Meeting documents
The Executive
Tuesday, 19 April 2005
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To Members of the Executive Notice of a Meeting of the ExecutiveTuesday 19 April 2005 at 2.00 pm County Hall, Oxford
Contact officer: Kath Coldwell (Tel: 01865 815902; E-mail) Membership
Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 27 April 2005 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.
AGENDAAddenda
To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 April 2005 (EX3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report
by Head of Finance & Procurement This report covers the period up to the end of February 2005 for revenue and capital and includes an update to the Capital Programme for 2004/05 through to 2008/09. The projected year-end position on revenue balances remains unchanged at £6.136m (net of the City Schools’ Reorganisation). There is a potential call on balances of £0.025m relating to the supplementary estimate requested by the Resources Directorate to meet legal costs incurred in relation to the Trap Grounds, Oxford. No further potential calls on balances are known about for this year and the position remains in line with the projections set out in the Revenue Budget and Capital Programme for 2005/06 which was agreed by Council on 15 February. The Directorate carry forward position has improved by £1.249m since the last report and now shows an overall surplus of £3.103m. Based on previous trends, this position is unlikely to worsen and it is possible that there may be further improvement. 285 of the 294 schools’ budgets have been approved and it is now anticipated that balances at the year-end will be higher than the 31 March 2004 LMS Reserves position. The position will be updated in the next monthly financial monitoring report. An updated Capital Programme booklet is circulated with the agenda is which sets out the position on the capital programme for 2004/05 through to 2008/09. The programme shows a surplus of £1.8m over the period. Of this, £1.5m relates to schools, where Council policy is for all schools resources to be spent on the schools’ capital programme. Learning & Culture will bring forward high priority projects to utilise the surplus. This leaves a small surplus of £0.3m for the rest of the programme. The Capital Programme booklet also includes revised structural maintenance allocations in the Transport Capital Programme in accordance with the indicative forward capital allocations notified to the Council by GOSE. Since this represents a variation from the overall Environment & Economy capital programme presented to the County Council meeting in February this element should be submitted to the Council for approval. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to: (a) note
the report;
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report by County Council Management Team (EX6). This report sets out our third quarter performance for 2004-2005 against:
Seven of the 13 Oxfordshire Plan priorities are reported as being on target at the end of the second quarter; for two priorities (delayed discharges from hospital and maintenance of local roads and pavements), it is uncertain whether or not they are on target; for two more (educational attainment and youth crime reduction) there is a mixed picture. For the final two priorities, public transport and support for older people, performance is improving but the demanding targets in these areas are not expected to be met. On the Public Service Agreement targets, 3 are on track to achieve target; for 4 it is uncertain as to whether they will achieve target; and 4 are predicted not to achieve target. Of the 81 Best Value Performance Indicators reported at this stage 43 (51%) are on target and 26 (31%) are not on target; for 16 (19%) it is felt to be too early to judge. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to note the report.
Executive
Member: Children & Young People Report by Director for Learning & Culture and Director for Social & Health Care (EX7). The Best Value Review of Children’s Services has reviewed the services for vulnerable children and young people aged 0-19 years and makes recommendations about the implementation of "Every Child Matters" and the Children Act 2004 in Oxfordshire. The review is jointly led by Social & Health Care, Learning & Culture and Health. The review has involved a detailed needs analysis; extensive consultation with children and young people and parents and carers through the development of two Sounding Boards; consultation with staff from all agencies and partners, including the voluntary sector; in depth analysis of six areas where outcomes for children and young people need to be improved; and visits to other authorities. The report makes recommendations for improving support for vulnerable groups of children and young people in the areas of mental health and emotional well-being; teenage pregnancy; disabled children and young people; support for vulnerable families; looked after children and young people; and the educational achievement of vulnerable children and young people. The recommendations propose significant changes to the organisation of services for children and young people, including a Children and Young People’s Commissioning Trust; integrated county-wide health, education and social services provision; and network arrangements for ensuring responsive and well co-ordinated services for vulnerable children and young people in localities throughout the county. The Executive is RECOMMENDED:
Executive
Member: Children & Young People Report by Director for Social & Health Care (EX8). The report presents a draft placement strategy for Children Looked After (CLA). Its development has been prompted by a number of factors: the increased number of children in agency placements (in both independent foster care agencies and residential care settings); an overspend of the Agency Care Budget in 2004/05 and to a lesser extent in previous years; and the need to provide strategic direction for managers and staff. The purpose of this Strategy is to set out a planning framework for the development of and changes to CLA services; set strategic direction around placements for CLA for the next 3 years; create clarity about outcomes for children; and set targets to improve practice, increase in-house provision, reduce reliance on agency placements and match priorities with resources. It is designed to achieve the elimination of the current overspend by 2007/08. The main changes for staff are in the reconfiguration of residential services. Although it is proposed that one residential home will close, there will be opportunities for existing staff to apply for the community based alternatives to residential care team and the support to foster carers team. These changes are proposed to take effect in 2006. The Executive is RECOMMENDED, subject to consideration of any comments from the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee, to:
Executive
Member: Sustainable Development Report by Head of Sustainable Development (EX9). This report describes progress made during the first year of the County Council’s Economic Development Action Plan (EDAP). EDAP brings together all of the economic development actions of the Council. The report also describes how the plan and its implementation will be improved in the year to come in order to meet the three overarching objectives of the Economic Development Strategy for Oxfordshire: Improve the competitiveness and innovation of the Oxfordshire economy to achieve a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita that ranks among the top ten sub-regions in Europe; Sustainable development – to achieve growth in productivity, whilst sustaining the county’s environmental assets; and Social Inclusion – to fulfil the employment potential of all the citizens in Oxfordshire by increasing participation in the labour market and matching skills to job opportunities. An updated list of the main opportunities and threats to the Oxfordshire economy addressed by EDAP is included. There has been some good progress to report such as several new external partnerships created or grown during the year, improved cross-directorate working and several new strategies that enable Economic Development have been developed or strengthened. There are also areas for improvement in promoting Economic Development in Oxfordshire such as improving secondary school results and the policy context for promoting competitiveness and innovation. Therefore new or strengthened areas of work for 2005/06 have been set out for approval. The report includes details of expenditure by the Strategic Policy and Economic Development Unit on Economic Development projects and partnerships in 2004/05. For the coming year 2005/06, a grant making procedure has been compiled in order assess applications against the Council’s Economic Development objectives. The
Executive is RECOMMENDED to:
(1) to finalise a procedure and criteria for the allocation of economic development grants, based on the principles outlined in the report; (2) to approve individual grants in accordance with the finally agreed procedure and criteria.
Executive
Member: Sustainable Development Report by Head of Sustainable Development (EX10). At its meeting on 7 December 2004, the Executive agreed the establishment of a high level environment group to address the findings of the scrutiny review of Corporate Environmental Policy and the Audit Commission’s Report on Sustainable Development, both published in 2004. The Executive asked the new group to: - submit to it a renewed environmental policy and strategy in Spring 2005; - report annually on progress on the Council’s environmental performance; and - make recommendations for improvements. The high level group, now named the Future First Programme Board, has been formed with councillor representatives and high-level representation from all directorates. The Board’s first task has been to develop the Future First Environment Action Plan, which is directed at reducing the Council’s own environmental footprint, to take effect from April 2005. This is provided at Annex 1 (download as .doc file) . All directorates have contributed to development of the plan, which in the first year will be implemented through service led initiatives within the framework of the Council’s existing environmental policy. It is proposed to renew the Council’s policy and strategies on the basis of a more comprehensive evidence base developed during the year. The Future First project is supported by a Future First Project Team based in the Strategic Policy and Economic Development Unit in Environment & Economy. It is estimated that a full-time member of staff will be needed to manage the project. The post will be staffed within the unit and is expected to be cost neutral. The project management and promotional costs of the Future First Project will be met within existing resources within Environment & Economy. Where there are costs associated with projects outlined in the summary action plan, these are covered within existing budgets and work plans for whichever Directorate has lead responsibility for the project. The business case for use of Prudential Funding for energy conservation and maintenance projects referred to in paragraph 1.1 b) of the action plan is covered elsewhere on the agenda for this meeting of the Executive. If approval is granted, projects will commence during 2005-6. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:
(1) an annual report in September/October with complete figures for the previous financial year, identifying issues for future action; (2) an annual workplan in March/April for the coming year, with the first report in March/April 2006.
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report by Head of Property (EX11). This report presents a draft updated policy, designed to ultimately be part of a wider Council energy policy (additionally covering transport, street lighting, purchasing and IT equipment) that will be developed within the Future First project (dealt with elsewhere on the Agenda). Key aspects of the policy are as follows:
In support of the policy it is proposed that Prudential Borrowing funds are used to invest in projects that will reduce energy use, consequent emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, and ongoing utility costs. Furthermore, it is proposed that these funds could be used for on-site renewable energy schemes that will similarly reduce both emissions of pollutants and ongoing utility costs. On 27 January 2004, the Executive approved the use of Prudential Borrowing for this purpose, subject to the submission of a robust Business Case, which is included with the report. The
Executive is RECOMMENDED to: (1) amounting
to £200,000 in 2005/06; and
(c)
RECOMMEND
the Council to agree the inclusion in the Capital Programme in 2005/06
of energy conservation expenditure totalling £0.2m, funded from Prudential
Funding.
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report
by Head of Property The Executive last considered the Review of Property Assets on 21 December 2004 and resolved to approve the Implementation Plan. The report gives information on progress with the Implementation Plan and appropriate recommendations to allow work to continue. A financial appraisal of the proposals to reorganise offices in the north of the County in Banbury, Bicester and Witney has been carried out. This shows that savings in running costs can be made but that based on current estimates it may be difficult to secure a fully self- financing option. Options for reorganisation of offices in the south of the County are set out and it is recommended that the offices under consideration are consolidated at Champion House, Abingdon. This proposal would be self-financing from capital receipts and savings in running costs. Proposals are given for monitoring of the Council’s property portfolio, to measure the extent to which the objective of Making Better Use of Property is being achieved. Progress on other items on the Implementation plan is also reported.
The Executive is RECOMMENDED, subject to the comments of the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee, to:
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report by Head of Property (EX13) (download as .doc file). On 21 December 2004 the Executive considered a report on the findings of a review of the Council’s approach to the repair and maintenance of its property, and instructed the Head of Property Services to bring forward a business case for the investment of up to £25 million over five years to address a significant proportion of the property backlog maintenance in our primary schools and other public buildings. This was on the basis that the repayment of this unsupported debt would be funded from the savings achieved by bringing our property stock up to a higher standard and the consequent reduction in unplanned maintenance. This report sets out a Business Case for the Prudential Funding of such high priority repairs. A substantial proportion of the Prudential Funding investment (c80%) will be targeted at repairs to schools as these constitute the largest proportion of the repair backlog. Revenue savings from reduced energy and day-to-day repair costs would benefit individual schools, as they have to meet these costs from their delegated budgets. In order to secure the funding for debt repayment under the Prudential system a firm commitment will be needed from schools to help support the cost of borrowing by passing on to the Council any such savings, or by making one off contributions to the initial capital costs thereby reducing the amount of borrowing needed. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council, Schools and David Illingworth, Finance & Planning Consultant. Report by Director for Learning & Culture and Head of Finance & Procurement (EX14). In July 2005, the DfES published its Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners. A highly publicised element of the strategy was to give schools the security of three budgets aligned to academic years to enable improved planning. The DfES have now issued a consultation on detailed proposals for bringing the proposals into effect. The consultation covers 5 broad areas:
There are 35 consultation questions for local authorities to respond to, the closing date for comment being 13 May 2005, and the report proposes a response on this Council’s part. Generally the move to provide schools with guaranteed two or three year budgets is welcomed: it will provide them with the stability that they need. There are however some concerns about the implications of the timing issues as between academic and financial years canvassed in the consultation. There are also serious concerns about the impact of the rest of the local government finance system when Dedicated Schools Grant is introduced in 2006-07: transitional arrangements will needed to ensure that any adverse impact is minimised. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to agree the response to the Consultation as set out in the Annex (download as .doc file) to the report.
Executive
Member: Schools Report
of the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee (EX15). The Executive is RECOMMENDED to consider the Scrutiny Review Report and communicate to the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee its response to the Review's recommendations.
Executive
Member: Transport Report by Interim Head of Transport (EX16). The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Executive for a provisional strategy which represents stage 1 of the Wantage & Grove Area Strategic Transport Study. The provisional strategy is the result of initial work carried out by Halcrow to identify strategic transport issues in the study area and potential ways to address these issues through a package of highway, public transport and cycle route improvements. The report summarises the study process followed by Halcrow and the elements of the provisional strategy. It is important to stress that no route alignments for the potential highway schemes have been developed at this stage of the study, but the following potential strategic schemes are put forward for agreement in principle to enable further assessment work to take place in stage 2 of the study: Eastern relief road (north-east Wantage bypass) – Mably Way to A417; Northern Grove link road – to join A338 south of Bellingers Garage; Junction improvements at Rowstock roundabout on A417; Frilford junction improvements (A338/A415); Wantage – Grove – Oxford Premium Bus Route; Improved east – west bus services; Cycle links to Abingdon/employment sites; High quality cycle ways between Wantage and Grove; Western relief road – link from A417 to join eastern relief road (thus forming a full Wantage relief road); Steventon Road realignment (would only go ahead if an Upper Thames reservoir was developed); and Grove/Wantage Rail Station. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the provisional strategy for the Wantage & Grove Area Strategic Transport Study (as summarised in the report and described in detail in section 6 of Halcrow’s draft final report) as the basis of a package of measures to be presented to the Vale of White Horse Local Plan Inquiry in May.
Executive
Member: Leader of the Council Report by Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee (EX17) (download as .doc file). As identified in the CPA assessment, the Council "needs to develop its systems for monitoring and managing its performance, in particular by setting more realistic targets." The Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee undertook a Review of the target setting processes in use by the Council and on 8 April received the report of its Lead Member Review Group. The Committee agreed the report, subject to minor amendments, for submission to the Executive. An executive summary of the report with its recommendations is attached (EX17) (download as .doc file). The full report (as amended) has been circulated to Executive Members. A copy is also available for public inspection. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to consider the Scrutiny Review Report and communicate to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee its response to the Review's recommendations.
Executive
Member: Community Safety Report by Head of Trading Standards & Registration Services (EX18). The Food Standards Act 1999 requires all local authorities to prepare and publish a Food Law Enforcement Service Plan on an annual basis. Service plans developed under these arrangements will provide the basis on which local authorities will be monitored and audited by the Food Standards Agency. The report presents a draft plan for 2005/06, incorporated within the more general Service Plan required by the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of all aspects of the Trading Standards Service. The Plan proposes that enforcement activity should be based on six themes: tackling food poverty; encouraging a healthier diet; improving food standards and choice for children at catering establishments; addressing the concerns of our communities; helping to sustain local businesses; and safeguarding food standards. Key activities to be undertaken during 2005/06 include:
The Food Law Enforcement Service Plan is one of the strategic plans which, in accordance with the Budget and Policy Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution, are subject to approval by the full Council, taking into account any advice from the relevant scrutiny committee. The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee have indicated that they do not wish to make any comments on the Plan. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND Council to approve the Food Law Enforcement Service Plan, as comprised in the Trading Standards Service and Performance Plan, for submission to the Food Standards Agency.
Executive
Member: Deputy Leader of the Council Report by Head of Human Resources (EX19). At the Council meeting held on 11 January 2005, a motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson was passed urging the Executive to develop a partnership accord with Jobcentre Plus. The purpose of this accord as stated in the motion would be to target the hardest to reach individuals within the working age population. Another aim would be to help fill the wide range of posts within the Council. This report provides some background to enable the Executive to consider the issue. If the Executive is agreeable to progressing the principle of a local partnership accord with Jobcentre Plus it is proposed to establish a small working group with representatives from Jobcentre Plus, our Directorate/Corporate HR community and Directorate teams who have existing links to Jobcentre Plus. The working group would look at best practice, draft the partnership accord, and develop an outline action plan. It is envisaged that the partnership accord would consist of a strategy, vision, objectives and key targets. The action plan to support the accord would be firmed up if after finalisation of the accord. The parties to the local partnership accord would be the County Council and Jobcentre Plus. However the Partnership Accord Tool Kit lays emphasis on contacts with other local agencies and organisations and on the strategic overview that the local strategic partnership can provide. It is suggested that the progress of the working group could be overseen by a Steering Group comprising the primary partners together with local representatives of those interests. The Executive is RECOMMENDED:
Executive
Member: All The Executive Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting at the Executive is to include "updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting". Items from the Forward Plan for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Executive appear in the Schedule at EX20. This includes any updated information relating to the business for those meetings that has already been identified for inclusion in the next Forward Plan update. The Schedule is for noting, but Executive Members may also wish to take this opportunity to identify any further changes they would wish to be incorporated in the next Forward Plan update. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.
April
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