Agenda and decisions

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Neil Fawcett

- guidance note below

Councillor Liz Leffman declared an interest in item 13 on the agenda, as a director of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  Councillor Leffman particpated in the debate on this item but did not vote thereon.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2024 (CA3) and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2024 were approved as a correct record.

See annex.

Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection. 

To facilitate ‘hybrid’ meetings we are asking that requests to speak or present a petition are submitted by no later than 9am four working days before the meeting.  Requests to speak should be sent to committeesdemocraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that your views are taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am 2 working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

There were no appointments to report to this meeting.

Cabinet will receive the following Scrutiny reports:-

Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on Epilepsy Services

Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee reports on:-

Oxfordshire Flood Response

LTCP Monitoring

Cabinet noted the reports and will respond in due course.

Cabinet Member: SEND Improvement

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/324

Contact: Kate Reynolds, Deputy Director of Education

Kate.reynolds@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CA8)

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to respond to the requests from Council as given below:

Council calls on Cabinet to consider;

a)    More meaningfully involve young people and youth organisations throughout all policy-making processes within SEND improvement and the PAP.

b)    Any consultations or engagement with young people by this council must have a visible public follow-up to the outcomes and tangible metrics to ensure outcomes are delivered.

c)     All Council policies that affect young people, must include an impact assessment, and ensure that reasonable mitigation measures are put in place.

d)    Ensuring that where appropriate all future events, in person/online, run or funded by OCC, especially those related to the PAP, LAP, and SEND improvement, are open to appropriate young people with the attendance of their parent or carer.

e)    Launching a rapid task force for the voice of the young person and SEND users, and task them to create a framework for a Youth Forum within three months.

f)      The leader to appoint a SEND Champion from an opposition group to enable that a wider range of voices in the SEND community are able to feed into SEND improvement and services, and that such person sits on the SEND Improvement board.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/291

Contact: Paul Wilding, Programme Manager – Cost of Living (Paul.Wilding@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (CA9).

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a) note the cost-of-living support measures delivered during the first half of 2024/25, as summarised in table 2;

b) agree to the support package for the second half of 2024/25, as summarised in table 2;

c) delegate authority to the Director of Public Affairs, Policy & Partnerships in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, to amend the programme during the year in response to changing and emerging need, within the overall programme budget

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/263

Contact Officer: Tannah Collier, Policy Officer

Tannah.collier@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (CA10).

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)    Agree to adopt the refreshed Including Everyone Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion framework, 2025-2029.

b)    Endorse the data-led approach to implementing the new Including Everyone framework through corporate key performance indicators (KPIs).

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Infrastructure and Development Strategy, Transport Management.

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/231

Contact: Joe Kay, Oxfordshire Transport Strategy Team Leader (Joseph.Kay@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CA11).

1.               Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Note the progress made on delivering the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan to date.

b)    Approve the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan monitoring report for publication (Annex 1).

c)    Approve the proposed changes to the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan for publication (Annex 2).

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations.

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/230

Contact: Ariane Crampton, Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnerships and Programme Manager (Ariane.Crampton@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CAB).

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a.     Note the biannual update on the delivery of the Climate Action Programme (Annex 1) and linked requests in the budget setting process.  

b.    Note the greenhouse gas emissions reports for wider Oxfordshire area (Annex 2) which will be presented to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership Board on 26 November

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Leader, Infrastructure & Development Strategy

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/278

Contact Officer: Chloe Taylor, Head of Economy

Chloe.taylor@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Economy and Place (CA13).

The Cabinet is RECOMMEMDED to

1.     Note that the county council is now responsible for economic development functions previously the responsibility of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), including strategic economic planning.

2.     Agree to retain the existing council owned company OxLEP, for the delivery of some of these economic functions as set out in a revised contract and based on the business case attached at Annex A.

3.     Agree to establish a Shareholder Committee as a committee of Cabinet with Terms of Reference as set out in Annex B and, with the assumption that this is first agreed by Cabinet, that the Shareholder Committee will meet within one month of this Cabinet meeting. 

4.     Recommend to the to be established Shareholder Committee that they then make changes to the Articles of Association as attached at Annex C and change the trading name of the company to Enterprise Oxfordshire.

5.     Agree to the Shareholder Committee immediately appointing the company directors and make any appointments that are required from time to time in accordance with revised Articles of Association.

6.     Agree that the Cabinet will be responsible for developing a new Strategic Economic Plan, in consultation with other partners, founded on the strategic priorities of the council.

7.     Agree to the Shareholder Committee tasking the company directors to oversee the development of a business plan and budget for 2025/26 and future years for sign off from the Shareholder Committee, in line with the economic priorities set out by Cabinet.

8.     Agree to establish an Oxfordshire Economic Partnership Board to support the Cabinet in the discharge of its economic development functions.

9.     Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Executive Director of Resources and the Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer to agree and conclude the details of amendments to the contract with OxLEP Ltd including the revisions in recommendation 2 above, the extension of the contract to 31 March 2026 and confirmation of arrangements regarding the delivery of the Skills Bootcamps initiative.

Recommendations approved with the following amendment:

3 Agree to establish a Shareholder Committee as a committee of Cabinet, comprising all members of the Cabinet, with Terms of Reference as set out in Annex B and, with the assumption that this is first agreed by Cabinet, that the Shareholder Committee will meet within one month of this Cabinet meeting. 

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/164

Contact: Tim Chapple, Treasury Manager

Tim.chapple@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by  Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (CA14)

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the council’s treasury management activity in the first half of 2024/25 and recommend Council to note council’s treasury management activity in the first half of 2024/25

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/211

Contact Officer: Kathy Wilcox, Head of Corporate Finance

Kathy.wilcox@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (CA15).

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)    Note the report and annexes.

b)    Approve the virement requests in Annex B-2a and note the requests in Annex B-2b.

c)    Approve an introduction of a new charge in 2024/25 for monitoring of biodiversity net gain compliance.

d)     Approve the increased charges in 2024/25 for the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/223

Contact Officer: Natalie Crawford, Capital Programme Manager,

Natalie.crawford@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (CA16).

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    approve the inclusion of East Oxford Mini Holland project into the capital programme with a value of £6.646m.  £6.000m is to be funded from corporate resources, agreed by Council in February 2024, with the remaining £0.646m to be funded by S106 developer contributions.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Children, Education and Young People’s Services; SEND Improvement

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/312

Contact: Andrea Cochrane, SEND Commissioning Manager,

Andrea.cochrane@oxfordsire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CA17)

The information in this case is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed categories: 

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

and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

The annexcontaining exempt information under the above paragraph is attached. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Approve Oxfordshire County Council (“the Council”) joining appropriate single supplier framework agreements set up by external organisations to enable the Council access to call off contracts with the supplier/s for Educational Psychology services. 

b)    Approve the Council entering call-off contracts under such framework agreements in November/December 2024 and for a budgetary commitment for a period of 3 years

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: All

Contact Officer: Chris Reynolds, Senior Democratic Services Officer, chris.reynolds@oxfordshire.gov.uk

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 CA18.  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.

Noted.

Circular Economy Strategy

Noted.