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ITEM EX3

EXECUTIVE – 15 MARCH 2005

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 7.20 pm

Present:

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.

48/05. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Item 8 – Regional Planning : South East Plan

Item 9 – South East Regional Housing Strategy

Councillor Mitchell declared a personal interest as the Council’s representative on SEERA.

Item 10 – Transport Capital Programme

Councillor Fawcett declared a prejudicial interest as a parent of a child at a school appearing in the proposed Better Ways to School programme, withdrew from the meeting for the duration of the item and took no part in the consideration thereof.

Item 24 – "Facing the Future" – Consultation on Local Government Pension Scheme

Councillors Fawcett, Janet Godden, Mitchell and Purse declared a personal interest as participants in the scheme

49/05. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2005 were approved and signed.

50/05. PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS

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

Request from	Agenda Item
District Councillor Eleanor Hards (Deputy Leader, Didcot Town Council)	8 - Regional Planning : South East Plan
Mr Bill Holman (Member of New Marston South Residents’ Association and Oxford resident)	10 - Transport Capital Programme

51/05. FINANCIAL MONITORING

(Agenda Item 5)

The Executive considered a report (EX5) which set out the budget monitoring position for revenue and capital to the end of January 2005.

Councillor Brighouse expressed concerns about the current capital spend position, the forecast underspend on services for older people and the Director of Learning & Culture’s updated action plan to address the remaining in-year deficit.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the report;
2. approve the virement of £0.495m of surplus Residential Allowance grant from the Social & Health Care Directorate Management Team to Learning Disabilities;
3. note the latest proposals from the Director of Learning & Culture on the Directorate’s action plan;
4. agree the adjustments to the Capital Programme as shown in the report; and
5. ask officers to include in future reports an analysis of capital spend from year to year, highlighting material under and over spending on individual projects.
   
   

52/05. SAP REVITALISATION

(Agenda Item 6)

The Executive considered a report (EX6) which recorded the progress made with the first phase of a two phase programme to address shortcomings in the Council’s implementation of the SAP financial management system. It set out a proposed overall approach to the substantive programme of work commencing in April 2005 and identified the resources to continue with the immediate programme of work pending consideration of a business case and detailed work plan which was expected to come to the Executive in June 2005.

Councillor Evans expressed concern that further substantial expenditure should not be committed until a business plan was available and referred to the role of scrutiny.

RESOLVED: subject to no material adverse comments by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee, to:

1. endorse the immediate workplan outlined in the report;
2. approve the carry forward of the unspent Phase One project budget, estimated to be £200,000, to support the identified work;
3. approve the expenditure of an initial £480,000 out of the £2m SAP Revitalisation Budget for 2005/06 in the carrying out of this programme of work.
   
   

53/05. RAISING OUR PERFORMANCE 2

(Agenda Item 7)

The Executive considered the fourth formal quarterly monitoring progress report on ROP2 (EX7) which outlined significant progress towards the Council’s goal in 2004 of being an outstanding local authority.

RESOLVED: to note the report, and in particular the proposal to analyse RoP2 leading to recommendations for the next organisational improvement plan.

54/05. REGIONAL PLANNING : SOUTH EAST PLAN

(Agenda Item 8)

The Executive considered a report (EX8) which focused on the key issues addressed by the draft South East Plan, currently the subject of public consultation by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA).

Councillor Joslin expressed doubt about the credibility of the draft Plan given the reported criticism of the SEERA approach by the South East England Development Agency and internal dissatisfaction about the SEERA role among its own members. He expressed reservations about Option A and the prospects for advance funding of infrastructure.

Councillor Reynolds echoed Councillor Joslin’s comments on SEERA, commented on the limitations of the consultation process and expressed concern about the potential development pressures in the Banbury area.

Councillor Hards expressed the Town Council’s support for a strategy of expanding Oxford, enabling housing to be provided near jobs; their view that Didcot had no further development capacity; and their concern about the lack of a credible transport framework.

The Leader of the Council referred to a letter he had received from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport which indicated an intention to await review of spending priorities before any further work was done on the A34 corridor study. He undertook to circulate the letter to all members.

RESOLVED: noting the comments of the Environment Scrutiny Committee, to:

1. endorse the comments in paragraphs 25 to 59 of the report on the basis that it was subject to consideration by full Council, and in particular to represent to SEERA, and as appropriate to the Government, that:
   
   

1. on the evidence provided to date, there was not considered to be a convincing case for development above current RPG9 levels; a significant proportion of any housing provided should be affordable;
2. sustainable communities in the sub-region could be achieved only if the current infrastructure shortfall was addressed by additional direct government funding before any further development took place: further infrastructure requirements to support additional development should be fully funded, in part by additional direct government funding, and in place either in advance of or in parallel with development;
3. the average rate of development in Oxfordshire should not exceed the rate in the Structure Plan review to 2016 and the Plan should include flexibility to reduce the rate of development after 2016 to reflect economic and other uncertainties;
4. this Council reserved its position on the amount of housing to be located in Central Oxfordshire pending completion of the work that the Central Oxfordshire Steering Group was doing on options for housing distribution in the sub-region;
5. the preferred strategy for further development in central Oxfordshire should be that outlined in Option A in the South East Plan consultation draft;
6. the boundaries of sub-regions should be reconsidered in the light of the consultants’ work, commissioned by SEERA, on sub-regional housing markets;
7. SEERA should review the cross boundary issues and working arrangements with adjoining regions;
2. authorise the Director for Environment & Economy, in consultation with the Executive Members for Sustainable Development and Transport, to submit detailed comments on policies and proposals in the Draft South East Plan to SEERA.
   
   

55/05. SOUTH EAST REGIONAL HOUSING STRATEGY

(Agenda Item 9)

The Executive considered a report (EX9) which suggested a formal response to consultation by the Regional Housing Board on the draft Regional Housing Strategy which set out priorities for housing investment in the South East and a framework for the allocation of resources.

Councillor Joslin commented upon the need to develop affordable homes in rural areas, promote the rural economy and invigorate rural communities.

Councillor Reynolds endorsed the reference in report EX9 to the inappropriate placing of Banbury in the Warwickshire housing market sub-region when its principal links were with the South East region. He commended the growth of shared ownership schemes.

RESOLVED: to:

1. thank the Regional Housing Board for the opportunity to comment on the draft Regional Housing Strategy;
2. agree the five priorities for the allocation of funds as set out in paragraph 7 of the report;
3. support the 60% funding allocation for affordable housing to local authority areas (outside the Growth Areas) with the highest level of need;
4. seek to include Banbury within the Oxfordshire sub-region for the purposes of funding for affordable housing;
5. request that the Regional Housing Board should delete Bicester Airfield from the list of strategic sites, clarify the sites in Didcot, and include the development sites in Banbury referred to in paragraph 10 of the report;
6. support the notion that key workers should be defined locally;
7. express concern about the lack of detail in terms of funding for the infrastructure (apart from affordable housing) which would be needed;
8. support the points made in the report in paragraphs 23 to 40 of the report concerning travellers and gypsies, rural areas, the use of public sector land, the environmental aspects of the strategy, homelessness, health and housing support, and quality design and modern methods of construction.
   
   

56/05. TRANSPORT CAPITAL PROGRAMME

(Agenda Item 10)

The Executive considered a report (EX10) on the 2005/06 Transport Capital Programme, including proposals for a revised approach to Better Ways to School, plans to advance the implementation of residents’ parking schemes in Oxford and a revised project appraisal for the Cowley Road Demonstration scheme.

Councillor Fooks hoped that the North Summertown Controlled Parking Zone could be introduced at an early date in view of the problems caused in the area by parking displaced by the Summertown Controlled Parking scheme.

Mr Holman drew attention to the difficulties in New Marston, Oxford, caused by commuter parking and urged the Executive to bring forward the Controlled Parking Zone for that area, using developer contributions that he was concerned might otherwise be lost.

RESOLVED: to:

1. approve the detailed programme for 2005/06 as set out in the booklet accompanying the report;
2. note that there would be a review of the programme for 2006/07 onwards as part of the development of the second Local Transport Plan;
3. endorse the revised approach to school involvement in the Better Ways to School programme outlined in the report;
4. approve the order of implementation of Controlled Parking Zones in Oxford as set out in Table 2 of the report;
5. approve the revised project appraisal for the Cowley Road Mixed Priority Routes Demonstration Project (H174); and
6. request the Head of Transport to report on progress on the Transport Capital Programme in October 2005.
   
   

57/05. HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME 2005/06

1. endorse the details of the 2005/06 Highway Maintenance programme as set out in Annex 2 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 3;
3. approve the Detailed Project Appraisals at Annex 5; and
4. approve the Protocol for the Financial Implications of Snow Clearance at Annex 6.

58/05. CORNMARKET STREET, OXFORD, RECONSTRUCTION SCHEME – SCRUTINY REVIEW

(Agenda Item 12)

The Executive considered the report of the Joint Oxford City Council & County Council Review Group appointed to carry out a review of the Cornmarket Street Reconstruction Scheme (EX12), together with the comments of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee and of the City Council’s Finance Scrutiny Committee. The report was presented by Councillor Shouler on behalf of the Review Group.

Councillor Power commented on paragraph 51 of the report. He considered that the requisite risk assessment had not been adequate and that responsibility fell on particular individuals for the problems that had arisen.

RESOLVED: to:

1. welcome the joint City and County Scrutiny Review of the Cornmarket Reconstruction Scheme;
2. thank the members of the Review Team for their contribution to the Review, particularly Rex Knight, the independent chair, and John Ekins, the independent Technical Adviser;
3. accept all the recommendations from the Review;
4. instruct the Director for Environment & Economy to liaise with the City Council with a view to producing a joint response to the review report, including an action plan, for consideration by the Executive in July 2005, on the basis that the outcomes would be reviewed after 12 months;
5. ask officers to take into account the comments of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee and the City Council’s Finance Scrutiny Committee in drawing up the action plan.




At 5pm Councillor Mitchell left the meeting and Councillor Roaf assumed the chair.

59/05. ROAD CASUALTY REDUCTION - BEST VALUE REVIEW

(Agenda Item 13)

The Executive considered the report of the Road Casualty Reduction Best Value review (EX13) referred to it together with the comments of the Environment Scrutiny Committee on the review. The Best Value & Audit Committee would be drawing up a detailed action plan to give effect to the principles identified from the review.

Councillor Hodgson expressed disappointment that an action plan had not yet been produced.

RESOLVED: to agree the recommendations from the Best Value & Audit Committee and Environment Scrutiny Committee, subject to the Best Value & Audit Committee being asked to assess the costs and feasibility of specific measures included in the proposed action plan prior to submission via the Scrutiny Committee to the Executive for approval.

60/05. WEST END LINK ROAD, WITNEY

(Agenda Item 14)

The Executive considered a report (EX14) which sought approval for a revised detailed project appraisal for the Witney: West End Link Road Stage 1 with a total cost of £1.610 million.

RESOLVED: to approve the Detailed Project Appraisal H163/2 as set out in Annexes 1 and 2 to the report.

61/05. REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR HOMES FOR OLDER PEOPLE

(Agenda Item 15)

The Executive considered a report (EX15) on the outcome of the site option appraisal process for the provision of a new care home to replace an existing care home in Chipping Norton and the development of a new NHS Day Hospital and Primary Care facility.

Councillor Evans supported the development proposals for the Rockhill Farm site and thanked Mr Welch and colleagues for their work.

The Executive debated how far the viability of the Rockhill Farm site might be contingent on public transport provision.

RESOLVED: to:

1. invite the Oxfordshire Care Partnership to prepare development proposals for the provision of 20 registered care home places for the County Council on the Rockhill Farm site in Chipping Norton;
2. continued partnership working with the Cherwell Vale PCT for the development of linked social and health care services in facilities;
3. agree to officers discussing with Cherwell Vale PCT the option of their acquiring a freehold interest in the land on which a linked NHS facility might be built; and
4. (there being equality of voting, on the casting vote of the Chair) note that the Rockhill Farm development option had public transport implications.
   
   

62/05. SOCIAL & HEALTH CARE CONTRACTS

(Agenda Item 16)

The Executive considered a report (EX16) which identified the circumstances in which alternatives to full tendering procedures would be appropriate for a number of Social & Health Care contracts expiring during 2005/6. It also dealt with a specific request for exemption for a number of contracts with Age Concern Oxfordshire which were due to expire on 31 March 2005.

Councillor Fooks supported the proposals set out in the report.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the establishment of the Social & Health Care Procurement Panel as described in the report and Annex 1;
2. in relation to the eight Age Concern contracts specified in Annex 2:
   
   

1. approve the exemption from tendering for those contracts in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 3.2;
2. authorise the letting of a nine month interim contract with Age Concern to 31 December 2005, pending discussions in relation to a future contract and service specifications; and
3. authorise the letting of single consolidated contract with Age Concern for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend for two additional years, for the provision of the full range of services currently delivered by them, allowing scope for further service development to take effect on expiry of the interim contracts referred to in (b)(2) above;
   
   
3. authorise the Chief Executive to approve any further exemptions from the provisions of the Contract Procedure Rules which might be required prior to 31 March 2006 in order to maintain Social & Health Care services, subject to the production of legal, financial and procurement appraisals and to progress reports on the contracts compliance action plan being made to the Social & Health Care Procurement Panel.
   
   

63/05.EQUALITIES

(Agenda Item 17)

The Executive considered a report (EX17) which proposed a revised statutory Race Equality Scheme for 2005-08 and a Corporate Equality Plan for 2005-08.

Councillor Evans looked forward to achieving level 3 of the Equality Standard for Local Government and considered that members should be involved in its development. He suggested the drawing up of a practical guide for the use of individual members, the creation of an advisory body similar to the Social Inclusion Reference Group and the involvement of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee

RESOLVED: subject to minor editorial amendments to be agreed with the Deputy Leader of the Council to:

1. agree the revised statutory Race Equality Scheme for 2005-08 at Annex 1 to the report;
2. agree the Corporate Equality Plan for 2005-08 at Annex 2 to the report.
   
   

64/05. SOCIAL INCLUSION

(Agenda Item 18)

The Executive considered a report (EX18) which proposed a corporate Social Inclusion Action Plan produced in support of the adopted Social Inclusion Strategy.

Mr Harper-Smith was thanked for his work on this And the preceding item.

RESOLVED: to agree the Social Inclusion Action Plan Framework set out in Annex 3 to the report as the basis for a prioritised corporate Social Inclusion Action Plan to be developed during 2005/06.

65/05. COMMUNITY SAFETY STRATEGIES

(Agenda Item 19)

The Executive considered a report (EX19) which proposed three-year community safety/crime and disorder reduction strategies with the support of the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee for approval by full Council in April 2005.

Councillor Harris spoke about the need for robust statistics, particularly for comparison purposes, and a clear statement of how they were developed.

Mr McLaren reported that future audits would be conducted on an annual basis. He was thanked for his work on developing the strategies.

RESOLVED: to note the views expressed by members in general, and the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee in particular, and RECOMMEND the Council to approve the CDRP strategies.

66/05. TRAVELLER POLICY

(Agenda Item 20)

The Executive considered a report (EX20) which provided details of progress of the member/officer working group set up to review current policies relating to traveller services. The Director for Community Safety reported further on negotiations with representatives of site occupiers, who in the light of draft government guidance were anxious to secure full housing tenancy rights.

Councillor Harris commended the report and urged the Executive to monitor the new arrangements and costs.

RESOLVED: to:

1. endorse the re-alignment of functions of the Gypsy and Traveller Service;
2. reassert support for a regional or sub-regional approach to the provision of transit sites; and
3. authorise the Director for Community Safety, following consultation with the Traveller Service Member/Officer Working Group, the Director for Resources and the Executive Member for Community Safety, to agree revised licence terms with the tenants of sites in the light of final guidance expected from ODPM, and ask him to report on the outcome to a future meeting of the Executive.
   
   

67/05. "FAITH IN OUR SCHOOLS" SCRUTINY REVIEW

(Agenda Item 21)

The Executive considered a report (EX21), including the views of the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee, dealing with the main themes identified in recommendation 2 of the Scrutiny Committee’s review "Faith in our Schools" (received by the Executive in July 2004) which had proposed the preparation for head teachers and governors of guidelines within a framework devised by the Committee.

Councillor Brown considered that the report was too general, did not fulfil its brief to examine the full implications (including costs) of the Scrutiny recommendations and did not move the review recommendations forward. He suggested that the Executive require a further full report by June 2005.

Councillor Crabbe affirmed the intention that this issue would be pursued as quickly as possible but there were other priorities which also had to be observed. He proposed that the intended further report should come forward in July 2005.

RESOLVED: having regard to the comments by the Scrutiny Committee, to:

1. note the contents of the report and endorse the action proposed in its conclusions;
2. note that a full service response to the recommendations of the "Faith in our Schools" report will be made to the Executive in July 2005;
3. ask officers to report further on how the implications of the recommendations of the "Faith in our Schools" report might be incorporated into the Children & Young People’s Plan;
4. following the 2005 elections, to consider priorities when looking at scrutiny review reports and their implementation.
   
   

68/05. EXPANSION OF THE MUSEUM STORE, STANDLAKE – "TREASURES IN STORE" - SCRUTINY REVIEW

(Agenda Item 22)

The Executive considered the conclusions (EX22) of the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee’s review of expansion proposals for the Museums Resource Centre, Standlake which found in favour of proceeding with the extension and making application for capital funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Councillors Ferriman and Mrs Fitzgerald-O’Connor commended the review recommendations, thanking Councillor Moley, their colleague on the Review Group, and Ms Hood and team were thanked for their contributions.

Councillor Fawcett emphasised that the implementation of the project was subject to the attraction of major capital funding and that revenue implications would need to be identified within the Cultural Services budget area.

RESOLVED: to endorse the review recommendations subject at R3 to the addition following ‘2004’ of ‘subject to the identification of resources’.

69/05. INLAND WATERWAYS - SCRUTINY REVIEW

(Agenda Item 23)

The Executive considered the conclusions (EX23) of the Environment Scrutiny Committee’s review of inland waterways.

RESOLVED: to endorse the response of the Executive Member for Sustainable Development set out in Annex 1 to these Minutes.

70/05. "FACING THE FUTURE" – CONSULTATION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME

(Agenda Item 24)

The Executive considered a report (EX24) which set out a suggested a response on the part of the employing authority to the main issues raised in a consultation document by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which sought views on possible changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme. A separate response had been agreed for submission by the Pension Fund Committee on behalf of the Council in its role as administrator of the Oxfordshire Pension Fund.

RESOLVED: (Councillor Seale dissenting) subject to the addition of the word "up" before "to age 18" in paragraph 19 of Annex 2 to the report, to authorise the submission of the response set out in that Annex to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council as employing authority.

71/05. POLICY ON CHECKING CRIMINAL RECORDS

(Agenda Item 25)

The Executive considered a report (EX25) which proposed a new policy on the management of the employment of people with criminal convictions and aimed to provide a practical system of management which was workable and minimised risk.

Ms Corrigan was thanked for her work in developing the new policy.

RESOLVED: to approve the Policy on Checking Criminal Records set out at Annex 1 to the report.

72/05. LAND VALUE TAX

(Agenda Item 26)

The Executive considered a report (EX26) which summarised the outcome of the Land Tax Working Group’s investigations into how practical a land value tax system would and how the resulting tax levels would compare with the present system.

RESOLVED: (there being equality of voting, on the casting vote of the Chair) to refer the report to the Council without comment.

73/05. FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS

in the Chair

Date of signing 2005

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