______________________________________

________________________________

To Members of the Executive

Notice of a Meeting of the Executive

Tuesday 18 March 2003 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford


Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

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

Membership

Councillors

 

 

Keith R Mitchell

-

Leader of the Council

Margaret Godden

-

Deputy Leader of the Council

Tony Crabbe

-

Executive Member for Schools

Neil Fawcett

-

Executive Member for Learning & Culture

David Robertson

-

Executive Member for Transport

Anne Purse

-

Executive Member for Strategic Planning & Waste Management

Janet Godden

-

Executive Member for Children & Young People

Don Seale

-

Executive Member for Community Care & Health

John Farrow

-

Executive Member for Community Safety

The Agenda follows. Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 26 March 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

Addenda

  1. Apologies for Absence

  2. Declarations of Interest

  3. Minutes

    4. To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2003 (EX3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

  4. Petitions and Public Address

     see Addenda

  5. Budget Monitoring

    6. Executive Member: Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2002/218
    Contact Officer: Mike Petty, Principal Financial Manager (01865 815622)

    Report by Director for Business Support & County Treasurer (EX5 – to follow).

    The report updates the budget monitoring position for 2002/03 to the end of January 2003. The major variations since the last report are set out with potential variations for the rest of the year. Annexes 1 and 2 to the report set out the overall position on the programme area carryforward reserves and the overall position on balances respectively. The position for each of the programme areas is set out in the report.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to receive the report and to continue to strongly reiterate to Directors the need to proceed cautiously and to monitor expenditure closely.

  6. Annual Audit Letter and Action Plan 2001/2002

    7. Executive Member: Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2002/209
    Contact Officer: Michael Rolton - Financial Control and Operations Manager (01865 815440)

    Report by Director for Business Support and County Treasurer (EX6).

    The District Auditor has issued her Annual Audit Letter for 2001/2002 which represents a summary of the Auditor’s work and key findings relating to the financial year 2001/2002.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

    (a) note the Annual Audit Letter 2001/02 and the issues referred by the Best Value Committee to the two Scrutiny Committees;

    (b) endorse the Action Plan 2001/2002 and invite individual Executive Members to pursue the respective recommendations with the appropriate Directors.

  7. Performance Management – Quarterly Monitoring Report

Executive Member: Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/98
Contact Officer: David Lines, Head of Performance & Review (01865 810150)

Report by Director for Strategy (EX7).

Revised Report

Revised Report Annexes (download as .xls file)

This report considers the Quarter 3 (Oct – Dec 02) progress against :

  • Oxfordshire Plan 2002 – 2003 key targets

    • estimated outturn figures for Best Value Performance Indicators 2002 – 2003.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to receive the report and invite the respective Executive Members to investigate further with the relevant Directors:

          1. those areas where targets have not been met as shown in Annex 1 to the report;

          2. those areas where performance is estimated to fall below 85% of target as shown in Annexes 2–6 to the report; and

          3. those areas where performance data has not been provided as shown in Annexes 2–6 to the report.

  1. Transport Capital Programme 2003/04 to 2005/06

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/37
Contact Officer: Eddie Luck, Assistant Director (01865 815705)

Joint Report by the Director for Business Support & County Treasurer, and Assistant Director (Transport Development) (EX8)

The report seeks the Executive’s provisional approval for the allocation of the 2003/04 SCP allocation for transport to the 6 main budget headings, and to the sub headings within each main programme area, to enable the full 2003/04 programme to be developed for final approval on 15 April. It also seeks to update the proposed provisional allocations for 2004/05 and 2005/06 to assist with future design and development work.

Supplement

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

        1. approve the provisional allocations set out in Annex 3 and Annex 4 to this report as the basis for developing the 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06 transport capital programmes for further consideration by the Executive;

        2. agree that there will not be a new bidding round in 2003 for the Better Ways to School (BWTS) programme and that the 2004/05 BWTS programme will provide for the completion of the schemes included in the 2003/04 and earlier programmes; and

        3. approve the revised Project Appraisal for Thornhill Park and Ride site included as Annex 5 (download as .xls file) to this report.

  1. Camera Enforcement of Bus Lanes in Oxford

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2001/129
Contact Officer: David Clough (01865 815743)

Report by Assistant Director of Environmental services (Transport Development) (EX9)

The report details the progress made towards devising a suitable system to enforce Bus Lanes in Oxford City, including the key central area access restriction points. This will be carried out under powers granted in the Transport Act 2000. The Statutory Instrument (SI) authorising acceptable operational procedures should be published shortly.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the procurement and installation of the CCTV cameras for enforcement of bus lanes at the four sites specified in the report subject to:

          1. the authorising Statutory Instrument being issued and coming into effect;

          2. inclusion of the scheme in the 2003/04 Transport Capital Programme;

          3. consideration of any observations or objections resulting from consultation on the individual sites by the Transport Implementation Committee; and

          4. conversion of the City of Oxford Traffic Management Order 1999, at the specified sites, to a Bus Lane Order and subject to the consideration of any observations or objections by the Transport Implementation Committee.

  1. Highway Maintenance Programme 2003/04

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/39
Contact Officer: Richard Dix, Assistant Director (01865 815663)

Report by Assistant Director of Environmental Services (Highway Maintenance) (EX10).

The report lists the planned expenditure on the highway maintenance activities programmed for 2003/04 funded from the available revenue budget (£14.860m) and capital budget (£10.0m). The report also details the allocations to the Oxford City Council for Section 42 works on unclassified roads in Oxford in 2003/04. The programme allows for the strategic measures that are part of the Council’s 2003/04 budget.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. endorse the details of the 2003/04 Highway Maintenance programme as set out in Annex 1 to the report, subject to confirmation of the capital funding for structural maintenance;

          2. approve the Oxford City Council’s Section 42 estimate as modified and shown in Column B of Annex 2 to the report.

  1. Freight Quality Partnerships

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/38
Contact Officer: Roger O’Neill (01865 815659)

Report by the Assistant Director of Environmental Services (Transport Development) (EX11)

In the Oxfordshire LTP it is stated that the County Council will set up a countywide Freight Quality Partnership (FQP) in conjunction with the implementation of Integrated Transport Strategies in the urban areas. An FQP offers the County Council the chance to deal with a number of issues that are difficult to address as successfully in other ways. The success or otherwise of such an initiative depends upon the willing and enthusiastic volunteering of time and effort from participants from the freight and distribution sector.

Term consultants Halcrow were commissioned to prepare a report on the advantages and disadvantages of setting up a Partnership or Partnerships in the county. On the basis of this it is recommended that a Partnership is established for an initial period of twelve months to look at a limited number of specific issues where there is an established channel for the conclusions that are reached to be put into practice, namely, urban deliveries in Oxford; motorway access and distribution issues in Bicester and Banbury; and lorry routeing, particularly heavy goods vehicles using unsuitable roads in rural areas.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. approve the establishment of a Freight Quality Partnership for Oxfordshire, on the basis outlined in the report, with a review of its operation and progress to be carried out after 12 months;

          2. agree that the constitution of the Partnership should comprise the Executive Member for Transport or his nominee together with representatives of other interests as determined by the Director for Environment & Economy in consultation with the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management; and

          3. authorise the Director for Environment & Economy to develop terms of reference and a programme of activities for the 12 month period in consultation with the Executive Members for Transport, Strategic Planning and Waste Management.

  1. Developing the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire

Executive Member: Children and Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/19
Contact Officer: Rick Harmes, Principal Education Officer; Matt Bowmer, Acting Head of Finance (01865 810626/815474)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer and Director for Business Support & County Treasurer (EX12).

The report sets out key strategic and financial issues for the County Council to consider before confirming a start date for the introduction of a single main point of admission to Oxfordshire primary schools. Headteachers , Governors and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership broadly support the County Council’s proposals and the extra investment that is expected to come with them.

The estimated cost of introducing a single point of admission in 2004/05, together with its associated quality and partnership measures, is £1.56m. Of this, £0.28m has already been approved by the Council in setting its budget for 2003/04.

In 2005/06, the total cost of the Foundation Stage package would rise to £2.1m, and then in smaller steps up to a maximum of £2.38m in 2008/09.

If a single point of admission were introduced in 2005/06, the above costs could either be deferred for a year or spread out over six years instead of five.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

          1. to confirm the introduction of a single main point of admission in September of each year to Oxfordshire primary schools starting in September 2004 on the basis of the financial provision already made in the course of the budget approval process for 2003/04, and to commend this change to the Governors of Aided and Foundation primary schools in the County;

          2. to confirm the accompanying measures within the agreed financial provision in relation to:

    • free school meals entitlement

      • primary schools’ discretion to offer full-time places, subject to local consultation

    • the right of parents to defer their child’s admission to primary school in the reception year and the preparation of specific guidance for parents on this issue

    • the preparation of further guidance concerning small schools

    • the agreement of special local arrangements to safeguard the position of Nursery Schools

    • the carrying out of transport assessments in the case of any schemes involving new buildings as approved by the Executive on 7 January;

            c. to consider the financial implications set out in the report of the following measures aimed at implementing the Foundation Stage of Learning for young children in Oxfordshire:

    • increasing the age-related pupil unit of resource for reception-year five year olds

    • establishing an early years investment fund for primary school buildings;

    • increasing the partnership/sustainability fund for pre-schools;

    • providing additional funds specifically for pre-school children with special educational needs;

with a view to determining their priority, alongside other Learning & Culture items, when the County Council’s Budget for 2004/05 is discussed and put together;

            d. to agree that the proposed early years investment fund for primary school buildings should be considered in the disposition of any excess capital receipts that may become available ;

            e. to ask the officers to carry out detailed work on a scheme for establishing an early years investment fund for primary school buildings starting in 2004/05 and to report back on proposals for this in October 2003

  1. Youth Justice Plan

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

    Report by Head of Youth Offending Service (EX13).

    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 Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee considered a report on the Youth Justice Plan produced by the Head of the Youth Offending Team on 11 December 2002 meeting when it was 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. Attached at EX5 is a copy of the Draft Youth Justice Plan, which will be considered by the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee on 13 March 2003. Their views will be reported at the meeting

    see also     Addenda

    Subject to any comments received from the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee (which is due to consider this report at its meeting on 13 March) the Executive is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND Council to approve the Youth Justice Plan for submission to the YouthJustice Board.

  2. Transforming Youth Work 2003-2006 - Oxfordshire Youth Service Plan

Executive Member: Children & Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/26
Contact Officer: Monica Hanaway, Head of Youth Service (01865 815696)

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX14).

During 2002, the DfES/Connexions published their plans for reforming Youth Services under the banner ‘Transforming Youth Work’. The plans were set out in two documents, respectively subtitled "Developing Youth Work for Young People" and "Resourcing Excellent Youth Services". The report summarises the main themes of the two documents and recommends a Youth Work Plan for Oxfordshire for the coming years. The published Executive Summary of the Plan is given in an Appendix to the report. Full copies of the Plan are available in the Members’ Resources Centre and from the Head of Youth Service.

The Plan sets out the local context and the structure of the Youth Service in Oxfordshire. It shows ways in which the Service contributes to key Government national Youth Service objectives, the corporate objectives of Oxfordshire County Council, the objectives of the Education Department and the aims and objectives of the Oxfordshire Youth Service itself. It emphasises the involvement of young people, its partnership work and its community cohesion work on equality and diversity.

The Plan sets out key curricular and operational priorities. The Curricular Developmental Priorities are - being sensitive to the global situation, and thus working to increase community cohesion:

  1. to support the increasing numbers of unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers with focused work in Oxford and Bicester;

  2. to provide additional support and opportunities to young people within the Asian communities of Oxford and Banbury, and to challenge racism within the communities;

  3. to increase the awareness of and involvement of young people with disabilities in all relevant youth work provision;

  4. to address the needs of homeless young people, particularly in Oxford city;

  5. to increase the capacity of the Youth Counselling Service and the Youth Mentoring Service to reduce their waiting lists.

The Plan also includes the 2003/4 submission against the Transforming Youth Work Development Fund and a first analysis of where Oxfordshire stands in relation to the Standards for Youth Work. This analysis shows that Oxfordshire currently meets most of the standards, despite resourcing levels in the Youth Service in Oxfordshire being low in comparison with those in most local authorities and also in comparison with the national expectation set out in the County’s new Youth and Community Sub-block allocation.

See also Addenda

The Executive is RECOMMENDED, subject to any comments received from the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee (which is due to consider this report at its meeting on 13 March) to:

      f. endorse the Oxfordshire Transforming Youth Work Plan 2003-2006;

(b) note the need to consider, in the context of the budget for future years, the level of financial resources to be allocated to the Youth Service to enable the Service to work towards meeting the national standards for Youth Services recommended by the National Youth Agency and Department for Education & Skills.

  1. Proposals for the Reprovision of Stowford House Hostel for People with Learning Disabilities

    2. Executive Member: Community Care & Health
    Forward Plan Ref: 2003/30
    Contact Officer: Jean Carr, Assistant Director, Adult Service Provision (01865 815565)

    Report by Director for Social & Health Care (EX15).

    As part of proposals presented to the Executive in November last year outlining the progress that had been made in moving residents from the hostels managed by the County Council into ordinary housing in the community attention was drawn to the need to consider plans for the future of Stowford House, the last remaining hostel. The report outlines the options for the future of Stowford House, which will enable residents and their families to make their choices over a period of time and within a cost efficient framework for the County Council.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the proposals as set out in the report for the redevelopment of services provided at Stowford House.

  2. Transport for Post-16 Students

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/10
Contact Officer: Sue Tanner, Senior Education Officer, Personnel & Administration (01865 815472()

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (EX16).

The report describes the requirements of Schedule 19 of the Education Act 2002. The Schedule introduces arrangements described as being designed to improve the planning, coherence and publicity of transport policies for post-16 students. LEAs must co-ordinate transport which assists students aged 16+ to attend school, college or work-related training and the LEA must draw up and publish a Policy Statement setting out the ways in which all the "partners" (LEA, schools, colleges, Learning & Skills Council) will provide this support for students.

The report further explains that some funding has been made available to all partnerships for the financial year 2003/4 in order to help them make progress in improving transport support and services. The funding for Oxfordshire amounts to £177,995.

The report sets out the current provision, by both the LEA and the F.E. Colleges in Oxfordshire and proposes how the Statement should be produced and what might be the basis for discussion with partners on how the funding should be spent.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

  1. to authorize the Director for Learning & Culture to draw up a Statement of Transport Provision for post-16 students on the basis outlined in the report, using information from Colleges and re-stating current provision by the LEA;

  2. instruct officers to continue to discuss with members of the Oxfordshire Partnership the appropriate use of the Learner Support Funds provided by the Learning & Skills Council and to report the outcome to a future meeting of the Executive for decision.

  1. Developing our Staff Best Value Review

    2. Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2002/197
    Contact Officer: Janet Bolam, Performance Review Adviser (01865 81 5676)

    Report by Director for Strategy (EX17). (download as .doc file)

    On 26 February 2003 the Best Value Committee considered the outcome of the Best Value Review on Developing our staff and:

    1. endorsed the developing our Staff Review report and Action plans;
    2. referred the outcomes of the review to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee for them to make any observations on the review and action plan to the Executive;
    3. RECOMMENDED the Review and Action Plans to the Executive.


    The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee will consider the review on 6 March 2003 which is too late for inclusion on this Agenda. Any outcomes from that meeting will be reported.

    See also     Addenda

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED subject to the consideration of any comments from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee to endorse the Developing our Staff Review and action Plan.

  2. Forward Plan and Future Business

Executive Member: All
Contact Officer: John Leverton (01865 815314)

The Executive Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting of the Executive is to include "updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting".

The publication date of the next Forward Plan, for the period May – August 2003, is 17 April 2003. It will be necessary to determine its content at the meeting on 2 April, but members may wish at the present meeting to identify any changes they would wish to have incorporated in the next update.

In the meantime, a list of items from the Forward Plan for the next two meetings is attached (EX18).

The Executive is RECOMMENDED, subject to any changes and/or additional items it would wish to see incorporated in the next Forward Plan, to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.

March 2003

EXECUTIVE – 18 MARCH 2003

ADDENDA



Item of Additional Business: Children’s Panel

The Director for Social & Health Care reports as follows:

The Executive on 1 October 2002 agreed that a Corporate Parenting Panel should be established, to monitor the Council’s performance in relation to children looked after. The publication in January 2003 of Lord Laming’s Inquiry report into the death of Victoria Climbié has recommended that councillors should receive information about policy and practice issues in relation to children in need. To meet this recommendation it is proposed that the Corporate Parenting Panel’s remit should be extended and become establish a Children’s Panel to include this function.

The Leader of the Council has decided that this item should be added to the agenda as a matter of urgency, in order that early progress may be made by the Panel, which would have the following Terms of Reference:

  1. To discuss national and local policy issues which affect children in need and children looked after and undertake strategy development.

  2. To receive quarterly reports on specified performance indicators relating to the management of children in need and children looked after.

  3. To undertake general performance management of services for children in need and children looked after and alert the relevant Scrutiny Committee to matters of concern.

The Executive meeting in October 2002 agreed that the Corporate Parenting Panel should consist of nine members, three from each political group, but to include the 3 members who serve on the Council’s Adoption & Fostering Panels – currently Councillors Janet Godden, Ted Cooper and Mrs Anda Fitzgerald O’Connor. The two other members from each group (nominations for which were subsequently received), were expected to have a particular interest "in education and in community safety". It is now felt more appropriate that these other members should, include the Executive Member for Schools, and other members with a specific interest in Education and Social & Health Care.

It is envisaged that the Panel would meet quarterly and be chaired by the Executive Member for Children & Young People.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to agree the setting up of a Children’s Panel on the terms set out above, and the political groups be requested to review their nominations to the Panel accordingly.

 4. Petitions and Public Address

Councillor Andrew Brown

8. Transport Capital Programme 2003/04 to 2005/06

Mr Graham Jones

9. Camera Enforcement of Bus Lanes in Oxford


13. Youth Justice Plan

The Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 13 March 2003 advised the Executive as follows:-

(a) its concern regarding the absence of support from the health economy;

(b) the constraints associated with Performance Measure 13: which concerns the poor level of local Child & Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provision that resulted in waits of up to six months for people diagnosed with non-acute mental health needs;

(c) the need to stress the importance of finding preventative measures to address youth

offending, and, in this context, to include addressing the County Council’s

underfunding of its Youth Service.

 14. Transforming Youth Work 2003-2006 – Oxfordshire Youth Service Plan

The Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 13 March 2003 endorsed the recommendations as contained in the report by the Acting Chief Education Officer and to advised the Executive to look at the possibility of passporting the full level of funding into spending on those services which lie within the Youth and Community Sub-block within the Council’s grant allocation, in a staged process over three years.

 17. Best Value Review Outcome: Developing Our Staff

The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 March 2003. Key comments included:

  • developing strategies to support CPA;

  • the need for a detailed action plan;

  • the development of a ‘top-down’ approach;

  • the importance of implementing effective performance/staff appraisal;

  • comparison with the private sector;

  • the place of succession planning/internal promotion/staff exchange;

  • training for customer care; and

  • the value of regular employee surveys.



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