Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Rodney Rose.

- guidance note opposite

Councillor Nick Carter commented that in respect of Item 7 although he had no disclosable pecuniary interest he would abstain from voting as the company his wife worked for was mentioned briefly in the report.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2012 (CA3) and to receive information arising from them.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2012 were approved and signed.

Any county councillor may, by giving notice to the Proper Officer by 9 am two working days before the meeting, ask a question on any matter in respect of the Cabinet’s delegated powers.

The number of questions which may be asked by any councillor at any one meeting is limited to two (or one question with notice and a supplementary question at the meeting) and the time for questions will be limited to 30 minutes in total. As with questions at Council, any questions which remain unanswered at the end of this item will receive a written response.

Questions submitted prior to the agenda being despatched are shown below and will be the subject of a response from the appropriate Cabinet Member or such other councillor or officer as is determined by the Cabinet Member, and shall not be the subject of further debate at this meeting. Questions received after the despatch of the agenda, but before the deadline, will be shown on the Schedule of Addenda circulated at the meeting, together with any written response which is available at that time.

Councillor Janet Godden  had given notice of the following question to Councillor Rose:

“What has been the total cost of the work to realign the junction at the  A34 slip road / West Way / North Hinksey Lane? If section 106 monies have been used, what alternative eligible local schemes could these have been used for?”

Councillor Rose replied:

            Question

·        What has been the total cost of the work to realign the junction at the  A34 slip road / West Way / North Hinksey Lane?

Answer

The capital budget for the scheme is £248,232. The scheme has just finished on site and so the final (outturn) cost of the scheme is not yet available as some bills have yet to be received.

           Question

·        If section 106 monies have been used, what alternative eligible local schemes could these have been used for?'

Answer

The scheme is being fully funded from S106 developer contributions.

The proposed funding of the scheme this year will come from a variety of S106 funds comprising around (because the actual cost is not yet available one can’t be specific)

o       £198k from development sites within North Hinksey, Botley and along Cumnor Hill and

o       £50k from development sites within Oxford.

Because the various S106 agreements (the funds from which are to be put towards the cost of the West Way improvements) are not tying contributions towards specific named/identified schemes it is not practical to identify a specific list of alternative schemes to which the contributions could be used.

But any such alternative eligible schemes would need to fall within the scope of:

o       Transport infrastructure between Botley and Oxford City Centre and/or

o       Measures/aims within the Oxford Transport Strategy and/or

o       Traffic management/highway safety measures in the vicinity of such as North Hinksey Lane

Councillor Zoe Patrick had given notice of the following question to Councillor Carter:

“Why did the Council contract out the school admissions work to Capita who subsequently failed to provide a good service to the residents of Oxfordshire who did not receive responses to their emails?  This was made worse by subsequent telephone calls to the council not being answered.  Is there not sufficient capacity in the service?”

Councillor Carter replied:

"I  should start by clarifying the precise nature of our connection with Capita in relation to the admissions issues you raise. No admissions functions have been contracted out but the directorate does use Capita software for the administration of school admissions (which assists in the process of  logging , processing, allocating and, if  it works as it should, advising parents of places allocated).

The regrettable failure of the Capita system earlier this year  to send out automatic confirmation e-mails  to about  6,500 families compounded the challenge that was already being  faced as  result of a  significantly increased number of children in the cohort (an increase of over 500 from last year) in parallel with  a much smaller number of surplus places. There  has been a steady  increase in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82/12

The following requests to address the meeting had been agreed

Item 6 –       Councillor Dr Paul Bryant, Royal Berkshire Fire Authority;

         Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader;

         Rachel Dobson,

Item 7 –       Councillor M Altaf-Khan, Shadow Cabinet Member for  Education;

Item 8 –       Councillor Michael Waine, Chairman of Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee;

      Councillor M Altaf-Khan, Shadow Cabinet Member for  Education;

Item 12 –     Councillor Janet Godden, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children & the Voluntary Sector;

Item 13 -      Dr Annabel Kay, Head at The Warriner School;

Item 14 –     Councillor Michael Waine, speaking as a local member;

                     Councillor Charles Shouler, speaking as a local member;

Damian Booth Head at St Edburg’s School;

Item 16 -      Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader;

   Councillor Charles Mathew, speaking as a local member.

Cabinet Member: Safer & Stronger Communities

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/192

Contact: Colin Thomas, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Tel: (01865) 855206

Report by Deputy Chief Fire Officer (CA6).

The Fire Control rooms in Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS) and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) both receive emergency calls via 999/112 and direct from alarm receiving centres and other emergency services.  This is a statutory function identified within the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004.  Trained staff assess the call details and determine and mobilise the appropriate response.  They then support the ongoing resource needs of the incident, relaying information to responsible officers and partner agencies and support the incident as required.

Following the termination of the National FiReControl project an alternative course of action is required to secure an effective and resilient control room operation for Oxfordshire.   Discussions have been taking place with Royal Berkshire Fire Authority to identify the most effective joint approach to the delivery of fire control services across both authority areas.

The Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) programme will deliver a single joint control room with a fully functional secondary control room and “remote buddy ” Fire and Rescue Service.

The programme has three strategic aims:-

An improved service to the public and our firefighters

Improvements in securing uninterrupted service to all fire control users, both addressing the urgent need to replace legacy systems and make use of the latest technology for dealing with periods of exceptional workload,  and;

The delivery of financial efficiencies.  The anticipated gross efficiency saving across both Services is approximately £10M over the 15 year life of the joint control room.

The programme if approved by Oxfordshire County Council and Royal Berkshire Fire Authority will be completed in 2014.

A public consultation has been undertaken, the outcomes of which are included in the report.

The Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet is RECOMMENDED:-

Subject to:-

1.                  the decision of the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority to approve the relocation of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service HQ site from Dee Road, Reading, to Calcot, West Berkshire, and

2.                  the approval of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority’s subsequent decision to proceed with the TVFCS Programme,

to:-

(a)              Approve the progression of the programme to create a joint control room with Royal Berkshire Fire Authority

(b)              Confirm the future location of the primary control room as Calcot, Berkshire

(c)               Confirm the future location of the secondary control room as Kidlington, Oxfordshire

(d)              Approve the apportionment methodology

(e)              Approve the creation of the a Joint Committee and the underpinning legal arrangements  

(f)                Delegate to the Chief Fire Officer:-

i.                    authority to sign the legally binding programme partnership agreement which will include the decision of the lead authority for employment matters

ii.                  authority to sign the legally binding steady state partnership agreement

iii.                the identification of and arrangements with the remote buddy FRS

(g)              Require the Programme Sponsoring Group to ensure the human resources strategy maximises the opportunities to support control staff  ...  view the full agenda text for item 84/12

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to The Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) programme which would deliver a single joint control room with a fully functional secondary control room and “remote buddy ” Fire and Rescue Service.

Councillor Dr Paul Bryant, Royal Berkshire Fire Authority and Chairman of the Joint Sponsoring Group spoke in support of the proposals commenting that money would be saved and facilities improved by combining services. He paid tribute to the work of the members and officers involved in the Sponsoring Group.

Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader, gave personal thanks to Dave Etheridge for providing a thorough briefing. She commented that the report was comprehensive and that as a Group the Liberal Democrats were pleased that the national project had been dropped. Councillor Patrick highlighted areas of concern including that the financial consequences and governance of the proposed Programme had to be worthwhile. It should retain and exploit local knowledge and she hoped that this would be helped by having the secondary control room in Kidlington. She felt that the consultation could have been handled better and queried the choice of location for the public meetings. Going forward the Programme needed to be handled sensitively with staff receiving guidance and support. They would be essential to efficient working during the transition and in the future.

Rachel Dobson, Fire Brigade Union, expressed grave concerns that a single joint control room would be able to cope. She opposed the move to work that would affect operational support and impacted on work vital to the efficient running of the service. Ms Dobson highlighted the nature of the role they undertook which included, round the clock responses to: crewing problems, resource management, responding to large public events, emergency road closures and severe weather. She stated that the FBU wished to see a report commissioned to identify the operational support work and that the decision to proceed be deferred until that report was available.

Responding to a question about whether they viewed that the management of resources would be less possible from the new centre, Ms Dobson replied that Berkshire did not cover retained stations as the Oxfordshire Centre did. There would not be enough staff on duty in the joint control room to deal with the fluid crewing situation. There would be half the staff doing twice the duty.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities introduced the report, stressing that it was the result of a public and transparent process. She outlined the reasons for recommending that the Programme be agreed and highlighted that the proposed location of the joint control room had been chosen on completely objective grounds. Staff from both authorities would have the same opportunity to apply for jobs in the new control room. She added that wherever possible compulsory redundancy would be avoided and that the direction they were taking was not unique but was a path being followed by others.

Dave Etheridge, Chief Fire Officer, added that improvement for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84/12

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/084

Contact: Frances Craven, Deputy Director for Education & Early Intervention Tel: (01865) 815498

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA7).

This paper builds upon the Cabinet paper and decision of 14 February 2012, which outlined the national policy context for Academies and some of the local challenges, including a failure to promote high standards of education and an unplanned drift towards Academy status in the absence of a clear Local Authority policy.

Over the last three to four months considerable work has been undertaken with schools and others to firm up the Council’s position, raise awareness of the issues of conversion and help a significant number of schools to move towards Academy status. 

This paper details a policy statement regarding Academies, key principles and the project approach needed to implement the policy and principles.

A decision is required on agreement of the policy and principles.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)               Note the progress made since its last report in February 2012.

(b)              Approve the Policy in relation to Academies at Annex 1, and in particular the headline position which is:

·                    The County Council wishes to support all schools to become academies.  The Council recognises that this is a process and some schools will be at different stages in taking this step.

·                    The Council wishes to encourage Governing Bodies and the leadership of the school (Headteachers and leadership teams) to consider how they might become an academy as part of a larger group of schools.  This is to ensure that schools are not isolated and are mutually supportive of each other in raising attainment standards.

·                    The Council will ensure that support services for schools continue to be available, whether they are provided in-house or through the commercial market place. We will not seek to retain them in-house unless there is strategic value in doing so, but will work with schools to ensure they have access to services.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to a policy statement regarding Academies, key principles and the project approach needed to implement the policy and principles.

Councillor M. Altaf-Khan, Shadow Cabinet Member for Education stated that he had previously expressed his concerns around this issue. He was grateful to the Cabinet Member for Education for being willing to discuss the matter with him. He welcomed the seminar that had been held but commented that there had been insufficient time for questions and that some members would have been interested to hear how multi-Trust academies would work. He added that the commercial market place may be cheap but could be unreliable. There was a dilemma there for schools and his local school was not very clear about how services will move forward. Responding to a comment from Councillor Mallon, Councillor Altaf-Khan stated that services could be better but what was needed was a clear plan if services were not better.

Councillor Melinda Tilley, Cabinet Member for Education, introduced the report referring to the fast moving nature of the process. She stressed that the Government had made it clear that they expect all schools will become academies and it was therefore up to the Council to provide information. This would enable schools and particularly primary schools that were somewhat nervous of the process to make a decision based on knowledge. She was willing to consider holding more seminars if needed.

Responding to a comment from Councillor Hilary Hibbert-Biles, the Cabinet Member for Education confirmed that the Council had always said it would protect rural schools and in this context the best way to ensure that was through collaborative Trusts.

RESOLVED:                        to:

(a)               note the progress made since its last report in February 2012.

(b)               approve the Policy in relation to Academies at Annex 1, and in particular the headline position which is:

·                    The County Council wishes to support all schools to become academies.  The Council recognises that this is a process and some schools will be at different stages in taking this step.

·                    The Council wishes to encourage Governing Bodies and the leadership of the school (Headteachers and leadership teams) to consider how they might become an academy as part of a larger group of schools.  This is to ensure that schools are not isolated and are mutually supportive of each other in raising attainment standards.

·                    The Council will ensure that support services for schools continue to be available, whether they are provided in-house or through the commercial market place. We will not seek to retain them in-house unless there is strategic value in doing so, but will work with schools to ensure they have access to services.

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/063

Contact: Frances Craven, Deputy Director for Education & Early Intervention Tel: (01865) 815498

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA8).

The Education Strategy is designed to support a transformation shift in standards across the county's schools.  The report provides details on the progress that has been made on the Education Strategy since Children's Services Scrutiny Committee considered the draft strategy in February 2012, together with information on the key strategic strands. A decision is now required in relation to the document 'Strategy for Change - Improving Educational Outcomes in Oxfordshire.' 

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree the Strategy for Change – Improving Educational Outcomes in Oxfordshire.

The Education Strategy is designed to support a transformation shift in standards across the county's schools.  Cabinet considered a report that provided details on the progress that has been made on the Education Strategy since Children's Services Scrutiny Committee considered the draft strategy in February 2012, together with information on the key strategic strands and sought approval to the document 'Strategy for Change - Improving Educational Outcomes in Oxfordshire.' Cabinet also considered a note on the outcomes from a discussion of the document at the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee on 12 July 2012.

Councillor Michael Waine, Chairmen of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee welcomed the alignment of the 2 meetings so that he could speak to cabinet but expressed the unhappiness of the Committee that the document did not get to them until the day before their meeting. Communication was key to the whole strategy. Buy in from the Schools and ownership from within a school was essential. There was a danger of presumption in any data led exercise and the Board must have the power of challenge and intervention. There was a need for more than an annual report. The targets in the draft were aspirational in the extreme and were now realistic and the Committee would continue to review.

Councillor M. Altaf-Khan noted that the City Schools brought the averages down and felt that the Strategy did not address the issue of English as a second language and how these pupils would be targeted. In response to questions Councillor Altaf-Kan indicated that he would like to see a targeted campaign aimed at helping those pupils with English as a second language. Councillor Hudspeth replied that they were working with the City Council on a range of wider issues that affected attainment such as housing.

During discussion the respective roles of Headteachers and School Governors and the Council were highlighted. In particular the Local Authority had a role in respect of vulnerable learners.

RESOLVED:             to agree the Strategy for Change – Improving Educational Outcomes in Oxfordshire.

Cabinet Member: Finance & Police

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/034

Contact: Hannah Doney, Financial Manager – Treasury Management Tel: (01865) 323988

Report by Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Financial Officer (CA9).

The report sets out the Treasury Management activity undertaken in the financial year 2011/12 in compliance with the CIPFA Code of Practice.  The report includes Debt and Investment activity, Prudential Indicator Outturn, changes in Strategy, and interest receivable and payable for the financial year.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report, and to RECOMMEND Council to note the Council’s Treasury Management Activity in 2011/12.

Cabinet considered a report that set out the Treasury Management activity undertaken in the financial year 2011/12 in compliance with the CIPFA Code of Practice.  The report included Debt and Investment activity, Prudential Indicator Outturn, changes in Strategy, and interest receivable and payable for the financial year.

RESOLVED:             to note the report, and to RECOMMEND Council to note the Council’s Treasury Management Activity in 2011/12.

Cabinet Member: Finance & Police

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/033

Contact: Kathy Wilcox, Principal Financial Manager Tel: (01865) 323981

Report by Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Financial Officer (CA10).

This report focuses on the delivery of the Directorate Business Strategies which were agreed as part of the Service and Resource Planning Process for 2012/13 – 2016/17.  Parts 1 and 2 include projections for revenue, reserves and balances as at the end of May 2012.    Amendments to the 2011/12 Statement of Accounts that change the Revenue and Capital Outturn Report considered by Cabinet on 19 June 2012 are included in Part 3. The Capital monitoring and Capital Programme Update is included at Part 4.  

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)            note the report;

(b)           approve the virement requests set out in Annex 2a;

(c)            note the updated Treasury Management lending list at Annex 7;

(d)            approve the updated Capital Programme at Annex 9 and the associated changes to the programme in Annex 8c.

(e)            note the updated position for the 2011/12 revenue and capital outturn and the updated position on balances and reserves.

Cabinet considered a report that focussed on the delivery of the Directorate Business Strategies which were agreed as part of the Service and Resource Planning Process for 2012/13 – 2016/17.  It included projections for revenue, reserves and balances as at the end of May 2012 and amendments to the 2011/12 Statement of Accounts that changed the Revenue and Capital Outturn Report considered by Cabinet on 19 June 2012. The report also included Capital monitoring and the Capital Programme Update.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)               note the report;

(b)               approve the virement requests set out in Annex 2a;

(c)               note the updated Treasury Management lending list at Annex 7;

(d)               approve the updated Capital Programme at Annex 9 and the associated changes to the programme in Annex 8c.

(e)               note the updated position for the 2011/12 revenue and capital outturn and the updated position on balances and reserves.

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/085

Contact: Tracey Dow, Highways & Transport Service Manager Tel: (01865) 815707

Report by Director for Environment, Economy & Customer Services– Highways & Transport (CA11).

This report sets out the proposed actions following the Secretary of State’s decision not to confirm the Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Roads Order for the Cogges Link Road following the Public Inquiry. 

It sets out how the County Council will work in partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council and other key stakeholders in a programme of work that will identify an alternative approach to addressing the transport problems of Witney.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)              note the decision not to pursue the extant planning permission in light of the outcome of the Public Inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Roads Orders;

(b)              affirm its commitment to work in partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council to develop and deliver an affordable alternative transport strategy for Witney; and

(c)               instruct officers to seek to re-negotiate developer funding agreements that have an imminent longstop date so any monies held can be used to deliver transport infrastructure improvements in Witney

Cabinet considered a report that set out the proposed actions following the Secretary of State’s decision not to confirm the Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Roads Order for the Cogges Link Road following the Public Inquiry.

Huw Jones, Director for Environment, Economy & Customer Services stressed that he would be talking to key interest groups. He referred to a letter he had received on behalf of the developers setting out their position on a number of matters and indicating that the Council was seeking Counsel’s advice.

During discussion Cabinet expressed disappointment over the position taken by the developers. Cabinet emphasised the need to move forward working with all parties to improve traffic conditions for all

RESOLVED:            to:       

(a)               note the decision not to pursue the extant planning permission in light of the outcome of the Public Inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Roads Orders;

(b)               affirm its commitment to work in partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council to develop and deliver an affordable alternative transport strategy for Witney; and

(c)               instruct officers to seek to re-negotiate developer funding agreements that have an imminent longstop date so any monies held can be used to deliver transport infrastructure improvements in Witney.

Cabinet Member: Children, and the Voluntary Sector

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/062

Contact: Lorna Caldicott, Thriving Families Programme Manager Tel: (01865) 328543

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA12).

For several years, through the Family Intervention Project and the 'Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation' programme, the council has been working to help and support some of the most resource-intensive and vulnerable families in Oxfordshire.

Recently the government has announced a new Troubled Families programme that is being rolled out nationally, including in Oxfordshire.

'Thriving Families' is the term that we will use in Oxfordshire to refer to the work that will be done to support these families, building on the Family Intervention Project and our approach to Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation approach. We will also fully exploit the resources of the European Social Funding for Families with Multiple Problems.

It is intended that the additional resources now available through the government's Troubled Families programme will be used to create a sustainable model, mainstreaming our existing approach so that by April 2015 we have fully integrated our approach within the Early Intervention Service. This will mean that the programme becomes embedded as core council business, and ensure delivery over the longer term .

The attached report sets out the proposed approach in detail.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note and approve the Council's response to the Government's Troubled Families initiative.

Cabinet considered a report that set out the proposed direction of Oxfordshire’s Thriving Families programme in response to the Government’s Troubled Families initiative.

Councillor Janet Godden, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children & the Voluntary Sector referred to the negative position nationally and the positive efforts of the Council locally to maximise resources. It was also positive that the Council had gained the status of a Learning Laboratory. She was pleased that the Council had abandoned the Government’s title. She was concerned that locally we had missed an opportunity with regard to discretionary criteria and was concerned also that the programme was for payments by results when local people needed the help for the long haul to achieve positive results. The programme was for 3 years and she queried what would happen at the end of that period.

Councillor Chapman, Cabinet Member for Children & the Voluntary Sector in moving the recommendations stressed that the programme was excellent and the intention was to embed it in the way that the Council worked. It would build on the Family Intervention Service and she was confident that during the 3 years they would be able to make a difference to breaking the cycle of deprivation. Wider Oxfordshire would benefit and not just Oxford and Banbury.

During discussion Cabinet welcomed the approach and stressed their commitment to all families in Oxfordshire in need of help.

RESOLVED:             to note and approve the Council's response to the Government's Troubled Families initiative

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/055

Contact: Diane Cameron, School Organisation Officer Tel: (01865) 816445

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA13).

This report follows a statutory notice period relating to the governing body’s proposal to extend the age range of the school from its current 11-16 status to include post-16 students by establishing a Sixth Form.

The governors propose to establish a Sixth Form at The Warriner School and increase the number of sixth form student numbers slowly in order that existing staff may be trained or experienced staff recruited.

In September 2012 some post-16 students on roll at OCVC will be attending The Warriner School to study joint-hosted courses. From 2013 the proposal is that these students and others will be moved on to roll at The Warriner.??

Funding for additional accommodation is available from S106 contributions, already received, from nearby housing development.

A final decision is now required on whether to approve the proposal.???

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the extension of the age range at The Warriner School, Bloxham to include post-16 provision, and to agree the Stage 1 (Outline Business Case) project delivery budget of £32K to enable the capital project to proceed to Full Business Case.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to the extension of the age range at The Warriner School, Bloxham to include post-16 provision, and agreed the Stage 1 (Outline Business Case) project delivery budget of £32K to enable the capital project to proceed to Full Business Case.

Dr Annabel Kay, Head teacher at Warriner School spoke in support of the proposal.

RESOLVED:             to approve the extension of the age range at The Warriner School, Bloxham to include post-16 provision, and to agree the Stage 1 (Outline Business Case) project delivery budget of £32K to enable the capital project to proceed to Full Business Case.

N.B. As set out under Rule 17(a) of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules, this decision was exempt from Call-In as it was deemed urgent and any delay would have seriously prejudiced the Council’s interests, in that the Cabinet’s role would be negated by referral to the Schools’ Adjudicator if the decision was not taken within two months of the end of the Statutory Notice, in this case being 30 May 2012.

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/135

Contact: Diane Cameron, School Organisation Officer Tel: (01865) 816445

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA14).

This proposal is directly related to the development of 1585 new houses in Bicester, known as the Kingsmere development. In November / December 2010, the governing body at St Edburg’s CE (A) Primary School Bicester ran a public consultation to gauge opinion on the proposal to expand the school from 1 to 2 form entry and to alter the lower age range to admit 3 year olds. As a consequence of the proposal, the school would be relocated to the Kingsmere development and become its designated area school in a new purpose-built building.?

This report follows the completion of the statutory notice period (Stage Two) and requires a final decision to be made on the proposal.????

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the permanent expansion of St Edburg’s CE (A) Primary School, Bicester and the alteration to its lower age range with effect from 1 September 2014.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to the permanent expansion of St Edburg’s CE (A) Primary School, Bicester and the alteration to its lower age range with effect from 1 September 2014.

Councillor Shouler, as a local Councillor and Mr Damian Booth, Head at St Edburg’s School spoke in support of the proposal.

RESOLVED:             to approve the permanent expansion of St Edburg’s CE (A) Primary School, Bicester and the alteration to its lower age range with effect from 1 September 2014.

N.B. As set out under Rule 17(a) of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules, this decision was exempt from Call-In as it was deemed urgent and any delay would have seriously prejudiced the Council’s interests, in that the Cabinet’s role would be negated by referral to the Schools’ Adjudicator if the decision was not taken within two months of the end of the Statutory Notice, in this case being 30 May 2012.

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/076

Contact: Barbara Chillman, Pupil Place Planning Service Manager Tel: (01865) 816459

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA15).

he governing body’s proposal is to increase the school admission number (at F1 entry) from 45 to 60.  Because the published admission number for 2012 and 2013 has already been published, the school's admission number can only now formally change from September 2014. However, the school has agreed to accept over its official admission number in 2012 and has written into its policy for 2013 that it may agree to do the same to work with the Local Authority to meet demand for places.

To accommodate this growth in pupil numbers, there will be some extension of the school’s buildings, and a feasibility study is underway to investigate how this can best be provided. ?????

A decision is now required on whether to support the governing body in their publication of a statutory notice and proceding to Stage Two of the statutory process in seeking formal representations.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to support the governing body’s wish to publish a statutory notice for the expansion of St Ebbe’s CE (A) Primary School, Oxford.

Cabinet considered a report outlining the governing body’s wish to publish a statutory notice for the expansion of St Ebbe’s CE (A) Primary School, Oxford to increase the school admission number (at F1 entry) from 45 to 60. 

RESOLVED:            to support the governing body’s wish to publish a statutory notice for the expansion of St Ebbe’s CE (A) Primary School, Oxford.

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/010

Contact: Geoff Malcolm, Committee Officer Tel: (01865) 815904/Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manager Tel: (01865) 810262

Report by County Solicitor & Monitoring Officer (CA16).

To consider member appointments to a variety of bodies which in different ways support the discharge of the Council’s executive functions.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree the appointments as set out in the Annex to this report.   

Cabinet considered member appointments to a variety of bodies which in different ways supported the discharge of the Council’s executive functions.

Councillor Patrick, Opposition Leader, commented that Councillor Godden was the main representative for the Liberal Democrat Group on the Corporate Parenting Panel with Councillor Fooks attending with the permission of the Chairman. She added that the Oxfordshire County Council South Africa Link Group was still active and met regularly. She continued to monitor the reports of the various Member Champions.

Councillor Mathew  indicated that his query had been dealt with outside the meeting.

RESOLVED:             to agree appointments as set out in the attached Annex to these minutes.

Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manager (01865 810262)

The Cabinet Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting at the Cabinet 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 Cabinet appear in the Schedule at CA17.  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 Cabinet 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 Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.

The Cabinet considered a list of items for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet together with changes and additions set out in the schedule of addenda.

RESOLVED:                        to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings.