Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 18 December 2007

 

Return to Agenda

 

Cabinet – 18 December 2007

 

ADDENDA

 

Item

 

4.      Petitions and Public Address

 

The Leader of the Council has agreed the following request to address the meeting:-

 

Item

Speaker

8.        Better Offices Programme – Central Offices

 

Councillor Alan Armitage (speaking as Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance)

11.      Race Equality Scheme

Councillor Alan Armitage (Speaking in place of Councillor Bill Bradshaw as Shadow Cabinet Member for Change Management)

 

6.                 Service and Resource Planning 2008/09 – 2012/13

 

A copy of the supplementary report detailing the outcomes of the Local Government Finance Settlement referenced paragraph 2 is attached to the Addenda.

(CA6 - Supplementary Report - download as .doc file)

(CA6 - Supplementary Report - Annex 1 - download as .doc file)
(CA6 - Supplementary Report - Annex 2 - download as .xls file)


The Scrutiny Committees AGREED to advise the Cabinet, via the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee on 10 January 2008, as follows:

 

Scrutiny Committee

Comments

 

Children’s Services

 

The Committee:

 

(a)         wished to congratulate the Directorate on:

 

i.             its whole service approach to setting the budget this year (as opposed to a service by service approach);

ii.           the savings achieved on Home to School Transport due to the re-tendering process; and hopes that the savings will continue in future years;

 

(b)          recommends the Cabinet to consider the proposal for Raising Achievement (£350,000) as set out in Annex 4 subject to all members of this Committee soon receiving a copy of the Independent Review of the School Effectiveness Service;

 

(c)           supports the proposal for Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation (£450,000) as set out in Annex 4; and

 

(d)          should any funding be available, wishes the Cabinet to look at youth centre provision in both rural and urban areas of the county in order to see where it needs to be improved (this review should include consideration of factors such as opening hours and staffing).

Community Safety

 

(a)          The Committee wished the Cabinet to fund all of the pressures for the 2008/09 financial year (£0.270m) from the sum available to allocate.

Environment & Economy

 

(a)          The Committee requested the Cabinet to remove the budget pressure ‘Countywide Weed Control’ (£600,000 2008/09-2012/13) and asked Area Engineers (North / South) to undertake weed control at their discretion.

Social & Community Services

 

Cultural, Adult Learning & Registration Services

 

The Committee requests the Cabinet to:

 

(a)         fund Cogges Manor Farm Museum for the next financial year (April 2008) to enable a Business Plan to be produced within the next six months; and

(b)         continue current levels of funding to Victoria County Histories for the next three years;

 

The Committee hopes that no more than low level cuts will be made to the arts organisations (as listed in CALS 26 – 28) and hopes that the Cabinet will look carefully  at which organisations are delivering and which are not*;

 

*       further information became available  following the meeting and therefore the Committee (with the absence of Councillor Seale due to his prejudicial interest) also AGREED to express concern that any level of cuts in the grants carries a high risk to the County Council (particularly in terms of its influence on outcomes, reputation, leverage from other funders and deliverability); and to urge that if a cut is made, at whatever level, then this should be managed by officers reviewing the County Council’s grant aid agreements across the board, with a view to maintaining maximum effect in terms of the County Council’s priorities.

 

The Committee recognises that if the Cabinet continues to finance the above areas this may result in a loss of funding to the Book Fund. The Committee therefore wishes to emphasise that should this be the case it would wish the least possible cuts to be made to the County’s book stock and hopes that the Cabinet will be able to find alternative savings in order to prevent any cuts from being made.

 

Social Care for Adults

 

The Committee:

 

(a)         recognises that there is an inevitable imbalance between the long term funding and what is available to meet the demographic challenge and that there are significant uncertainties in the long and short term planning;

(b)         endorses the ongoing Directorate policy shift away from residential care towards funding preventative and rehabilitative services, increased support for family carers and extra care housing; and

(c)          endorses the investment proposals as set out in Annex 4.

 

12.             Forward Plan and Future Business

 

Members are asked to note the following additions to the Forward Plan:

 

Change Management

Full Cabinet

Race Equality Scheme
To agree the finalised Race Equality Scheme 2008-11  in accordance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

15 January 2008

Head of Partnership Working / Corporate Strategies Manager
Adrian Harper-Smith, Corporate Strategies Manager (01865 810179)

Leader

Full Cabinet

Corporate Plan 2008 - 12
To consider a draft medium term Corporate Plan and in the light of Scrutiny comments to make recommendations to the Council

15 January 2008

County Council Management Team
Paul Edwards, Corporate Performance Manager (01865 815307)

Sustainable Development

Cabinet Member

Streamlining Local Development Frameworks - Consultation by Department of Communities and Local Government, November 2007
To consider a response to a consultation by the Department of Communities and Local Government on changes to Regulations and Policy on the preparation of Local Development Frameworks.

03 January 2008

Head of Sustainable Development
Peter Day, Minerals & Waste Policy Team Leader (01865 815544)

 

Members are asked to note the following amendments to the Forward Plan:

 

Schools Improvement

Full Cabinet

To Consider Statutory Notice for Tower Hill School to Extend the Age Range of the School as Decision Maker should there be Objections to the Published Notice  (2007/227)

To seek approval for change in age range of the school

18 December 2007

Item deleted – no formal objections. Will be dealt with on 4 December at Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement

Transport

Cabinet Member

West Oxford CPZ Review  (2007/160)

To consider proposals arising from the review of the West Oxford Controlled Parking Zone.

3 January 2008

Item deferred to 14 February 2008

Transport

Cabinet Member

Walton Well Bridge, Oxford - Weight Limit  (2007/117)

To consider a 7.5t GVW restriction at the request of Network Rail

3 January 2008

Item deferred to 24 April 2008

Schools Improvement

Cabinet Member

Rose Hill Primary School  (2007/250)

To receive a report on the outcome of formal consultation with a range of stakeholders for future development of the school.

2 January 2008

Item deferred to 5 February 2008

Finance

Full Cabinet

Service & Resource Planning 2008/09 – 2012/13  (2007/188)

To consider a draft medium term financial plan, budget, council tax precept, virement arrangements, capital programme and borrowing arrangements in the light of Scrutiny comments and the outcome of consultation; and to make recommendations to the Council

15 January 2008

To add Treasury Management Strategy to body of Decision text

Children, Young People & Families

Full Cabinet

Early Learning Contracts  (2007/170)

To seek approval for renewed  contract arrangements for early learning services.

15 January 2008

Item deleted.  Being dealt with under Item 2007/248 – Children’s Centre on 19 February 2008

Finance

Full Cabinet

Proposed New Library and Offices in Bicester   (2007/062)

To consider whether to proceed with this project in the light of available funding.

15 January 2008

Item Deferred to 18 March 2008

 

Return to TOP