Officer: Eddie Luck, Assistant Director (01865 815845)

Report by Director of Environmental Services (EX14).

This report sets out the conclusion of a review of the proposals to improve transport links along the A40 corridor from Carterton and Witney to Oxford setting out a three-phase strategy to improve transport links to West Oxfordshire over the next fifteen years. The first phase of the new strategy would involve the implementation of a package of measures including improvements to Wolvercote Roundabout, a new road link between the A40 and A44/A34, other measures to reduce congestion on the A40 and improve bus services between Carterton, Witney and Oxford. The implementation of the GTE (Guided Transit Express) system forms the second phase of the strategy, with the third phase based on the extension of the GTE system to Carterton and Witney in the longer term.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. approve the revised three phase strategy for the A40 set out in the report for consultation with local councils, local members and interested parties;
2. ask the Director of Environmental Services to report back via Environment Scrutiny Committee, on the further development of the Strategy in the light of the results of the consultations with an invitation to the Scrutiny Committee to advise the Executive of any changes they consider should be made to the proposed strategy before adoption by the Executive;
3. abandon the A40 Bus Lane Scheme as previously proposed;
4. authorise further work on the revised strategy and individual elements, including further consultation with interested parties between now and next Spring with a view to the introduction of an improvement of Wolvercote Roundabout during the next financial year; and
5. authorise the Director of Environmental Services to implement minor works at Wolvercote Roundabout to improve pedestrian facilities in the current year, subject to them being compatible with the final scheme, following consultation with the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management.

15. Taxis in Bus Lanes and Bus Lane/Gate Camera Enforcement

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/162
Contact Officer: Noel Newson (01865 815894)

Report by Director of Environmental Services (EX15).

The report considers the issue of access by taxis to bus lanes in Oxford as there are currently different regulations applying to some bus lanes. It concludes that licensed hackney carriages should be permitted to use all the bus lanes in the City but that private hire vehicles should continue to be excluded – although their rights of access through the bus gates in the central area would not be affected. On a separate but related issue the report makes proposals, in anticipation of the necessary legislative changes in the near future, for amendment of the traffic orders for the central area 'bus gates' (or access control points) and bus lanes to allow decriminalised camera enforcement. The report also considers a request by the Oxford Radcliffe Trust for access to bus lanes and through 'bus gates' by patient transport ambulances.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. subject to (b) below, instruct officers to promote amendments to the traffic orders which designate bus lanes in and adjoining Oxford, to permit hackney carriages licensed by Oxford City Council (and not by any other licensing authority) to travel in those bus lanes;
2. maintain the exclusion of hackney carriages from the lengths of bus lane in B4044 West Way, Botley west of the A34/A420 junction and the A4165 Banbury Road/Oxford Road north of the A40 Cutteslowe Roundabout, and make no change to the classes of permitted vehicle in the length of bus lane in West Way between the Seacourt Park & Ride access and the A34/A420 junction;
3. instruct officers to promote the necessary amendments to the traffic orders which restrict access via the bus gates located on the High Street, Castle Street, Magdalen Street and George Street, to allow decriminalised camera enforcement as soon as possible after commencement of the forthcoming regulations;
4. agree that the amendments to the traffic orders under (a) and (c) should permit ambulances on patient transport duty to pass through the High Street, Castle Street, Magdalen Street and George Street bus gates and all bus lanes in and around Oxford;
5. authorise officers to prepare the necessary amendments to the bus lane orders to allow for decriminalised camera enforcement when this can be extended to the bus lanes.

16. Village Hall/Community Centre Grants 2002/03

Executive Member: Learning & Culture
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/139
Contact Officer: Nancy Hood, Assistant Director (01865 810292)

Report by Director of Cultural Services (EX16).

The County Council’s grant scheme for the improvement of village halls and community centres is administered in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC). This report recommends the allocation of the money remaining in the grant fund for 2002/03.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve:

1. the grants proposed in paragraph 4 of the report, and
2. the proposal to carry over the West Hendred application to 2003/04 as set out in paragraph 5 of the report.

17. Forward Plan and Future Business