Agenda, decisions and minutes

An Apology for absence was received from Councillor Steve Harrod.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 January 2017  (CA3 – to be circulated separately) and to receive information arising from them.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 24 January 2017 were approved and signed as a correct record.

Councillor Phillips had given notice of the following question to Councillor Heathcoat at the last meeting of Cabinet:

'Following the motion at the November Council meeting to take up the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge we welcome the email advising that Cllr Heathcoat is the Council's Mental Health Champion.

One requirement of the role is to 'identify at least one priority' and could we be advised of what priority has been identified and how this work will be managed' 

Councillor Heathcoat replied:

A full council meeting on 1 Nov 2016 voted unanimously to sign up to the Local Authorities’ Mental Health Challenge and to support measures to promote positive mental health in Oxfordshire, enhancing our joint working with our partners in the NHS, the police authority and the voluntary sector.” I am delighted to have been asked to lead the council's work across children and adults population in the important area of mental health and wellbeing. Everyone knows these two facts about mental health and wellbeing:

·           Our mental health and physical health are closely linked.

·           1 in 4 people in the United Kingdom will experience some form of mental distress during their lifetime. This can include depression, anxiety, panic disorders and eating disorders, as well as forms of psychosis such as bipolar and schizophrenia.

But not everyone knows that there are simple things we can all do to improve our wellbeing. Such as the Five ways to wellbeing recommended by Mind, the mental health charity (see overleaf for more information):

·           Connect

·           Be active

·           Take notice

·           Learn

·           Give

·            

In talking to my colleagues across the Council about my new role I have identified three areas for action:

1)     Looking after ourselves and our communities - I want to build on our achievements to date in helping staff employed by us directly (through an extensive Employee assistance programme) or by provider organisations, that we fund, to look after themselves. This can be achieved by raising public mental health awareness through targeted training and publicity campaigns.

This year we will commission Mental Health First Aid training - a two day educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. We will make it available to our elected members in the first instance acknowledging their front line engagement with the public. By learning these new skills our elected members will be better equipped to approach and assist someone who might be experiencing a mental health issue and encourage them to seek the support they need to recover.

2)     Early support for children and young people - Growing up is not easy, and sometimes it's hard to cope with whatever life throws at you. Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are tasked to help families, schools and young people themselves to be able to seek support early. These services are undergoing significant transformation nationally and locally.

I want us to play an active part in helping Oxfordshire young people to build  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15/17

The Chairman had agreed the following requests to address the meeting:

Item 6

Rev Durant, Vicar of St. John's Parish Church in Grove Grove PCC;

Councillor Zoe Patrick, local Councillor for Wantage & Grove;

Helen Evans, on behalf of Donnington Doorstep

Jane Gallagher, on behalf of Florence Park Children's Centre

Councillor Nick Hards, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance

Item 7

Councillor Charles Mathew, local Councillor for Eynsham;

Councillor Nick Hards, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance.

Item 8

Dr Ken Williamson, Chair of Oxfordshire Keep Our NHS Public.

Item 9

Councillor Mary Clarkson, City Councillor for the Marston Ward;

Councillor Mark Lygo, Local Councillor for Marston & Northway.

The addresses are shown at the relevant item.

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/151

Contact: Sarah Jelley, Senior Policy & Performance Officer Tel: 07554 103437

Report by Assistant Chief Executive (CA6).

In February 2016 the council agreed to set aside £1m for creating a ‘one off’ fund to provide pump priming to support Children’s Centres.  It was agreed that a cross party group of county councillors would consider maximum benefit of this fund and bring proposals back to Cabinet for decision.

The working group have considered the applications under the second round of bids against the criteria outlined in the guidance notes with recommendations to Cabinet.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)  Approve for funding the following bids:

a.    Ace

b.    Barton Community Association

c.    Employment Action Group

d.    Chalgrove Primary School

e.    Faringdon Town Council

f.      Kidlington & Hampton Poyle PCC

g.    Friends of Maple Tree

h.    Cutteslowe Primary School and Community Association

i.      D:two

j.      Wallingford Town Council

(b)Approve interim funding for the following bids:

a.    Friends of Britannia Road

b.    Grove & Wantage

(c)  Ask that further work is conducted to develop more robust business plans and reapply for funding under the next round of applications:

a.    Aflah Nursery

b.    The Nature Effect

c.    Mortimer Hall

d.    The Kings Church Didcot

e.    Sunshine Centre

f.      Witney Methodist Church

(d)Decline for funding the following bids:

a.    Donnington Doorstep

b.    Thomas Gifford Trust

(e)  Approve the maximum 12 months’ rent free period for the following buildings:

a.    Berinsfield

b.    Britannia Road

c.    Maple Tree

d.    Red Kite

In February 2016 the Council had agreed to set aside £1m for creating a ‘one off’ fund to provide pump priming to support Children’s Centres.  It was agreed that a cross party group of county councillors would consider maximum benefit of this fund and bring proposals back to Cabinet for decision.

The working group had considered the applications under the second round of bids against the criteria outlined in the guidance notes. The Cabinet had before them a Report (CC6) which outlined recommendations for the Cabinets approval.

Reverend Durant, speaking on behalf of the Grove Parochial Church Council welcomed the interim grant and the acknowledgement of the need for provision in Grove and Wantage Children’s Centre to continue.  However, he expressed grave concern about the sustainability of the Centre if the full 3 years was not awarded as currently the centre was largely supported by volunteers and financially (though not on a sustainable basis) by Grove Parochial Church.   He further expressed concern that other sources of income were dependant on a successful bid.  He urged the Cabinet to reconsider the bid so that the Centre could expand its services.

Councillor Zoe Patrick, spoke as local member and Chair of Grove and Wantage Children’s Centre Community Initiative.  She urged the Cabinet to give further consideration to awarding Grove & Wantage a full 3 year commitment, particularly in light of the fact that other funding streams such as Wantage Town Council were dependant on it being ‘match funding’ She urged officers to provide support to grove and Wantage in order that they might be enlightened further about what would make their bid successful in the next round.

Ms Helen Evans speaking as a resident of Donnington who had been using Doorstep’s services for 3 years spoke against the recommendation to reject Donnington Doorstep’s bid for transition funding, principally on the grounds that the bid failed to meet the “requirement of funding those centres in danger of closing”.

She referred to the Guidance published last year and reiterated in today’s paper to Cabinet defining the purpose of transition funding as “pump priming grants to communities to enable them to create sustainable solutions for open access children’s services”.

She believed that meant the redefined purpose of the fund was to provide pump priming grants for community organisations to deliver universal services previously delivered by centres in danger of closing. In the eligibility criterion there was no requirement for these services to be delivered from the premises of former children’s centres, In short, whilst Doorstep retained its status as an independent family centre, it was responsible for delivering open access children’s services for two centres one of which - Florence Park - would be closing at the end of this month.  Doorstep was now asking for transition funding to continue delivering open access children’s services for Florence Park Children’s Centre as it faces closure. She asked Cabinet to reconsider the premise for rejecting this bid and that consideration instead given to an interim award to keep  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17/17

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/102

Contact: Katy Jurczyszyn, Strategic Finance Manager (Finance, Strategy & Monitoring) Tel: 07584 909518

Report by Director of Finance (CA7).

The report focuses on the financial management of the 2016/17 budget.   Parts 1 and 2 include projections for revenue, reserves and balances as at the end of December 2016. Capital Programme monitoring is included at Part 3. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)  note the report;

(b)approve the use of the High Needs Strategic Planning grant  and increase to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reserve for 2017/18 in paragraph 23;

(c)  approve the virements in annex 2a;

(d)approve the debt write off detailed in paragraph 49;

(e)  note the Treasury Management lending list at Annex 4;

(f)   approve the creation of an Investment Reserve in paragraph 54;

(g)approve the supplementary estimate in paragraph 56;

(h)note the changes to the Capital Programme set out in Annex 7b and 7c;

(i)   approve the release of £3.2m of development funding for the A40 Science Transit Scheme and delegate the release of those funds to the Director of Finance and Strategic Director Communities in £0.5m tranches in line with their approval limits under the Financial Procedure Rules; and

(j)   approve the increase of £1.0m on the Milton Interchange scheme to enable the payment of the final account.

The Cabinet considered a report (CC7) which focused on the financial management of the 2016/17 budget including projections for revenue, reserves and balances as at the end of December 2016 and Capital Programme monitoring. 

Councillor Mathew spoke against the £36.5m A40 Science Transit Phase 2 scheme on the basis that he believed it would be a waste of money and have minimal effect on congestion of the A40; did not have public support and that there had not been a proper survey into the destination of cars on the A40.  He urged the Cabinet to build the A44 link to Peartree first; carry out an A40 car destination survey and then to find an innovative ‘blue sky’ solution to the congestion on the A40.

Councillor Hards referred to the high overspend on the Children, Education & Families Directorate and the need for new facilities for children with SEN to reduce the need to transport them around the County.  He welcomed the underspend due to the reduction in Academy conversions, but queried the forcast underspend in the Early Intervention Team suggesting that this would be due to ‘scrapping’ rather than remodelling services.  He further acknowledged ever increasing demands in Children’s and Adult Social Care.

Councillor Stratford in moving the recommendationsresponded to the points raised, noting that the overspend for CEF reflected increased activity. SEN transport continued to be challenging but the Council was working hard to reduce all overspends.

Councillor Hudspeth expressed delight at seeing the long awaited funding for the preliminary and detailed design work of the A40 Bus Scheme.  In response to the comments made by Councillor Mathew he confirmed that the A40 solution had to be public transport for the bid and that the scheme provided a real solution to congestion on the A40.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)            note the report;

(b)            approve the use of the High Needs Strategic Planning grant  and increase to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reserve for 2017/18 in paragraph 23;

(c)            approve the virements in annex 2a;

(d)            approve the debt write off detailed in paragraph 49;

(e)            note the Treasury Management lending list at Annex 4;

(f)             approve the creation of an Investment Reserve in paragraph 54;

(g)            approve the supplementary estimate in paragraph 56;

(h)           note the changes to the Capital Programme set out in Annex 7b and 7c;

(i)             approve the release of £3.2m of development funding for the A40 Science Transit Scheme and delegate the release of those funds to the Director of Finance and Strategic Director Communities in £0.5m tranches in line with their approval limits under the Financial Procedure Rules; and

(j)                    approve the increase of £1.0m on the Milton Interchange scheme to enable the payment of the final account.

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/155

Contact: Claire Phillips, Senior Policy Officer Tel: 07785 453260

Report from the County Leadership Team (CA8).

The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group launched the first phase of its consultation on the future of Oxfordshire Health and Care Services on January 16th 2017. The county council is a consultee in the process. This report provides an assessment by the Council Leadership Team on the potential impact the proposals may have on council services and on the public and proposes an approach for how Cabinet may wish to respond to the consultation and present its views to full Council in March.

A copy of the Consultation document can be found on the CCG web site: The Oxfordshire Big Health & Care Consultation: Phase 1 - Consultation Document

Further associated documents are also available on the CCG site.

The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group had launched the first phase of its consultation on the future of Oxfordshire Health and Care Services on January 16th 2017. The County Council was a consultee in the process. Cabinet had before them a report providing an assessment by the Council Leadership Team on the potential impact the proposals may have on Council services and on the public and proposing an approach for how Cabinet may wish to respond to the consultation and present its views to full Council in March.

Dr Ken Williamson, Chair of Oxfordshire Keep Our NHS Public addressed the Cabinet in support of the Council Leadership Team report and its recommendations, He agreed the consultation was flawed, in that it had only given a partial picture of how services could look in the future; that the consultation document was incoherent, lacked cohesion and failed to acknowledge the domino effect of closures at the Horton and acute beds at the JR. 

Keep Our NHS Public believed that the Consultation had also relied on major assumptions, especially about the workforce; that the decisions were premature; closing beds without viable alternatives in community or home-based settings puts cost cutting way ahead of providing a service to the people of Oxfordshire, particularly the Frail Elderly; that Published plans cannot be workable or sustainable with current chronic underfunding of the local health economy. They believed the Bucks, Oxfordshire and West Berks Sustainability and Transformation Plan (BOB STP) was about making ‘savings’ not about investing in Health & Social Care services. Its appendices on finance, workforce, activities and service and risk assessments had not been published.

The HOSC’s referral of the de facto down grade of Maternity at the Horton to the Secretary of State was applauded as it flagged the down grade of the whole hospital and was sufficient reason to halt phase 1 of the consultation.

A study based on ONS figures showed that year on year increases in the numbers of surviving over-80s had already reversed in the year to July 2015, with a loss of just under 40,000 elderly in England and Wales, continuing the trend since the start of austerity in 2010. He asked whether the Council could allow this to accelerate and whether the Council would increase council tax to partially address the Social care crisis in the face of central government’s refusal to do so from general taxation.

He urged the Cabinet to endorse the Leadership Team’s report.

Councillor Hibbert-Biles in moving the report endorsed the comments made above and commented that the consultation only presented a partial picture and that it was impossible to separate the impact of phase 1 on phase 2 and vice versa. She expressed grave concern around the comments in relation to the future of midwifery-led obstetric care in the north of the County and in particular the potential loss of those services in Banbury and Chipping Norton and generally about the way the information on maternity services was presented in the consultation.

During discussion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19/17

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/154

Contact: Roy Leach, Strategic Lead Education Sufficiency & Access Education & Learning Tel (01865) 816458

Report by Director for Children’s Services and Strategic Director for Communities(CA9).

The Department for Education has approved a proposal to create a new secondary school in Oxford providing 900 places for 11 - 16 year olds plus sixth form. The school will be delivered as part of the DfE's Free School programme with a proposed opening date of September 2019. It will be called The Swan School and will be part of the River Learning Trust. Subject to the necessary planning consents, The Swan School will be located on the Harlow Centre site in Marston which is owned by the Council and currently leased (125 years) to the Radcliffe Academy Trust. The Swan School will provide significant numbers of additional high quality secondary school places to those already available Oxford and will enable the Council to discharge its statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places at a time of growth in the size of the secondary school population in the city.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)          Approve the sale of the Harlow Centre site and buildings to the Department of Education for £1.00; and

(b)          Make a contribution of up to £2 million towards the construction costs of The Swan School.

The Department for Education has approved a proposal to create a new secondary school in Oxford providing 900 places for 11 - 16 year olds plus sixth form. The school will be delivered as part of the DfE's Free School programme with a proposed opening date of September 2019. It will be called The Swan School and will be part of the River Learning Trust. Subject to the necessary planning consents, The Swan School will be located on the Harlow Centre site in Marston which is owned by the Council and currently leased (125 years) to the Radcliffe Academy Trust. The Swan School will provide significant numbers of additional high quality secondary school places to those already available Oxford and will enable the Council to discharge its statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places at a time of growth in the size of the secondary school population in the city.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for a financial and resource contribution towards the project.

City Councillor Mary Clarkson, district member for the Marston Ward addressed the Cabinet against the proposal to place the Swan Free School on the Harlow Site on the basis that the site was only 6 hectares when guidance suggested it should be 12 affecting sport and outdoor play; the dangerous and difficult access to the site including the cycle track; congestion to the local area resulting in further pressure on the local hospitals and the fact that the provision of secondary schooling was largely concentrated in the East and the North East of the City already with little provision elsewhere.  She urged the Cabinet to reconsider building the school at the Osney Mead Site when it became available, with a short term site at the Cherwell South Site for the first three year groups.

Councillor Mark Lygo, local County Councillor for Marston & Northway endorsed the comments made City Councillor Mary Clarkson and added his concern regarding cyclists around the new proposed site and in particular the number of children cycling to Cherwell School and the possible dangers around this.  He questioned what the proposed transport plan for the area would be and suggested that officers go back to the Local Transport Plan 4.  He urged the Cabinet to reconsider and build the new school on the Osney Mead Site.

Councillor Howson referred to the admission arrangements for the new school and the fact that the River Learning Trust (RLT) had no requirement on them to consider pupil place need across Oxford as a whole. He sought assurance that the site was expected to be cost neutral to the County in revenue spend terms on school transport and given that all secondary schools affected were likely to be in charge of their own admission arrangements, questioned how likely it was that the arrangement could be brokered to cater for the extra need.  He further raised concerns about traffic and in particular the Marston Ferry link Road and queried whether there had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20/17

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/103

Contact: Sue Corrigan, County HR Manager Tel: (01865) 810280

Report by Director of Human Resources(CA10)

This report gives an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016.  It gives details of the actual staffing numbers at 31 March 2016 in terms of Full Time Equivalents.  These are shown by directorate in Appendix 1. In addition, the report provides information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Cabinet considered a report that gave an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016.  It gave details of the actual staffing numbers at 31 March 2016 in terms of Full Time Equivalents.  In addition, the report provided information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff. 

Commending the Report Councillor Rose moved the recommendation.

RESOLVED:           to note the report.

Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manager Tel: 07393 001213

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 CA11.  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 as set out in the report and the schedule of addenda.

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