Meeting documents

The Executive
Tuesday, 19 March 2002

EX190302-03

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ITEM EX3

EXECUTIVE – 19 MARCH 2002

EXECUTIVE – 5 MARCH 2002

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 10.00 am and finishing at 4.15 pm

Present:

Voting Members:

Councillor Tony Crabbe
Councillor Neil Fawcett
Councillor Janet Godden
Councillor Margaret Godden
Councillor Keith R Mitchell
Councillor Anne Purse
Councillor Don Seale
Councillor Roy Tudor Hughes

By Invitation:

Councillor Brian Hodgson for Agenda Item 5
Councillor Neville F. Harris for Agenda Item 8
Councillor Craig Simmons for Agenda Item 10

Officers:

Whole of meeting: J. Leverton and G. Warrington (Chief Executive’s Office).

Part of meeting: Acting Chief Education Officer and Mrs S. Tanner; J. Barker (Directorate for Business Support); Director of Environmental Services, P. Crossland, Ian Connick, P. Mann and N. Monaghan.

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 and reports and schedule, copies of which are attached to the signed Minutes.

    102/02. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

    Apologies for absence were received from Councillor John Farrow.

    103/02. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 12 and 19 February 2002 were approved and signed subject to the following amendments to Minutes 82/02 and 83/02 of the meeting of 19 February 2002:

    • Minutes 82/02 (Budget Monitoring) add immediately before the resolution "Councillor Hodgson asked whether reports of a recruitment freeze in Social Services were correct. The Leader of the Council advised that, whilst all expenditure needed to be carefully controlled, no recruitment freeze was proposed".

    • Minute 83/02 (Charging Policies for Home Care and Other Non-Residential Social Services) add at the end of resolution (d), the words "being brought forward to that date".

Minute 83/02 (Charging Policies for Home Care and Other Non-Residential Social Services).

Members endorsed a suggestion by Councillor Janet Godden that the consultation responses should be forwarded to the respective Oxfordshire Members of Parliament according to the origin of the response (or any recipient of the Council’s services referred to in the response), with a covering letter explaining that they had been received in the context of the consultation on charging and seeking their support for action to reduce the problems of funding of social care.

    104/02. AUDIT PROCEDURES

    (Agenda Item 5)

    The Executive considered a report (EX5) which identified four broad options for allocating the responsibility for overseeing both internal and external audit function and activities.

    Councillor Hodgson supported the establishment of a separate Audit Committee and considered that any consolidation of that function within the Best Value Committee would downgrade its significance; but urged that if the latter were adopted then the importance of involving members with financial expertise should be recognised, with the appointment of three additional members for that purpose.

    The Leader of the Council expressed the view that the present size and membership of the Best Value Committee already offered the capability to exercise responsibility for effectively overseeing the Audit function. Councillor Janet Godden pointed out that the Committee were well placed to ensure that value for money was obtained from the audit process itself.

    RESOLVED: to:

    (a) note the support of the Best Value Committee for the principle of establishing a Member led forum to oversee the audit related activities within the Council, and for this to be effected by attaching audit activities to that Committee;

    (b) to support attaching audit activities to the Best Value Committee and review the process after one year;

    (c) instruct the Director for Business Support & County Treasurer and Assistant Chief Executive to draw up amended terms of reference for the appropriate body accordingly, for recommendation to the Council through the forthcoming review process.

    105/02. TRANSPORT TO HENLEY COLLEGE

(Agenda Item 6)

In January 2002 the Executive had deferred a decision in response to the increasing cost of subsidy paid to Oxfordshire students for travel to Henley College pending a further report on the possible capping of the subsidy and utilisation of existing public transport services for students travelling to the college. The Executive had before it a report (EX6) which considered the public transport options, summarised the outcome of further discussions with Henley College and demonstrated how the increased costs could be met by increasing the charges for post-16 transport across the county.

RESOLVED: to agree to:

    1. increasing post-16 transport charges across the whole county to £41 per term and in notifying schools and students of the decision draw attention to the discrepancy between the charges for Oxfordshire students and the higher levels applying in neighbouring authorities;

    2. requiring Henley College to adopt a transport tendering procedure involving competitive bids; and

    3. asking officers to continue negotiations with public transport providers in order to increase the use of travel to Henley College by public transport where this was available and cost-effective.

    106/02. SCHOOLS CAPITAL PROJECTS

    (Agenda Item 7)

    RESOLVED: to approve Project Appraisal ED582 (Harwell Primary School – Early Years Unit).

    107/02. DIDCOT TRANSPORT ISSUES STUDY

(Agenda Item 8)

The Executive considered a report (EX8) which examined the recommendations made by Colin Buchanan and Partners.

Councillor Harris criticised the consultants’ report as failing to deal with some serious transport problems such as commuter parking, which existed in Didcot and emphasised the importance of full public consultation. He urged that all local members should be permitted to participate in the proposed steering group as of right.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. note the advice in the consultants’ report on the Didcot Transport Issues Study and use it as a basis for further study of the local transport issues;

    2. agree the setting up of a Didcot Integrated Transport Strategy Steering Group, with a view to developing a strategy for Didcot and its environs linking to the Abingdon strategy, on the basis indicated in paragraphs 9-11 of the report, subject to (c) below, with County Council representation comprising the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management and the Chair/Chairman/Chairwoman of the Environment Scrutiny Committee or their respective nominees, and with all local County and District councillors having a right to attend meetings and speak, although not as full members of the Steering Group;

    3. as the Didcot Integrated Transport Strategy covered a substantial surrounding area rather than the town alone, invite the Parish Councils in the study area together to appoint 2 representatives to participate in the Steering Group in addition to the Town Councillor.

    108/02. THAMES VALLEY SAFER ROADS PARTNERSHIP – APPROVAL OF NEW SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

(Agenda Item 9)

The County Council had participated in the Thames Valley Roads Partnership, one of eight pilot projects which involved using revenue from traffic safety cameras to fund increased enforcement and speed related road safety issues. The Executive now considered a report (EX9) which sought approval to a new service level agreement to allow the project to continue into a third year and beyond.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. authorise the conclusion of a Service Level Agreement, generally as set out in Annex 2 to the report EX6, with the partners in the Thames Valley Safer Roads Project; and

    2. authorise the Director of Environmental Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport, to continue discussions with the partners and the DTLR to agree appropriate enforcement strategies for the project.

 109/02. HEADINGTON AND MARSTON AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY (HAMATS)

(Agenda Item 10)

The Executive considered a report (EX10) which examined the conclusions and recommendations of a transport study for this area undertaken by Colin Buchanan and Partners.

Councillor Simmons welcomed the report but highlighted its failure to address three key issues in the north of his division: the need to reduce traffic in that area; the lack of lateral bus services serving the area; and the absence of proposals to address residents’ parking problems in the Divinity Road and Southfield Road area.

Councillor Margaret Godden supported the views of Councillor Simmons and referred to the more general traffic problems within Headington and at the Green Road roundabout; and the need for measures to improve access to the Churchill hospital area in particular.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. approve the draft Headington and Marston Area Transport Strategy set out in Annex 1 subject to the deletion of item 12 (Park & Ride in Marston), for consultation with key stakeholders, the City and Parish Councils and local members;

    2. request officers to report back to the Executive following this further consultation, with a recommended final strategy for adoption;

    3. agree that in the interim officers should use the draft HAMATS strategy as a basis for responses to consultations on planning applications in the area and to develop measures for inclusion in the OTS programme;

    4. ask the HAMATS Steering Group to oversee and report direct to the Executive on the consultation in (a), and subsequently on the further progressing and implementation of HAMATS, the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning and Waste Management to decide which stakeholders, including parish and other local representatives, to be invited to participate in the Steering Group, in addition to the City Council;

    5. note an undertaking by the Executive Member for Transport to ensure that the shortcomings identified by Councillor Simmons and Councillor Margaret Godden would be raised at an early meeting of the Steering Group;

    6. ask officers to make arrangements for "awaydays" for Executive Members to familiarise them with any new ITLUS study areas.

    110/02. CHERWELL 30MPH SPEED LIMIT PROJECT: PHASE 1 – INITIAL CONSULTATION

(Agenda Item 11)

The Executive considered a report (EX11) which described the outcome of the initial consultations to Phase 1 of the Project.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. note the objections and representations in response to initial consultation for the 10 parishes set out in Annex 2 to the report EX11 and the individual recommendations of the Director of Environmental Services;

    2. authorise the Director of Environmental Services to publish draft Orders as recommended in Annex 2, taking into account (in Bodicote and Drayton) the advice of the Executive Member for Transport and Local Members following an inspection of the site; and

    3. approve the implementation of the speed limits for the Cherwell Phase 1 Parishes as set out in Annexes 1 and 2 to the report, subject to the outcome of (b) above and to any objections or representations in respect of the published draft Orders being referred to the Executive for consideration and decision.

    111/02. PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION STRATEGY

(Agenda Item 12)

The Executive considered a report (EX12) which examined the development of a Public Transport Information Strategy as a requirement under the Transport Act 2000.

RESOLVED: to:

    1. adopt the standards in Annex 1 as the Council’s Public Transport Information Strategy, subject to annual review and to complete revision in 2006 as part of the Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan;

    2. note the concern of officers over the possible cost implications of increased information provision on subsidy contracts;

    3. authorise funding from the traveline underspend for bus stop maps, town centre information boards and a transport guide for Oxford, all of which will be jointly funded with operators;

    4. ask officers to explore further joint funding for the continuation of countywide transport guides;

    5. ask officers to establish an Information Forum, consisting of bus operators and users, which would be chaired by officers and provide an ongoing review of information standards;

    6. welcome the evidence set out in the report of material progress on the development of real-time information for bus services.

    112/02. PARTNERING CONTRACTS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORKS

    (Agenda Item 13)

    Partnering contracts for building construction works were encouraged by the Government and were also a priority in the County Council’s Corporate Capital Strategy, Asset Management Plan and Best Value Review for Construction Services. The Executive considered a report (EX13) which set out the proposed process for setting up an arrangement for a formal partnering contract.

    Mr Monaghan reported that the Council were likely to be in a position to appoint a partner company by the end of 2002.

    RESOLVED: to authorise the Director of Environmental Services to complete and implement arrangements for the Council to enter into a Partnering Agreement under which contracts could be awarded for building construction works and ask officers to report back to the Executive on progress prior to the formal appointment of a partner.

    113/02. WOODCOTE COMMUNITY & YOUTH CENTRE

    (Agenda Item 14)

    The Woodcote Community and Youth Centre occupied most of a former school house on the Langtree School site with no formal agreement. Terms had now been provisionally agreed for a lease for a term of ten years. The Executive considered a report (EX14) which proposed that the cost of the lease should be offset by a grant to the Centre in recognition of the community services provided.

    The Leader of the Council undertook to write formally congratulating the community on the success of their local initiatives.

    Mr Monaghan reported that an application by the Management Committee for lottery funding for the youth centre had been successful.

    RESOLVED: to agree that a lease of the Woodcote Community and Youth Centre building be granted to the trustees of the Woodcote Community and Youth Centre and that a grant be paid them for the duration of the lease equal to the annual rent less £100.

    114/02. LETTING OF FLAT ABOVE WATLINGTON LIBRARY

    (Agenda Item 15)

    The Executive considered a report (EX15) which set out proposals for the formal letting of the flat in the Council’s capacity as trustee for the Charlotte Coxe charity.

    RESOLVED: to approve the letting of Watlington Library Flat to Co-op Homes Services (Home Counties Ltd) on the terms detailed in the Annex to the report EX15, subject to any representations arising from the public notices of the proposed lease being referred to the Leader of the Council for consideration and final decision.

    115/02. FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS

    (Agenda Item 16)

    The Executive considered Schedules (EX16) which identified items of business listed in the Forward Plan as to be conducted at the following two meetings.

    RESOLVED: to:

    1. note the slippage of Forward Plan item 66/2001 (Minor Traffic Schemes) from 3 April to 16 April;

    2. subject to (a) above, agree the additions and amendments set out in Schedules 1 - 3 for the purpose of the Forward Plan for the ensuing four months;

(b) subject to (a) and (b) above, note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings as set out in Schedule 4.

 

in the Chair

Date of signing 2002

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