Return to AgendaITEM CA3
CABINET
MINUTES of the meeting held on 20 November 2007 commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 4.30 pm.
Present:
Voting Members: Councillor Keith R Mitchell – in the Chair (Items 141 – 146), also present Items 151 - 153 Councillor David Robertson – in the Chair (Items 147 – 153)
Councillor Roger Belson Councillor Louise Chapman Councillor Jim Couchman Councillor Mrs J. Heathcoat Councillor John Howell Councillor Ian Hudspeth Councillor David Robertson Councillor C.H. Shouler Councillor Michael Waine
Other Members in Councillor Alan Armitage (for Agenda Items 5 & 12) Attendance: Councillor Gail Bones (for Agenda Item 7) Councillor Jean Fooks (for Agenda Item 7) Councillor Zoé Patrick (for Agenda Items 8 & 11) Councillor Larry Sanders (for Agenda Item 5) Councillor David Turner (for Agenda Item 6)
Officers:
Whole of meeting: A.R. Cloke and S. Howell (Legal & Democratic Services).
Part of meeting:
The Cabinet 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.
141/07 MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2007 were approved and signed.
142/07 PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS
The following requests to address the meeting had been agreed:-
143/07 ORDER OF BUSINESS
It was AGREED to vary the order of business as indicated in these Minutes.
144/07 FINANCIAL MONITORING (Agenda Item 5)
The Cabinet considered a report (CA5) which covered the period ended September 2007.
The in-year overspend for the Directorates is predicted to be £1.655m a reduction of £0.642m from August. This excludes the City Schools reorganisation overspend of £1.957m (repayment planned over a number of years) and the Schools Transport days variation of -£0.320m. An underspend is also reported on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) of £1.144m.
Supplementary estimates totalling £0.955m are requested in the report associated with costs incurred as a result of the July floods. Allowing for this and balances are £20.2m at the end of September. This gives an overall consolidated balances forecast for the year-end of £18.894m.
Councillor Armitage, speaking as Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, stated that he did not find the layout of Annexes 2a, b and c helpful.
Councillor Sanders proposed several schemes which the Cabinet might wish to invest in using LABGI funds. These included:
· establishing a hardship fund for needy ESOL students and the employment of a Volunteer Trainer/Coordinator to create a source for low-cost education; · supplementing the benefits advice surgeries currently in operation in Oxford, by establishing four or five such surgeries on a trial basis across the county; and · training outreach workers to inform returning service personnel of the services and support available to them.
The Cabinet responded that other local authorities and government agencies were responsible for welfare and benefits awareness, and that Oxfordshire taxpayers should not have to fund such schemes through both local and national taxes. The Cabinet also reported that the LABGI funds should only be spent on services not already provided by the Armed Forces.
Councillor Shouler drew the Cabinet’s attention to the acceptance of the pay settlement for Oxfordshire County Council Employees and the £2 million gap in funds due to the effects of flooding in July. Councillor Mitchell further commented that, despite a petition to Hazel Blears, no additional compensation was forthcoming from central government.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) note the report;
(b) approve the virements as set out in Annex 2a;
(c) approve the supplementary estimates totalling £0.955m as set out in Annex 2c to the main report plus the supplementary estimate of £0.026m as set out in paragraph 2 of the addendum; and,
(d) approve the changes to the Capital Programme.
145/07 OUTCOME OF FORMAL CONSULTATIONS ON PROPOSALS TO CLOSE PEERS SCHOOL TO ENABLE IT TO BECOME AN ACADEMY (Agenda Item 6)
The Cabinet approved the issue of statutory notices for the closure of Peers School at its meeting in September 2007. This report (CA6) detailed the outcome and procedure of formal consultation regarding the closure of the school. The Cabinet considered whether to proceed with the closure with under the guidelines established in the Education & Inspections Act 2006.
The Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee considered the report at its meeting on 30 October 2007 and agreed to advise the Cabinet that it wished the County Council to express a preference for a stakeholder governing body to be put in place should agreement be given for an Academy to be established.
Councillor Turner, speaking as the Shadow Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement, expressed concern at the lack of response to the formal consultations, and felt there had been little analysis of the consultation responses in general. The Government requires clear evidence of public support in the case for an Academy, but Councillor Turner could not identify this in the report. He felt that the County Council was being pressured by the Government into creating an Academy.
Councillor Chapman responded that the only way to raise the investment, desperately needed by Peers School now, was to recommend the creation of an Academy.
Councillor Waine commented on the quality of the report, and responded that the proposed Academy represented good value and real choice for Oxford City residents and the pupils of Peers School. He reiterated the lack of formal objections or alternatives to the project, and acknowledged the work of the Head of Peers School, Ms. Lorna Caldicott.
The Cabinet noted that the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee had considered this item and so, under Rule 16(j)(i) of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules in the Council’s Constitution, the decision on this item will not be subject to Call-In.
RESOLVED: to:
Approve the proposal to close Peers School on 31 August 2008, conditional on the making of an agreement under Section 482(1) of the 1996 Act for the establishment of an Academy, where the proposal in question provided for all of the pupils currently at the school which was the subject of the proposals to transfer to the Academy and set a date by which the condition would be met.
146/07 OXFORD – LONDON ROAD CORRIDOR SCHEME AND SUMMERTOWN SHOPPING AREA STREET ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEME (Agenda Item 7)
The Cabinet considered a report (CA7) that sought approval of the Detailed Project Appraisals for the London Road Corridor scheme and the Summertown Shopping Area Street Environmental scheme, following public consultation exercises.
Councillor Fooks, speaking as the Local Member for Summertown & Wolvercote, welcomed the proposals for Summertown whilst commenting on the lack of recycling bins in the current proposals. Councillor Fooks also suggested that the bus shelters be designed along the lines of those developed by Oxford City Council.
Councillor Bones, speaking as Local Member for Headington & Marston, welcomed moves to address traffic issues in the area but was concerned regarding the safety issues surrounding bus bays on cycle routes.
Mrs. Lake, speaking as a local resident, believed that the positioning of the bus lay-bys should be moved to more suitably address the needs of Oxford Brookes' split-site campus, and the 27 neighbouring householders of Headington Hill whose access/exits had been blocked by the Oxford bus lay-by, and not mitigated by the slight changes to the heavily engineered solutions from the Highways Authority. She argued that the householders had not been formerly consulted as ‘major stakeholders’, despite their combined frontage consisting of one third of the relevant stretch of London Road, and she requested that Cabinet Members other than the Cabinet Member for Transport investigate this issue.
Councillor Hudspeth confirmed that all major stakeholders supported the London Road scheme in its current form. Mr. Collins noted the safety issues surrounding cyclists and bus lanes, but insisted that the only realistic way to solve the problem was though better communication and more responsible behaviour from bus drivers and cyclists. The comments on access surrounding Osler Road area were noted and will be investigated as part of the ongoing consultation process.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) approve Project Appraisal H188 for the London Road Corridor (Pullens Lane to Osler Road) scheme; and,
(b) approve Project Appraisal H187 for the Summertown Shopping Area Environmental scheme.
147/07 FLOODING IN OXFORDSHIRE 2007 (Agenda Item 8)
The Cabinet considered a report (CA8) that identified the strategic learning points that arose from the multi-agency emergency response to the flooding in Oxfordshire in July 2007.
Councillor Patrick, speaking as Leader of the Opposition, was pleased that the potential for further flooding had been recognised and that the necessity of pre-planning and effective communication was considered essential. However, she questioned the defeat of the Liberal Democrat Group’s urgent motion to Council on 6 November which had been turned down in favour of a lengthy scrutiny of the issue. She was further disappointed that County Councillors had not been informed of the letter from the Leader of the Council to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government until it was published on the Oxfordshire County Council website.
Councillor Heathcoat welcomed the report, and further thanked all those involved in the response to the flooding. Mr. Smyth further confirmed that he was seeking reassurance from central Government that regional control centres would be funded centrally.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) note the report and acknowledge the contribution of all the agencies involved; and
(b) request the Head of Fire & Rescue Service Delivery and Emergency Planning to table the development and action plan for collective emergency response improvement through the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum; and,
(c) thank all those, including officers and councillors, involved in the response to the July 2007 flooding in Oxfordshire.
148/07 SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT BOARD – TAKING FORWARD THE CHANGE AGENDA (Agenda Item 12)
In November 2005, the Cabinet considered a report entitled ‘Taking Forward the Change Agenda’. The Change Management Board is now submitting its second Annual Report (CA12), which summarised the progress made by the Board in delivering the Council's change programme over the last year and set out its priorities for the future.
Councillor Armitage, speaking on behalf of Councillor Bradshaw as Shadow Cabinet Member for Change Management, felt there was little evidence of progress on creating a ‘seamless experience’ of local government services. He also pointed out other areas for improvement, such as public consultations on parking zones and improvement in response times for questions to the Cabinet. He also believed that recommendations from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee had not been addressed in the report.
Councillor Howell thanked officers for their work and noted that a gap analysis had identified many of Councillor Armitage’s concerns, which would be investigated in 2008. He also confirmed that he had taken note of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee’s advice in compiling the report.
RESOLVED: to receive the second Annual Report of the Change Management Board and agree the Board’s priorities for its third year of operation, subject to any changes that the Cabinet Member for Change Management would wish to make in light of any comments by the Cabinet.
149/07 SERVICE & RESOURCE PLANNING 2008/09 – 2012/13 (Agenda Item 9)
The Cabinet considered a report (CA9) on the Service and Resource Planning process for 2008/09 to 2012/13. The report set out the main issues from the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and, where it could be ascertained, the impact on Oxfordshire. The report also provided the latest information available on capital resources available for Schools over the CSR period.
The Cabinet noted their concern at the implications of the CSR for the County Council’s budget. However, the Cabinet remained committed to a 4% rise in Council Tax.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) note the report;
(b) consider, as part of the Service and Resource Planning process for 2008/09, exploring the possibility of a scheme for Supplementary Business Rates in Oxfordshire; and
(c) consider, as part of the Service and Resource Planning process for 2008/09, how to address the implications of the unannounced schools capital allocations for 2008/09 to 2010/11 being received through supported borrowing.
150/07 ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN AND CAPITAL STRATEGY FOR 2008/09 TO 2012/13 (Agenda Item 10)
The Cabinet considered the Corporate Asset Management Plan (AMP) and the Capital Strategy (CS) (CA10).
The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee agreed at its meeting of 8 November 2007 to comment as follows:
· concern was expressed as to whether the late circulation of the draft Strategy & Plan had allowed adequate time for Scrutiny Members’ consideration;
· officers were asked to ensure that the information/data in the draft Strategy & Plan was consistent both within the two documents and with other published documents and that minor textual errors were corrected prior to Cabinet consideration;
· the use of prudential borrowing, in particular to reduce the repair and maintenance backlog, was welcomed and supported.
Councillor Shouler noted the draft status of the report and the uncertainty of capital support at this point. This would depend on the Department for Communities and Local Government and would be further considered by the Cabinet in January 2008.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) endorse the Corporate Asset Management Plan & Capital Strategy in the light of the advice from the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee; and
(b) RECOMMEND Council to agree the Corporate Asset Management Plan and the Capital Strategy.
151/07 DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT – SIX-MONTH REVIEW (Agenda Item 11)
The Director of Public Health (DPH) for Oxfordshire’s first independent Annual Report on the health of the population in Oxfordshire was published as a working draft in March 2007 and was consulted on widely. This report (CA11) summarised the consultation and progress made so far and proposes further action.
Councillor Patrick, speaking on behalf of Councillor Godden as Shadow Cabinet Member for Social & Community Services, felt the phrase ‘Demographic Time Bomb’ was inaccurate and suggested instead the term ‘Demographic Challenge’. She also queried to whom the Health and Wellbeing Partnership Board was responsible.
Dr. McWilliam welcomed the healthy debate that accompanied the choice of wording, and was encouraged by the responses received during his time in the role. Councillor Couchman confirmed that the Health and Wellbeing Partnership Board was accountable to the Oxfordshire Partnership and was an advisory body.
RESOLVED: to:
(a) note the 6-month review of the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report; and
(b) take account of its findings in the development of multi-agency partnerships and in the county council’s own ongoing funding round.
152/07 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) SCRUTINY REVIEW (Agenda Item 13)
The Cabinet considered the findings and recommendations of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee (CA13).
The Cabinet considered Councillor Waine’s recommendations in response to the report of the Children’s Scrutiny Committee, which are attached to these minutes.
RESOLVED: to respond to the Scrutiny Review Report as set out in the Annex (download as .doc file) to these minutes.
153/07 FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS(Agenda Item 14)
The Cabinet considered a list of items (CA14) for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet.
RESOLVED: to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.
................................................................................... in the Chair
Date of signing.................................................................. 2007
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