Return to AgendaITEM CC1OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
MINUTES of the meeting of the County Council held at County Hall on Tuesday 9 September 2008 commencing at 10.00 am and finishing at 4.10 pm
Present:
Councillor TONY CRABBE – in the chair
Councillors:
Alan Armitage Lynda Atkins Marilyn Badcock Michael Badcock Norman Bolster Mrs Gail Bones Ann Bonner Liz Brighouse Iain Brown Alan Bryden Nick Carter Louise Chapman Jim Couchman Sushila Dhall Surinder Dhesi John Farrow Jean Fooks Mrs C. Fulljames Barbara Gatehouse Michael Gibbard Janet Godden Patrick Greene Sue Haffenden Timothy Hallchurch MBE Pete Handley Jenny Hannaby Neville F. Harris David Harvey Steve Hayward Mrs J. Heathcoat John Howell Ian Hudspeth Ray Jelf Bob Johnston Terry Joslin Colin Lamont Lesley Legge Kieron Mallon Charles Mathew Olive McIntosh-Stedman Keith R. Mitchell CBE David Nimmo-Smith Zoé Patrick Anne Purse G.A. Reynolds Dermot Roaf David Robertson Rodney Rose John Sanders Larry Sanders Don Seale Bill Service Chip Sherwood C.H. Shouler Craig Simmons Peter Skolar Roz Smith Val Smith Melinda Tilley David Turner Nicholas P. Turner Carol Viney Michael Waine David Wilmshurst Chris Wise
The Council 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.
72/08 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING (Agenda Item 1)
RESOLVED: that, subject to the following corrections, the Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 9 July 2008 be approved and signed as a correct record:
Councillor Reynolds to be added to the list of those present.
To correct the spelling of Councillor Green to read Greene.
73/08 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE (Agenda Item 2)
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mohammed Altaf-Khan, Roger Belson, Maurice Billington, Pat Cartledge, Deborah Glass-Woodin, Anda Fitzgerald O’Connor, Hilary Hibbert-Biles and Lawrie Stratford,
74/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (Agenda Item 3)
The following declarations of interest were made:
75/08 OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS (Agenda Item 4)
The Chairman reported as follows:
(1) Huw Jones, new Director of Environment & Economy started on 28 July. (2) The death of Joe Johnson, former Head Teacher of Sandhills Community Primary School until the end of last term.
76/08 APPOINTMENTS (Agenda Item 5)
RESOLVED: to make changes to membership as follows:
77/08 PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS (Agenda Item 6)
Roger Rance petitioned Council on behalf of residents of Appleford and Sutton Courtenay.
“We the undersigned petition the Oxfordshire County Council to reject plans to build a Mass Burn Incinerator between Appleford and Sutton Courtenay.
We the residents of Sutton Courtenay believe that an unacceptable concentration of pollutants is proposed for this village on top of the already excessive effects of two power stations, gravel extraction, waste dumping, and toxic chemicals from Atomic Energy research program.
We object to the addition of further pollution, particularly since no evaluation of the accumulation of pollutants on the residents has ever been made by the appropriate authorities.
We call on the Planning Authority to reject the WRG Incinerator application in view of the unfair and untested effect of this concentration of pollutants on residents.”
The Chairman received the petition and referred it to the Chairman of the Planning and Regulation Committee.
78/08 THE YOUTH JUSTICE (CAPACITY & CAPABILITY) PLAN 2008/09 (Agenda Item 8)
The Cabinet had considered a report on the Youth Justice (Capacity & Capability) Plan 2008/09. The Plan (CC8) highlighted positive outcomes for young people in Oxfordshire.
The report noted that the performance of the service was significantly better than the national trend in all major indicators relating to reducing new entrants, re-offending rates and overall offence levels. There was a clear link between early intervention and longer-term positive outcomes. The report also highlighted the success and benefits of the Diversion Scheme and the budgetary pressures for the scheme.
The Youth Justice Plan is listed as a Policy & Framework Document in the Constitution and thus requires approval by the Council.
Councillor Chapman moved and Councillor Heathcoat seconded the adoption of the recommendation.
Councillor Fooks moved and Councillor Legge seconded the following amendment:
“The Cabinet has noted the budget pressure for the Diversion Scheme from April 2009 and RECOMMENDS Council to approve the Youth Justice (Capacity & Capability) Plan for 2008/09, at Annex 1 (download as .doc file) to this report, subject to the areas being called Northern, Central and Southern rather than North, City and South"
RESOLVED: to approve the Youth Justice (Capacity & Capability) Plan for 2008/09, at Annex 1 to this report, subject to the areas being called Northern, Central and Southern rather than North, City and South.
79/08 REVIEW OF BUS STRATEGY (CHAPTER 3) (Agenda Item 9)
The Cabinet had considered a report on proposals to change many details of the way in which bus services are reviewed and subsidised. The revised Strategy would retain the existing broad structure of service review on an area-by-area basis, with decisions guided by the subsidy cost per passenger while considering each case on its merits.
Workshops with stakeholders, followed by consideration by the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee, led to publication of a consultation draft in April 2008. Some detailed amendments were made and the Cabinet was asked to consider the revised text as a new statement of the Council's policies. The Cabinet asked officers to consult operators on contract length and (in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport) adopt the length that would offer best value for money for the county council.
As a statutory document and a Policy & Framework Document listed in the Constitution, the Council must take the final decision on the revised proposed replacement for Chapter 3 of the current Bus Strategy (CC9).
Councillor Hudspeth moved and Councillor Greene seconded the adoption of the recommendation.
Councillor J Sanders moved and Councillor Harris seconded the following amendment:
“The Cabinet RECOMMENDS Council to adopt the attached revised Chapter 3 to replace the existing Chapter 3 in the adopted Bus Strategy, subject to the following change: In 3.7.5 after “Services whose cpj exceeds £5 will only be continued if there is a very strong case for doing so.”, insert “However, there will be no fixed upper limit on cpj.”
After debate, the amendment was lost by 35 votes to 12.
RESOLVED: (by 46 votes to 1) to adopt the attached revised Chapter 3 to replace the existing Chapter 3 in the adopted Bus Strategy.
80/08 CRIME AND DISORDER REDUCTION PARTNERSHIP STRATEGIES (Agenda Item 10)
The Crime & Disorder Act 1998 (and subsequent amendments) requires the county council (including the Fire & Rescue Service) to work with district councils, the police, police authority and primary care trusts as "responsible authorities" to work in partnership to reduce crime and disorder in their local area.
The Cabinet had considered a report that presented the three-year rolling strategies to tackle crime and disorder for each of the five Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships (Cherwell, Oxford City, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire).
The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership Strategies (CC10 a-e) are listed as Policy & Framework Documents in the Constitution and thus require approval by the Council.
Councillor Heathcoat moved and Councillor Robertson seconded the adoption of the recommendation.
RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Heathcoat and seconded by Councillor Robertson and carried nem con) to approve the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership strategies.
81/08 FINANCIAL MONITORING (Agenda Item 11)
The Cabinet has considered, as part of the Financial Monitoring report, the allocation of Local Authority Business Growth Incentive grant. The total sum that Oxfordshire will receive is £0.981m. The County Council Management Team has considered bids for use of some of the funding and recommended bids totalling £0.672m to the Cabinet, set out in an annex (CC11) to the report to Cabinet. The remaining allocation will be held in balances pending further agreement on use of the funding.
Councillor Shouler moved and Councillor Mitchell seconded the adoption of the recommendation.
Councillor Armitage moved and Councillor Patrick seconded the following amendment:
“The Cabinet RECOMMENDS Council to approve the allocation of Local Authority Business Growth Incentive grant, set out in the annex to the Cabinet report.
Council is recommended to spend the balance of the LABGI grant as follows:
Detached youth workers 165,000 English as a second language - basic skills £114,000 Modern Art Oxford - outreach work £30,000 £309,000”
After debate, the amendment was lost by 34 votes to 24.
RESOLVED: to approve the allocation of Local Authority Business Growth Incentive grant, set out in the annex to the Cabinet report.
82/08 REPORTS OF THE CABINET (Agenda Item 12)
(a) Report of the Cabinet meetings on 24 June and 15 July 2008(CC12(a))
RESOLVED: to receive the report.
(b) Report on Partnership Working in Oxfordshire (CC12(b))
RESOLVED: to receive the report.
83/08 QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL (Agenda Item 13)
19 questions with notice were asked. Details of the questions and answers and the supplementary questions and answers, where asked and given, are set out in the Annex to the Minutes.
84/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR JEAN FOOKS (Agenda Item 14)
Councillor Fooks moved and Councillor Turner seconded the following motion:
“Council was dismayed to read in the recent Joint Area Review of Children’s Services that: ‘Strategic planning for 14-19 provision across Oxfordshire is inadequate. Progress on the recommendations of the 14-19 area-wide inspection in 2003 has been slow. While outcomes are satisfactory overall with good participation rates post-16, the range of provision and quality of impartial advice 14-19 have not improved sufficiently.’
As one of this Council’s key aims is to improve the quality of education in Oxfordshire and in particular it recognizes the need for a better skilled workforce to meet the needs of local employers, Council is very disappointed in this judgment. It therefore asks the Cabinet to publish its Action Plan to extend the curriculum for 14-19 year-olds, including more work-based learning, as a matter of urgency.
Council asks the Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement to report on progress to the next Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee in July and to Council in September. Council thinks Oxfordshire’s young people deserve better.”
The consent of the Council was given to updating the motion (first submitted to the June Council meeting) by the substitution in the penultimate sentence by the words ‘September’ for ‘July’ and ‘November’ for ‘September’.
After debate, the motion as amended was lost by 39 votes to 21.
85/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR LARRY SANDERS (Agenda Item 15)
Councillor L. Sanders moved and Councillor Dhall seconded the following motion:
“It is reported that the Secretary of State for Health has required that Oxfordshire PCT establish a 'polyclinic' in Oxfordshire and that the PCT has identified a site in the Banbury area. This creates the possibility that a commercial company will replace existing NHS GP services.
The British Medical Association has urged the Government "to halt its plans to promote the use of commercial companies in general practice because this risks destabilising our local surgeries and threatens the comprehensive, high quality care we receive from our GPs."
The provision of County Council Community Care services would be made more difficult and more expensive should GP surgeries in the Banbury area and the Horton Hospital be destabilised.
This Council asks the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee to consider the proposal for a ‘polyclinic’ in Oxfordshire at its next meeting.”
Councillor Legge moved and Councillor ? seconded the following amendment shown in italic type and by strikethrough:
It is reported that the Secretary of State for Health has required that Oxfordshire PCT establish a 'polyclinic' in Oxfordshire and that the PCT has identified a site in the Banbury area. This creates the possibility that a commercial company will replace existing NHS GP services.
The British Medical Association has urged the Government "to halt its plans to promote the use of commercial companies in general practice because this risks destabilising our local surgeries and threatens the comprehensive, high quality care we receive from our GPs."
The provision of County Council Community Care services would be made more difficult and more expensive should GP surgeries in the Banbury area and the Horton Hospital be destabilised.
This Council asks the Oxfordshire Joint Health
Overview & Scrutiny Committee to consider
Councillor L Sanders and Councillor Dhall accepted the amendment.
After debate, the motion as amended was lost by 47 votes to 13.
86/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR SURINDER DHESI (Agenda Item 16)
Councillor Dhesi moved and Councillor Harris seconded the following motion:
"This Council asks the Cabinet to consider a moratorium on the placing of any new mobile telephone masts on any land or building owned by the Authority in the vicinity of schools or residential accommodation pending further research on the possible health risks, especially for children, the elderly and other vulnerable people.”
Councillor Shouler moved and Councillor Robertson seconded the following amendment shown in italic type and by strikethrough:
“This Council asks the Cabinet to
Councillor Dhesi and Councillor Harris accepted the amendment.
After debate, the amended motion was carried nem con.
RESOLVED: This Council asks the Cabinet to review the existing policy agreed by the Council in 1999 and amended in 2000 on the placing of any new mobile telephone masts on any land or building owned by the Authority in the vicinity of schools or residential accommodation including considering any new scientific evidence on the possible health risks, especially for children, the elderly and other vulnerable people.
87/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR LIZ BRIGHOUSE (Agenda Item 17)
Consent of Council was given to withdraw the following motion:
"This Council:
(a) expresses grave disappointment at the criticisms in the Joint Area Review of the strategy for 14-19 provision and the lack of progress in raising educational attainment;
(b) notes that the Council was told in June 2007 that the issue of educational attainment of the most economically deprived children would be included on the agenda for the Children’s Services Scrutiny committee “to enable the Committee to consider whether to include the issue in its work programme”;
(c) asks that a scrutiny review on this issue should take place as a matter of urgency so that another group of children do not go through Oxfordshire schools without reaching their full potential.”
88/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR JOHN SANDERS (Agenda Item 18)
Councillor J. Sanders moved the following motion:
"This Council:
(a) notes that there are sometimes good reasons for the Council to subsidise an infrequent bus service where the subsidy per passenger is very high but the overall subsidy is low;
(b) agrees that the acceptable level of subsidy per passenger should be determined on a case by case basis rather than fixed in advance;
(c) therefore urges the Cabinet to reaffirm in the revised Bus Strategy the Council’s existing policy of having “no fixed upper limit on subsidy per passenger”.
The Chairman ruled that the motion not be considered as its consideration would be contrary to Council Procedure Rule 14 that sets out how the Council should deal with previous decisions and Motions, in that a decision had been taken on the same matter at Agenda Item 9 (minute 79/08 refers).
89/08 MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR NORMAN BOLSTER (Agenda Item 19)
RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Fulljames and seconded by Councillor Bolster and carried nem con)
That this Council agrees that, following the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Report of "The cancellation of Bicester Accommodation Centre", there is absolutely nothing to show for the £29m taxpayers money that was wasted and this council also regrets that the money paid by Environment & Economy Directorate for Counsel to represent them at the enquiry was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
................................................................................... in the Chair
Date of signing.................................................................. 2008
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