______________________________________

________________________________

To Members of the Executive

Notice of a Meeting of the Executive

Tuesday 7 January 2003 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

Contact officer: Deborah Mitchell (Tel: 01865 815463; E-mail)

Membership

The Agenda follows. Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on Wednesday 15 January 2003 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 10 December 2002 (EX3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

4. Petitions and Public Address

5. Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement

• The provisional FSS (Formula Spending Share - the replacement for SSA) is £487.3 million, a 12.6% increase on the 2002/03 adjusted position compared to the shire counties average of 11.9%.
  
  
• The Education FSS has increased by 6.4% on the adjusted base. The Education formula incorporates a floor of 3.2% in cash terms and a ceiling of 7% per pupil.
  
  
• The Social Services FSS is 23.1% higher than the adjusted 2002/03 settlement.
  
  
• The 2001 census has reduced Oxfordshire’s population base from 632,113 in 2002/03 to 605,892 in 2003/04, and as a result Business Rate income has decreased from £167.9m in 2002/03 to £162.4m in 2003/04. The proposed rate per head is £268.03 compared to £265.60 in 2002/03.
  
  
• Revenue Support Grant is £147.2m in the provisional 2003/04 settlement. The Council Tax at FSS is £177.6m.
  
  
• The increase in Total External Support (TES) for Oxfordshire is 6.1%, compared to an average of 5.71% for shire counties and 5.91% across England.
  
  
• There is a 3.5% floor on the increase in TES, and a ceiling of 8%. Oxfordshire is half way between these figures.

6. Fire Service Dispute

Executive Member: Community Safety
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/220
Contact Officer: John Parry, Chief Fire Officer (01865 855205)

The Chief Fire Officer reports as follows:

The Fire Brigades Union, having suspended the planned stoppage for the period before Christmas, has now given notice that two 48-hour stoppages will take place early in the New Year, one being planned for the end of January and the other for February, should a negotiated settlement not have been achieved by this time.

National negotiations between Employers and the Fire Brigades Union are continuing, now informed by the publication of the Bain Report (The Future of the Fire Service: reducing risk, saving lives). Major recommendations of the report will require national negotiation, principally those relating to potential changes in conditions of service. Other areas of the recommendations cover a need for increased collaboration between brigades, further development on fire prevention using Community Fire Safety education and a greater emphasis on a risk management approach to the provision of fire cover. Although there are significant areas within the report which would assist in developing our own brigade, it is also justifiable to state that Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is already making substantial progress on many of the issues.

A Government White Paper is anticipated in February 2003 and, dependent upon the content of this, the situation as regards the current national dispute and the indication of how the Bain recommendations will be implemented at national level, further detailed reports will be presented to the Executive.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to note the position.

7. Rail Projects

Ref	Title	New Priority Recommended by Scrutiny Committee
B/16/SERV	Reopen line between Oxford, Witney and Carterton	LOW
C/39/SERV	Better provision for cycles on trains	HIGH
C/45/STNS	Cycle and Pedestrian Access to Rail Stations	HIGH
D/62/STNS	Reopen Cropredy Halt	LOW

1. note the progress of the key rail projects during the past year; and
2. subject to consideration of:

0. whether there are additional or amended details that members would like to add to existing aspirations, or any additional aspirations; and
1. whether there are specific locations where members specifically want officers to investigate if some of the general aspirations contained in Part C of Annex 2 can be introduced;

8. Market Square/Wessex Way, Bicester Traffic Measures to follow the Skimmingdish Lane Improvement

1. approve for implementation the Phase 1 measures of the Post Skimmingdish Lane traffic management arrangements, as described in the report, subject to the consideration of any representation or objections resulting from consultation on the scheme by the Director Environmental Services, in consultation with the Executive Members for Transport & Strategic Planning and Waste Management;
   
   
2. agree that Wessex Way (Town Centre Link Road) be included in the approved programme for the Bicester Integrated Transport Strategy; and
   
   
3. endorse the work led by the Steering Group and agree Option 5 as the preferred Option to be developed for Market Square/Market Hill.

9. Food Law Enforcement Service Plan

Executive Member: Community Safety
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/183
Contact Officer: Nigel Strick, Head of Trading Standards (01865 815601)

The Head of Trading Standards and Assistant Chief Executive report as follows:

The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 11 December and agreed to advise the Executive that they agree with the initial proposals for the Food Law Enforcement Service Plan and in particular endorse the comments set down in paragraph 7 of the report - which refer to the need for a review on whether current funding for food sampling and analysis is sufficient for the service to be effective. (As noted by the Executive at the 12 November meeting, the review of the food sampling and analysis budget has been fed into the Budget Strategy process.)

Accordingly a draft plan has been drawn up, giving effect to the outline presented to the Executive and now endorsed by the Scrutiny Committee (EX9).(download as .doc file) It should however be noted that at this stage the financial information in the draft still relates to the current year and the sampling figures are still subject to budget approval.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND the Council to approve the Food Law Enforcement Service Plan 2003/04, subject to appropriate amendment to update the financial information in the light of the Council’s decisions on the budget, prior to submission to the Food Standards Agency.

10. Learning 3 to 5 – Proposals for Single Point of Admission

Executive Member: Children and Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/172
Contact Officer: Rick Harmes, Principal Education Officer Lifelong Learning (01865 810626)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX10)

Over the past two years – following the Best Value Review of Early Years and Childcare in February 2001 - the County Council has been carrying out a well planned process of research and development, public discussion and, most recently, consultation on its proposals to implement the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire.

At the heart of the proposals is the desire to make more coherent provision for the Foundation Stage of Learning across the whole of the County, and particularly in LEA primary schools. Because of the wide variations in admissions policy, and because of the differences in funding levels between pupils at different points within the reception year, many primary schools find it difficult to offer coherent and good quality provision for young children in the Foundation Stage. If young children are to get off to the best possible start in learning within Oxfordshire’s maintained schools system, this needs to change. The proposals will also require primary schools to work much more collaboratively with other providers in their local community. The aim should be to ensure that there is continuity of early learning experience for young children in their areas. To be effective, these collaborative arrangements will need to be based on parity of esteem between all providers, no matter which sector they belong to.

The report outlines the results of the recent consultations, including the views of the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Scrutiny Committees, and explores the strategic and resource considerations that arise.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

1. to note the outcome of the 3 to 5s Learning consultations;
2. to consider the medium-term resource implications arising from the County Council’s proposals for implementing the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire and to decide on the overall approach it wishes to adopt towards these;
3. subject to the resource implications, to approve the introduction of a single main point of admission in September of each year to Oxfordshire’s primary schools starting in September 2004 at the earliest, and to commend this change of policy to the Governors of Aided and Foundation Primary Schools in the County;
4. subject to the above, to agree the accompanying measures in relation to:

• free school meals entitlement;
• primary schools’ discretion to offer full time places, subject to local consultation;
• right of parents to defer their child’s admission to primary school in the reception year;

1. subject to the above, to agree the various measures proposed in Annex 2 to the report in response to the concerns raised during the ‘3 to 5s Learning’ consultations, particularly in relation to small schools, nursery schools and the publication of guidance for parents.

11. Youth Justice Plan

Executive Member: Children & Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/181A
Contact Officer: Mike Simm, Head of Youth Offending Service (01865 202218)

Report by Head of Youth Offending Service and Assistant Chief Executive (EX11).

The annual Youth Justice Plan is one of the strategic plans which are subject to approval by full Council following consideration by both the Executive and relevant Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution. The Executive on 26 November 2002 authorised consultation with the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee on the basis of initial proposals to be drawn up within the constraints identified in a report to that meeting by the Head of the Youth Offending Service.

The Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee considered the consultation on 11 December. The Committee agreed to advise the Executive of their appreciation of the hard work undertaken by the Youth Offending Team which had resulted in recognition of the team as a leading body by both the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board. They also agreed arrangements for processing of the draft Plan, which has been facilitated by advice from the Youth Justice Board that the Plan may be submitted subject to subsequent endorsement by Council, thus enabling a draft to be drawn up for consideration by the Scrutiny Committee and the Executive in March, with submission to Council for approval at the 1 April meeting.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the arrangements for consideration of the draft Plan outlined in the report and authorise the Head of the Youth Offending Service, in consultation with the Executive Members for Children & Young People and Community Safety, to prepare a draft Youth Justice Plan for submission direct to the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee for comment, in time for consideration by the Executive on 18 March, and onward transmission to Council for approval.

12. Extension of Works Contracts to include Further Work

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/263
Contact Officer: Keith Borien, Senior Education Officer (01865 428161)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX12).

The report presents three detailed project appraisals in respect of schemes for which exemption is requested under Rule 3.2 of the Contract Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution, to enable contracts to be let without being subject to the full tendering process. Although the Council normally relies on competitive rates obtained via an open tendering process, there are sound reasons for recommending exemption for these three schemes. These are set out in more detail in the report, but in summary are, the opportunities for cost savings in each case as contracts have been negotiated on the basis of previously tendered rates; the operational advantages of the same contractors continuing to work on the same sites; and the opportunity to develop partnership arrangements with contractors who have performed well on previous County Council projects.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to agree for the purpose of Rule 3.2 of the Contract Procedure Rules to exempt the contracts from the requirement to tender, for the reasons set out in the report, and authorise completion of contracts with the respective contractors accordingly.

13. Degradable Plastic Bags

1. to congratulate the Co-op and any other stores for introducing 100% degradable plastic bags in their supermarkets, thereby potentially 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, possibly exempting degradable bags, with a view to encouraging the reuse and use of more durable carriers, eg wicker baskets.

• reducing their impact when discarded as litter;
  
  
• speeding up the environmental stabilisation of landfill sites; and
  
  
• degrading to carbon dioxide and water within an aerobic composting environment.

1. write to the Co-op, to congratulate them for introducing 100% biodegradable plastic bags in their supermarket, and to any other stores which implement similar measures ;
2. use the proposed supermarket seminar to encourage other local supermarkets to introduce biodegradable bags;
3. write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs urging that the Government pursue the proposal to introduce a tax on non-biodegradable plastic bags.

14. Forward Plan and Future Business

December 2002

Return to TOP