Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2013 were approved and signed subject to the following addition under Minute 1/13:

“The minutes of the meeting held on 18 December 2012 were approved and signed.”

The following requests to address the meeting had been agreed:

Item 7 – Councillor Roz Smith, Shadow Cabinet Member

Item 10 - Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader

Cabinet considered a report on proposals to alter the lower age range of for both Five Acres Primary School and John Hampden Primary School would enabling both to admit 3 year olds onto the school roll, thus creating Nursery classes.

RESOLVED              to:

(a)      approve the publication of linked statutory notices for closure of Five Acres Nursery School and for the extension of age range at Five Acres Primary School to 3-11; and

(b)      approve the publication of linked statutory notices for closure of John Hampden Nursery School and for the extension of age range at John Hampden Primary School to 3-11.

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/127

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

Report by Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer (CA7).

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 December 2012.   Capital monitoring is included at Part 3. Fees and Charges are included in Part 4.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)          note the report;

(b)         approve the virement requests over £0.250m set out in Annex 2a;

(c)          approve the charges for Heritage Service and Oxfordshire Customer Services as set out in paragraph 41 and Annex 9;

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

Cabinet considered a report that focused 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 included projections for revenue, reserves and balances as at the end of December 2012.   Capital monitoring was included at Part 3. Fees and Charges were included in Part 4.

Councillor Smith, Shadow Cabinet Member with responsibility for Finance welcomed the provision of a full list of earmarked reserves set out in the addenda. She noted that there were only minor variation to the predicted budgets but drew concern to pooled budgets where a large amount of money was held for clients. She queried why the personal budgets had not been spent and whether the assessments had been carried out properly. She welcomed the use of the efficiency reserve to allow the Councillor Community Budget to continue.

Councillor Hudspeth in formally moving the recommendations commented that the variation on the expected budget was small and the Council was in a good position.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)          note the report;

(b)          approve the virement requests over £0.250m set out in Annex 2a;

(c)          approve the charges for Heritage Service and Oxfordshire Customer Services as set out in paragraph 41 and Annex 9;

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

(e)       approve the use of £0.380m of the Efficiency Reserve in 2013/14 to fund the development of improved and joined up technical solutions for paying for journeys across Oxfordshire and beyond and to allow the Councillor Community Budget to be extended for another year, as set out in paragraph 1 above.

Cabinet considered a report that summarised the consultation approach taken by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS) to the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP)  and any key commentary and subsequent changes to the plans. Cabinet also considered the 2013-14 CRMP action plan (detailing specific projects related to the strategic analysis work)

Councillor Heathcoat in introducing the contents of the report noted that the CRMP was formerly known as the Integrated Task Management Plan (IRMP). She emphasised that there had been extensive consultation including through the Safer & Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee. Nathan Travis, Deputy Fire Chief Officer added that the current Plan took the statutory requirement for a Plan a step further to promote an integrated approach, adding value and supporting the community.

Responding to a question from the Leader about the possibility of the introduction of domestic sprinklers Nathan Travis replied that this had been introduced in Wales but despite lobbying had not been accepted by government for introduction in England. Responding to a query from Councillor Tilley about first responders Nathan Travis confirmed that they did work with first responders and had an agreement with South Oxfordshire.

RESOLVED:             to agree that the documents be adopted as the final versions of the Strategic 2013-2018 CRMP and 2013-2014 CRMP Action Plan.

Cabinet had before them a report setting out the County Council's proposed response to the Oxford Draft Community Infrastructure Levy Schedule.

Councillor Hibbert-Biles in introducing the report commented that this was the first of the Schedules to come in from any of the Districts. She outlined the role that the Districts played as the charging and collecting authority and the role of S106 funding for site specific obligations.

Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director, Strategy & Infrastructure Planning outlined the issues the County Council needed to respond on as set out in detail in the report.

During discussion Cabinet highlighted their role to look at levies across the whole of the County  and to push for cross boundary consideration of charges.

RESOLVED:            to approve the County Council’s response to the Oxford Draft Community Infrastructure Levy Schedule as set out in this report

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership was established in 2011 with the aim of creating private sector jobs and removing barriers to business growth.

It is a partnership between the business community and local government that operates as an unincorporated association. The governance structure comprises an Executive Board, Programme Sub-groups and the Forum. The Executive Board is responsible for preparing an annual business plan on behalf of the Partnership and for ensuring that its agreed priorities are taken forward.

Local Enterprise Partnerships are the Governments mechanism for the distribution of Growing Places Funds which are issued pursuant to section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 and therefore can only be paid to a local authority nominated to act as accountable body. The County Council has agreed to act as accountable body in respect of Growing Places Fund allocation on behalf of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to an agreement to take arrangements forward.

Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader welcomed the Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) and accepted the impact it could have on the whole of Oxfiordshire. She highlighted that one of the key to growth was securing funding to improvements to the to the A34. She welcomed the funding being delivered through the LEP but commented that management was crucial and that if not spent on capital projects it would have to be repaid. She hoped that housing would be sited close to employment as encouraged by government.

The Leader introduced the contents of the report noting that the Memorandum of Understanding was a technical document rather than about detailed plans at this stage.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)          approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership in relation to the Council’s role as accountable body for the allocation and distribution of government funds allocated to/via Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; and

(b)          authorise the Chief Finance Officer to approve loan applications recommended by the Executive Board of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and to enter into appropriate legal agreements on behalf of Council with the recipients of the grant funding once they are approved by the Enterprise Partnership Executive Board.

Cabinet considered a report that detailed the consultation responses from partner organisations to the proposal to establish a Local Transport Board in accordance with the draft Assurance Framework approved at Cabinet on 29 January.

Cabinet considered the request from Oxfordshire LEP for two representatives on the Local Transport Board and heard that there were no financial implications to agreeing or not the request.

RESOLVED:                        to approve the following:

(a)          that the consultation responses from partner agencies are noted;

(b)          that the request from Oxfordshire LEP for two representatives on the Local Transport Board is approved and the Draft Assurance Framework is amended accordingly; and

(c)           that the Director of Environment & Economy be authorised to develop the Scheme Prioritisation Process and progress the Assurance Framework to completion for submission to the Department of Transport in accordance with their timetable in consultation with the Section 151 and Monitoring Officer.

Cabinet had before them a report that gave an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 October 2012 to 31 December 2012. It gave details of the agreed staffing numbers and establishment at 31 December 2012 in terms of Full Time Equivalents. In addition, the report provided information on vacancies and the cost of posts being covered by agency staff. The report also tracked progress on staffing numbers since 1 April 2010 as the Council implements its Business Strategy.

RESOLVED:                               to:

(a) note the report; and

(b) confirm that the Staffing Report meets the Cabinet’s requirements in reporting and managing staffing numbers.

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 CA13.  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.

RESOLVED:                        that the public be excluded for the duration of item 14 in the Agenda since it is likely that if they were present during that item there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and specified in relation to that item in the Agenda and it is considered that, in all the circumstances of each case, the public interest in exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

PUBLIC SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOLLOWING THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

The information contained in the report and annexes is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

3 – information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would distort the proper process of free negotiations between the authority with another party for the purposes described and would prejudice the position of the authority in those negotiations and other negotiations of a similar nature in future.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for the sale of eight County Council owned properties to Cherwell District Council. The properties would be sold below market value because Cherwell District Council was providing the County Council nomination rights in perpetuity for 22 supported housing units: the revenue savings arising from this arrangement offsetting the shortfall in capital receipts.

Cabinet approved the proposed sale.