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To Members of the Executive

Notice of a Meeting of the Executive

Tuesday 6 July 2004 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

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

Membership

Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 14 July 2004 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 – see guidance note
3. Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2004 (EX3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

4. Petitions and Public Address
   
   (See Addenda)
   
5. Local Government Offices in Central Oxford

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to consider the range of options outlined in the joint report and:

1. indicate preferred options for further detailed investigation;
2. agree that a joint rationalisation of Headquarters space should be treated as a preferred element of the West End project;
3. indicate whether sharing of civic functions is likely to be acceptable;
4. indicate whether sharing of office accommodation is likely to be acceptable.

6. Development of Countywide Special School Provision including Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead Schools
   
   (See also Addenda)
   

1. note the outcome of the statutory consultation process and the Conservation Plan report and acknowledge that it may be necessary to increase the repair and maintenance budget with effect from 2005/06 in order to fund repair works recommended in the Conservation Plan;
2. determine whether to implement the proposals for Woodeaton Manor and Northfield Schools subject, in the event of any objection being received, to approval by the School Organisation Committee.

7. Local Transport Plan
   
   (See also Addenda)
   

1. authorise the Director for Environment & Economy, in consultation with the Executive Members for Transport and Sustainable Development, to finalise the Annual Progress Report for submission to the Government by 30 July 2004;
2. agree that a major scheme bid should be prepared for submission to the Government for the Marcham Bypass as part of the APR submission this year;
3. agree that no submission should be made to the Government for the GTE Scheme at present, and note officers will provide the Executive with an update on the scheme and alternative options in September/October.

8. Witney Cogges Link Road

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the findings and conclusions of the Environmental Impact Assessment;
2. approve the proposed variant of the Cogges Link Scheme, without the link road to Stanton Harcourt Road or its associated roundabout, to be pursued through the planning process for construction as part of the County Council’s Capital Programme;
3. approve the revised Project Appraisal for Cogges Link as set out in Annex 7 (download as .doc file) to the report;
4. confirm the intention to construct West End Link Stage 2, as identified in the Development Plan, as part of the future transport programme for Witney, as a complementary scheme to Cogges Link.
5. approve the addition of the hatched areas shown on Annex 9 (download as .doc file) to the plots 9, 10, 11, for acquisition by Compulsory Purchase Order or by agreement.

9. Future of the Combined Highway Maintenance Contract and Arrangements for Procuring Highway Capital Works

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. approve the Contract Strategy set out in paragraphs 25 and 26 of the report and in more detail in Annex A (download as .doc file);
2. endorse the extension of the existing contract by negotiation as described in the report, as a preferred option for the future Combined Maintenance Contract;
3. to note the extension of the Isis Accord Contract for one year up to March 2006 to enable time for renegotiation of the contract and if this should fail re-tendering of the contract; and
4. approve the development of a framework contract or contracts to cover works greater than £200K.

10. Cross-Thames Travel

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2004/108
Contact: Richard Carr, Senior Transport Planner (01865 815735)

Report by Head of Transport (EX10).

Council on 15 June 2004 adopted a motion by Councillor Peter Skolar in the following amended form: ‘This Council confirms its opposition to any third Thames bridge in the Reading/Chilterns area that would significantly increase car movements in southern Oxfordshire but recognises the need to find, in partnership with other relevant authorities, a solution to the existing bottlenecks. To this end the Council asks the Executive to reconvene the Cross Thames Steering Group (comprising members representing this Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and the neighbouring Berkshire Councils) to consider measures to relieve those bottlenecks.’

The report provides background information on cross-Thames travel issues and details of the current planning framework. The County Council’s position on these issues has been arrived at over many years and was confirmed following extensive study of all the issues and options for improvement in 2002. The real risks of increasing river crossing capacity include the diversion of existing traffic from more suitable strategic routes, the generation of entirely new car trips, the environmental impact of new road construction and pressures for development in southern Oxfordshire. Recognising these difficulties, the Council has been seeking a balanced approach. The broad conclusions included in the 2002 report are still valid. Since then a number of factors have changed which underline the need for renewed cross-authority liaison at Member level.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to press for the reconvening of the Cross Thames Steering Group as a forum for seeking agreement between the authorities on a joint approach towards the relief of cross-Thames travel problems.

11. Treasury Management Outturn 2003/04

Executive Member: Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2004/043
Contact: Donna Ross, Financial Manager, Treasury Services (01865 815684)

Report by Head of Finance (EX11).

The report reviews the Council’s Treasury Management activity carried out during 2003/04. It also reviews the Council’s lending list and makes proposals for additions to the list.

The County Council is a member of the CIPFA Treasury and Debt Management Benchmarking Club and Initial indications from completed returns for the financial year 2003/4, comparing the results of 90 members, show that this authority’s treasury management and debt management costs per £m invested and borrowed are well below average. The average interest rate for our long-term borrowing was 5.5%, 1.1% below the group average. Average interest returns for combined in-house and external investments were 3.61% compared to the average of 3.60%. Debt restructuring carried out during the year produced a real saving of £47,036.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

(a) note the Council’s Treasury Management activity carried out in 2003/04;

(b) approve the credit rating criteria matrices given in Annex B to the Appendix to the report as the basis for including banks and building societies on future lending lists from 12 July 2004;

(c) agree the introduction of sector and maturity limits as shown in Annex D to the Appendix to minimise credit risk to the authority;

(d) authorise the Head of Finance to make amendments to the lending list from time to time in accordance with the principles set out in the Appendix.

12. Education Project Appraisals: Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor; Greenmere Primary School, Didcot

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: 2004/072; 2004/079
Contact: Howard Hughes (01865 492056); Keith Borien (01865 428161)

The Director for Learning & Culture reports as follows:

Three project appraisals are appended (EX12).

(Detailed Project Appraisal - Matthew Arnold School - Art Classroom Extension
Resource Appraisal - Matthew Arnold School - Modernisation Scheme - Art Department - download as .xls file

Detailed Project Appraisal - Matthew Arnold School - D & T Workshop Refurbishment
Resource Appraisal - Matthew Arnold School - Modernisation Scheme Design and Technology - download as xls file

Detailed Project Appraisal - Didcot, Greenmere Primary School Replacement School
Resource Appraisal -Didcot, Greenmere Primary School Replacement School - download as .xls file)

Two are for projects at Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor, and provide respectively for an extension to the Art Department’s accommodation to bring it together in one area of the school and improve it to appropriate standards; and for the re-ordering and refurbishment of four workshops for the Design and Technology Department which is currently based in sub-standard accommodation.

It is proposed to run these works concurrently and, cumulatively, the total value of these projects exceeds £1M. It is proposed to include both schemes within a single tender, as the Art and D+T departments are located close together on the site. It would not be good practice to have separate contractors working in close proximity and it is anticipated that greater value for money will be achieved by tendering these works together.

The third appraisal relates to a scheme to provide a replacement school building for Greenmere Primary School, required to enable better utilisation of the large school campus shared by St. Birinus Secondary School and Greenmere Primary School. The new Greenmere Primary School will be constructed on part of its grassed social/habitat area. Sport England have expressed no objection to this proposal. The relocation of the school will enable the major part of existing school buildings to be demolished land and buildings released for use by the adjacent secondary school. A separate project appraisal for the secondary school extensions will be submitted to the Executive for its consideration in due course.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve project appraisals ED611 and 612 for the projects at Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor and ED615 for the project at Greenmere Primary School, Didcot.

13. Substance Misuse Strategy

Executive Member: Children & Young People, Community Safety
Forward Plan Ref: 2004/105
Contact: Monica Hanaway, Head of Youth Service; Shannon Moore, Senior Adviser; Mike Simm, Head of Community Safety (01865 815690/428116/202218)

The Director for Learning & Culture and Director for Community Safety report as follows:

The Executive on 18 May considered a report outlining progress on implementing the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review of Drugs and Alcohol Misuse. One of the issues arising from the report was the need to identify arrangements for Executive liaison on the development with the Oxfordshire Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) of a coordinated Substance Misuse Strategy, and at the 18 May meeting the Executive Member for Community Safety was nominated for this purpose. However members subsequently accepted that there are circumstances which make it necessary for the Executive to return to this issue.

While the Scrutiny review itself emanated from the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee, a majority of the priority recommendations involve work with schools. In addition, the Government requires the commissioning of services for young people misusing substances to be kept separate from similar adult services. It is considered therefore that it would be appropriate if the portfolio holders for both Community Safety and Children & Young People were to be involved in taking forward the work of this review, and especially work with the DAAT.

It is RECOMMENDED that the Executive Members for Community Safety and for Children & Young People be requested to oversee the further work arising from the Scrutiny Review of Drugs and Alcohol Misuse and in particular the work carried out by the Oxfordshire Drug & Alcohol Action Team.

14. Representation on Strategic Outside Bodies - District LSPs

Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2004/083
Contact: Stephen Capaldi (01865 815466)

The Assistant Chief Executive reports as follows:

Each of the Oxfordshire District Councils has set up a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for its area and has either already been approved a district community strategy or is expected shortly to approve one. However the LSPs are likely to continue with regular meetings to ensure that appropriate action is implemented.

Over the last two years the former Deputy Leader of the Council has been the County Council’s representative on each of the district LSPs. This has had advantages for the County Council but the workload has been significant. For the future it is suggested that the County Council representation on district LSPs should be shared between members of the Executive, who have indicated their preparedness to take on this role as follows:

Cherwell Janet Godden
Oxford City Dermot Roaf
South Oxfordshire John Farrow
Vale of White Horse Neil Fawcett
West Oxfordshire David Roberson

LSPs are designated "strategic" outside bodies and it is for the Executive to appoint members to them.

It is RECOMMENDED that the five members identified be appointed to represent the County Council on the respective district Local Strategic Partnerships.

15. Forward Plan and Future Business

June 2004

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