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ITEM EX3

EXECUTIVE – 29 APRIL 2003

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 4.30 pm

Present:

Voting Members:

Councillor Keith R Mitchell – in the chair

Councillor Tony Crabbe
Councillor John Farrow
Councillor Neil Fawcett
Councillor Janet Godden
Councillor Margaret Godden
Councillor Anne Purse
Councillor David Robertson
Councillor Don Seale

Other Members in Attendance:

Councillor Brian Hodgson (for Agenda Item 6)
Councillor Barbara Gatehouse (for Agenda Item 10)

Officers:

Whole of meeting: Chief Executive, J. Leverton and D. Mitchell.
Part of meeting: Director for Resources, S. Conaway, S. Corrigan, J. Hydari and M. Petty; Director for Social & Health Care, P. Hodgson and D. Seal; M. Stott (Environment & Economy); R. Leach (Learning & Culture).

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.

    112/03. MINUTES

    The Minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2003 were approved and signed.

    113/03. ORDER OF BUSINESS

    RESOLVED: to vary the order of business as indicated in these Minutes.

    114/03. PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS

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

    Request from

    Agenda Item

    Mr Mark Fysh

    11 - Job Evaluation for County Council Employees

    115/03. MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT

    (Agenda Item 5)

    The Executive considered a report (EX5) which updated members on the budget monitoring position for 2002/03 to the end of February 2003. The estimated position showed a potential deficit of £2.171m, which comprised a planned overspend on City Schools Reorganisation of £3.276m and an overspend on Social & Health Care of £2.587m, offset by underspending on other programme areas of £3.692m. The overall position on balances showed an estimated £1.876m remained in reserves to meet all other potential and outstanding pressures which might arise in the year.

    In response to the Executive’s request, Mr Petty undertook to look into the timing of the proposed awayday for project mangers, "champions" and partner organisations scheduled for the Autumn.

    RESOLVED: to receive the report and ask the Directors to continue to proceed cautiously given the potential variations to the year end position outlined in the report.

    116/03. FINANCIAL FORECAST 2004/05 – 2008/09

(Agenda Item 6)

The Executive considered a report (EX6) which updated members on the key issues in the approved Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFF). The report also included an overview of the latest economic forecast.

Councillor Hodgson addressed the Executive in relation to the Options and Priorities for 2004/05 and beyond with particular reference to reported shortfalls in school budgets. He stated that his Group were pressing the Government not to pursue the withdrawal of damping and suggested that reliance should in the meantime be placed on school balances throughout the county as a financial cushion, which he believed would allow schools to avoid redundancies or other drastic cuts, given sensible planning. He indicated that he would support an approach to the government if it were established that they had not allowed sufficiently for the new teachers’ pay formula in the local government financial settlement.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that the whole of the Government funding increase had been passed on to schools but that this had not been sufficient to meet all the costs arising from increased National Insurance and pension contributions and pay entitlements for some teachers. Detailed investigations were in hand to establish the nature and extent of problems for individual schools.

RESOLVED: to note:

    1. the issues highlighted in the report;

    2. the need to reconsider the financial strategy as part of the budget process;

    3. that an updated MTFF report would be brought to the Executive on 22 July 2003.

      117/03.       MAXIMISING OUR RESOURCES

(Agenda Item 7)

The Executive had before them a report (EX7) which outlined proposals to start the 2004/05 budget review process. The Leader of the Council emphasised that the Executive would wish to see the base budget for each service area explored in depth for cost efficiency and value for money. This would include challenging the need for each service area, the level of resource applied and whether alternative working methods could deliver the service for lower cost.

RESOLVED: to:

                1. endorse the overall proposals for a substantial review of the revenue budget as set out in the report, together with the implementation plan set out at Annex 1 and arrangements for improved member access to budget, performance and planning information set out in Annex 2;

                2. endorse the specific proposals set out in the report for undertaking a property review and developing procurement, human resources and ICT and corporate knowledge strategies;

                3. draw the particular attention of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee to the proposals set out in the report and annexes, to examine and make any comments they might consider appropriate.

    118/03. OXFORDSHIRE PLAN 2003/04

(Agenda Item 8)

The Executive considered a report (EX8) which outlined initial proposals for the production of an Oxfordshire Plan.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. adopt the arrangements for production of the Oxfordshire Plan 2003/04 set out in the report;

    2. agree the outline set out in Annex 1 as the Executive’s initial proposals for the Plan;

    3. invite the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee to make any comments on the initial proposals in time for consideration by the Executive on 27 May 2003.

    119/03. FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS

    (Agenda Item 15)

    The Executive considered a list of items from the Forward Plan for the next two meetings (EX15), amended as set out in the schedule of addenda and further retimings reported at the meeting.

    RESOLVED: to note the items currently scheduled for forthcoming meetings.

    120/03. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND WORK PROGRAMME 2003/04

    (Agenda Item 9)

    The Executive considered a report (EX9) which reviewed the current developments in the economic development field, set out a framework for the implementation of economic development activities by the Council, in the context of the creation of a new Directorate for Environment & Economy, and the Council’s aim in the Oxfordshire Plan of sustaining prosperity, and proposed how resources available to the Council through the Economic Development Initiatives budget could be used.

    RESOLVED: to:

    1. approve the proposals for the expenditure of the Economic Development Initiatives budget for 2003/04 as set out in paragraphs 5-11 and Annex 1 of the report;

    2. agree to the production of an economic development workplan for Oxfordshire County Council

      .

    121/03. OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY NETWORK

    (Agenda Item 10)

    The Executive considered a report (EX10) which responded to the Executive’s request at the meeting on 21 January for a fuller report on progress with the development of the OCN project.

    Councillor Gatehouse expressed concern in relation to the overspend on the OCN project, the sources of funding used to defray this and continuing uncertainty about the willingness of other authorities to join the project.

    Mr Conaway gave a detailed update on the OCN project. He reiterated the reasons for the historical overspend and confirmed thee had been no further cost overrun.

    RESOLVED: to:

    1. note the progress outlined in the report and endorse the general principles set out for further development of the project; and

    2. request a report to the 2 September meeting on the preparedness of schools to make full use of OCN in the coming year.


      122/03. JOB EVALUATION FOR COUNTY COUNCIL EMPLOYEES

    (Agenda Item 11)

    The Executive considered a report (EX11) which detailed the outcome of consultations and a ballot by Unison and sought approval to the final draft of the Job Evaluation Joint Agreement.

    Mr Fysh addressed the Executive on behalf of Unison in support of the Job Evaluation joint Agreement.

    RESOLVED: to ratify the Joint Agreement with Unison at Annex 1 to the report.

    123/03. AUDIT OF SERVICES TO CHILDREN IN NEED

(Agenda Item 12)

The Executive considered a report (EX12) which summarised the main findings of the completed Audit of Services for Children in Need in response to the practical recommendation of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry for Oxfordshire and highlighted the action taken and proposed in response to it.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. note the completed Audit of Services to Children in Need in response to the practical recommendations of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry;

    2. agree the action being taken to address issues identified from the Audit as detailed in Paragraph 11 of the report;

    3. agree that monitoring of progress of action identified from the Audit be undertaken by the Children’s Panel;

    4. record the Executive’s appreciation of the conduct and expertise of the staff involved in the extremely difficult work in this area.

    124/03. SCHOOL ADMISSION CRITERIA

(Agenda Item 13)

The County Council on 14 January 2003 had agreed the following motion in the name of Councillor Liz Brighouse:

"This Council advises the Executive that an important criterion in the allocation of places to any school should be the child’s entitlement to attend the school closest to their home, because that best serves the interests of inclusion, social justice and fairness. Accordingly, this Council requests the Executive to consider the implications of such a change in policy and to draw up and consult on plans to implement such a policy, but recognising within such plans that:

    1. technical criteria such as the needs of those in public care, those who have special educational needs and those with siblings already at the school will have precedence over proximity;

    2. such a policy could only be applied practically in areas where transport to school is not a statutory entitlement, i.e. mainly in urban areas."

The Executive had before them a report which considered the practical implications of implementing such a policy.

Councillor Crabbe, in introducing the report, expressed concern that the motion covered a much wider remit than the particular problem which had given rise to it. He urged the Executive to refer the report to the School Admissions Forum.

RESOLVED: to ask the School Admissions forum to consider and advise on the report, with particular reference to the difficulties for secondary school pupils in the City.

 125/03. PROPOSED HEADINGTON CENTRAL RESIDENTS’ PARKING REVIEW

    (Agenda Item 14)

    The Executive considered a report (EX14) which outlined the response to consultation on the Headington (Central) Resident’s Parking Scheme which covered some 40 roads, approximately 1800 residents and business and three hospitals.

    RESOLVED: to:

    1. not to proceed with the original proposals advertised between 15 October 2001 and 5 November 2001;

    2. authorise:

      1. consultation with residents on Community Management Parking as described in the report; and

      2. publication of a draft order for the Headington Residents’ Parking Zone as described in the report and shown on Plan No. HM 721/A0/0021 Rev A and HM721/A0/0022 Rev A, subject to such modifications as might appear to the Director for Environment & Economy to be appropriate in the light of responses to the consultation referred to in (a)(1) above.

in the Chair

Date of signing 2003

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