Meeting documents

The Executive
Tuesday, 29 April 2003

EX290403

______________________________________


________________________________

To Members of the Executive

Notice of a Meeting of the Executive

Tuesday 29 April 2003 at 2.00 pm

County Hall, Oxford


Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

Contact officer: Deborah Mitchell (Tel: 01865 815463; E-mail)

Membership

Councillors

 

 

Keith R Mitchell

-

Leader of the Council

Margaret Godden

-

Deputy Leader of the Council

Tony Crabbe

-

Executive Member for Schools

Neil Fawcett

-

Executive Member for Learning & Culture

David Robertson

-

Executive Member for Transport

Anne Purse

-

Executive Member for Strategic Planning & Waste Management

Janet Godden

-

Executive Member for Children & Young People

Don Seale

-

Executive Member for Community Care & Health

John Farrow

-

Executive Member for Community Safety

The Agenda follows. Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 30 April 2003 unless called in by that date for review by the appropriate Scrutiny Committee.

Copies of this Notice, Agenda and supporting papers are circulated to all Members of the County Council.

AGENDA

Addenda (download as .doc file)

  1. Apologies for Absence

  2. Declarations of Interest

  3. Minutes

    4. To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 2 April 2003 (EX3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

  4. Petitions and Public Address

    See Addenda (download as .doc file)

  5. Monthly Monitoring Report

    6. Executive Member: Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2002/248
    Contact Officer: Mike Petty, Principal Financial Manager (01865 815622)

    Report by the Head of Finance (EX5).

    This report updates the budget monitoring position for 2002/03 to the end of February 2003, showing variations since the last report with potential variations for the rest of the year. The estimated position shows a potential deficit of £2.171m, which comprises a planned overspend on City Schools Reorganisation of £3.276m and an overspend on Social & Health Care of £2.587m, offset by underspending on other programme areas of £3.692m. The overall position on balances shows an estimated £1.876m remains in reserves to meet all other potential and outstanding pressures arising in the year. This represents a movement of £0.744m since last month’s report.

    The firefighters pay award is still to be resolved; this is still estimated to be around £0.124m this year. The projected overspending on Social Services within Social &Health Care appears to be fairly stable on the evidence of the last few months, and is well contained within other areas’ underspending.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to receive the report and ask the Directors to continue to proceed cautiously given the potential variations to the year end position outlined in the report.

  6. Financial Forecast 2004/05 – 2008/09

Executive Member: Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/45
Contact Officer: Jenny Hydari, Assistant County Treasurer (01865 815401)

Report by the Head of Finance (EX6).

See also Addenda (download as .doc file)

This report marks the first in a series of reports on the Revenue Budget, Medium Term Financial Plan, Capital Programme and Oxfordshire Plan. This first report is intended to remind members of the key issues in the approved Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and to provide updated information. The report also includes an overview of the latest economic forecast.

There are principally 2 conclusions to reach. Firstly, in relation to the agreed MTFP, the financial situation looks tight and there are still some significant areas, which may require further resources. The Directorates are working to update their own options and priorities by the end of June. Secondly, the Economic Forecast is generally stable – but again there are some uncertainties around which require careful monitoring.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to note:

          1. the issues highlighted in the report;

          2. the need to reconsider the financial strategy as part of the budget process;

          3. that an updated MTFF report will be brought to the Executive on 22 July 2003.

  1. Maximising our Resources

Executive Member: Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/58
Contacts: Keith R Mitchell, Leader of the Council and Margaret Godden, Deputy Leader of the Council (01865 816037)

Report by Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader of the Council (EX7).

In setting the 2003/04 budget, the Executive has increasingly felt locked into a rigid cycle in which the budget process starts in the Autumn with the previous year’s base budget. The Executive then considers the impact of inflation and financing costs to determine a restated base budget. Directorates then put in estimates of spending pressures for their service areas. Treasurers make a best estimate of the likely Local Government Financial Settlement. When this is announced in December, it is possible to consider various "what-if" scenarios against the likely level of final settlement. The Executive is concerned that this is "too little - too late" and is determined to start the 2004/05 budget review process in April 2003. This paper is a discussion around how such a review might be achieved.

In particular the Executive wishes to see the base budget for each service area "opened up" and an explanation for the service inputs/outputs given and how the Strategic Director and Business Manager can demonstrate cost efficiency and value for money. This will include challenging the need for each service area, the level of resource applied and whether alternative working methods could deliver the service for lower cost.

It is the Executive’s intention to have the initial planning work completed early in 2003/04, with:

    • a substantial review of the revenue budget in place for a report to Council in November 2003;

    • a property review well under way by the end of 2003/04 and the first realisations achieved;

    • a Procurement Strategy in place by November 2003;

    • a Human Resources Strategy in place by November 2003;

    • an ICT and Corporate Knowledge Strategy similarly in place by November 2003.

As a parallel exercise, proposals for Improving Member Access to Information have been developed and are described in the report.

We RECOMMEND the Executive to:

                1. endorse the overall proposals for a substantial review of the revenue budget as set out in the report, together with the implementation plan set out at Annex 1 and arrangements for improved member access to budget, performance and planning information set out in Annex 2;

                2. endorse the specific proposals set out in the report for undertaking a property review and developing procurement, human resources and ICT and Corporate Knowledge strategies;

                3. draw the particular attention of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee to the proposals set out in the report and annexes, to examine and make any comments they may consider appropriate.

  1. Oxfordshire Plan 2003/04

Executive Member: Leader of the Council
Forward Plan Ref: 2002/192
Contact Officer: Sean Gibson, Performance Review Officer (01865 815482)

Report by Director for Resources (EX8).(download as .pdf file)

The report outlines initial proposals for the production of an Oxfordshire Plan by identifying key aspects and arrangements for its publication. The draft now presented takes into account new and amended requirements published by ODPM in March, and includes descriptions of progress in, and future plans for, delivering local and national priorities and details of past, current and planned performance against local and national performance indicators.

The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee will be considering the Plan at its meeting on 8 May 2003 prior to the Executive on 27 May making final recommendations to Council.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. adopt the arrangements for production of the Oxfordshire Plan 2003/04 set out in the report;

          2. agree the outline set out in Annex 1 as the Executive’s initial proposals for the Plan;

          3. invite the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee to make any comments on the initial proposals in time for consideration by the Executive on 27 May 2003.

  1. Economic Development Strategy and Work Programme 2003/04

    2. Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2003/34
    Contact Officer: Martin Stott, Head of External Policy & Partnerships (01865 815919)

    Report by Head of External Policy and Partnerships (EX9).

    This report reviews current developments in the economic development field, sets out a framework for the implementation of economic development activities by the Council, in the context of the creation of a new Directorate for Environment & Economy, and the Council’s aim in the Oxfordshire Plan of sustaining prosperity, and makes proposals for the use of the resources available to the Council through the Economic Development Initiatives budget.

    The base budget for Economic Development Initiatives has been fixed by the Council at £97,700 for 2003/04. There is a carry forward of £38,300 from 2002/03, giving a total of £136,000. As well as the proposed programme to utilise these resources, the report highlights the need for the Partnerships Unit to focus more on taking a lead within and beyond the Council on economic development in its widest sense, ensuring that all directorates support the aim of sustaining prosperity where appropriate. It also points up the need for a work plan for economic development that is more specoific to the County Council than OEP’s Economic Development Strategy for Oxfordshire and broader in scope than the expenditure plans for this budget head alone.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. approve the proposals for the expenditure of the Economic Development Initiatives budget for 2003/04 as set out in paragraphs 5-11 and Annex 1 of the report;

          2. agree to the production of an economic development workplan for Oxfordshire County Council.

  2. Oxfordshire Community Network

    3. Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2003/40
    Contact Officer: Stephan Conaway, Head of Strategic ICT (01865 815590)

    Report by the Head of Strategic ICT (EX10).

    The report responds to the Executive’s request at the meeting on 21 January for a fuller report back in 3 months on progress with the development of the project.

    The first phase of the Project has primarily focused on the roll-out to schools and libraries in order to meet the timetable commitments attached to the funding streams. The OCN team is confident that by September this year, connection of virtually all the County’s schools and libraries will have been achieved.

    The costs of implementation have been higher than expected for a number of reasons, principally: variations in schools’ existing local area networks; conversions of existing facilities to preserve continuity of service from existing suppliers; and electricity supply problems at both County Hall and Macclesfield House. It was also found necessary to enhance the level of support and training for the migration of schools to the new network.

    Subsequent phases of the project encompass three main areas:

    (i) Replacement of Oxfordshire County Council’s internal Wide Area Network;

    (ii) Joint e-government projects with the District Councils and other (public sector) partner organisations;

    (iii) Use by communities, rural Small and Medium Sized enterprises, and the viability of being able to offer Broadband connection to domestic subscribers, making Oxfordshire a truly "wired county".

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to note the progress outlined in the report and endorse the general principles set out for further development of the project.

  3. Job Evaluation for County Council Employees

    4. Executive Member: Deputy Leader of the Council
    Forward Plan Ref: 2003/63
    Contact Officer: Sue Corrigan, Head of County Personnel (01865 810280)

    Report by Director for Resources (EX11).

    See also Addenda     (download as .doc file)

    The Executive on 18 February reviewed progress of the Job Evaluation project for "Green Book" employees and endorsed a series of principles for consultation with Unison. A further report was promised on the outcome of consultations and a ballot which Unison proposed to undertake of its members. The Unison ballot took place during March. The result was overwhelmingly positive at approximately 12 to 1 in favour of implementation.

    The final draft of the Job Evaluation Joint Agreement is now presented for discussion and ratification. It has been informally agreed between officers and Unison after consultation with Directorates. Once the Joint Agreement has been ratified by the Executive it will be jointly signed and will apply to all "Green Book" jobs throughout the Council with effect from 1 June 2003.

    The Executive is RECOMMENDED to ratify the Joint Agreement with Unison at Annex 1 to the report.

  4. Audit of Services to Children in Need

Executive Member: Children & Young People
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/52
Contact Officer: Phil Hodgson, Head of Social Care for Children (01865 815833)

Report by Director for Social & Health Care (EX12).

On 28 February the Social Services Inspectorate issued an audit framework "Audit of Services to Children in Need in response to the practical recommendations of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry". This report summarises the main findings of the completed audit for Oxfordshire and highlights the action taken and proposed in response to it.

The audit includes 64 questions, and Oxfordshire appears to be in a relatively good position in responding to these. Robust referral systems are in place for the safe management of referrals, and the Social Services Inspectorate Inspection report in September 2002 commented positively about tracking cases and monitoring performance against timescales. The Inspectors found Oxfordshire has robust systems for managing cases safely.

The report proposes actions to address specific areas identified from the audit, including the effect of work volumes on capacity to respond to protecting children in need; clarity and completeness of operational records; the identification of suitable accommodation for placing children; access for staff to information and training; and arrangements to cover for staff absences.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. note the completed Audit of Services to Children in Need in response to the practical recommendations of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry;

          2. agree the action being taken to address issues identified from the Audit as detailed in Paragraph 11 of the report;

          3. agree that monitoring of progress of action identified from the Audit be undertaken by the Children’s Panel.

  1. School Admission Criteria

Executive Member: Schools
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/46
Contact Officer: Roy Leach, Senior Education Officer (01865 815693)

Report by Director for Learning & Culture (EX13).

The County Council on 14 January 2003 agreed the following motion in the name of Councillor Liz Brighouse:

"This Council advises the Executive that an important criterion in the allocation of places to any school should be the child’s entitlement to attend the school closest to their home, because that best serves the interests of inclusion, social justice and fairness. Accordingly, this Council requests the Executive to consider the implications of such a change in policy and to draw up and consult on plans to implement such a policy, but recognising within such plans that:

    1. technical criteria such as the needs of those in public care, those who have special educational needs and those with siblings already at the school will have precedence over proximity;

    2. such a policy could only be applied practically in areas where transport to school is not a statutory entitlement, i.e. mainly in urban areas."

This paper considers the practical implications of implementing such a policy in order to inform an Executive Committee decision about whether or not to proceed with the necessary consultation.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED, in the light of the report, to decide whether to require officers to formally consult in Spring 2004 on proposals to amend the LEA’s admission arrangements in line with the proposal contained in Councillor Brighouse’s motion at the 14 January 2003 Council meeting.
  1. Proposed Headington Central Residents’ Parking Review

Executive Member: Transport
Forward Plan Ref: 2003/56
Contact Officer: Steve Axtell, Engineering Technician, Highways Management (01865 815967)

Report by Assistant Director (Highway Management)(EX14).

This report outlines the response to consultation on the Headington (Central) Residents’ Parking Scheme. Some 40 roads form the zone area and a total of approximately 1800 residents and businesses are directly affected. This includes three hospitals, the Nuffield Orthopaedic, Churchill and John Radcliffe.

Besides the need to reduce the amount of commuter parking within the area, the scheme plays a very important role in preventing displaced parking from the existing Headington (West) Residents Parking Zone. The promotion of the scheme is also made possible by the extension of the Thornhill Park and Ride.

An earlier scheme met with much adverse reaction at the formal consultation stage. In order to find a more acceptable solution a modified scheme was designed and subjected to an informal consultation process. The latter scheme has been better received and is therefore recommended to members, subject to some minor modification, as detailed in the report.

The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. not to proceed with the original proposals which were advertised between 15 October 2001 and 5 November 2001;

          2. authorise:

            1. consultation with residents on Community Management Parking as described in the report; and

            2. publication of a draft order for the Headington Residents’ Parking Zone as described in the report and shown on Plan No. HM 721/A0/0021 Rev A and HM721/A0/0022 Rev A, subject to such modifications as appear to the Director for Environment & Economy to be appropriate in the light of responses to the consultation referred to in (a)(1) above.

  1. Forward Plan and Future Business

Executive Member: All
Contact Officer: John Leverton (01865 815314)

The Executive Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting of the Executive is to include "updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting".

The publication date of the next Forward Plan, for the period June – September 2003, is 19  May. It will be necessary to determine its content at the meeting on 13  May, but members may wish at the present meeting to identify any changes they would wish to have incorporated in the next update.

In the meantime, a list of items from the Forward Plan for the next two meetings is attached (EX15).

See also Addenda (download as .doc file)

The Executive is RECOMMENDED, subject to any changes and/or additional items it would wish to see incorporated in the next Forward Plan, to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.

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