Agenda and decisions

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jenny Hannaby.

- guidance note below

There were none.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on  27 January 2026 (CA3) and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2026 were approved as a correct record.

Any county councillor may, by giving notice to the Proper Officer by 9 am three 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.

See attached.

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 none.

Cllr Ben Higgins had been appointed to the Music Service Hub Board.

Cllr Gareth Epps had been appointed to the Children’s Trust Board.

Cabinet will receive the following reports:-

People Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on Oxfordshire Unpaid Carers Strategy

Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on Social Value Policy

Cabinet received the reports and will respond in due course.

Cabinet Member: Finance, Property and Transformation

Forward Plan Ref: 2025/252

Contact: Max Button, Sustainable Supply Chain Office

Max.button@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Finance and Commercial Services (CA8)

This item updates the existing Social Value Policy and significantly changes the way the Council deals with social value, moving away from working with a third party to an entirely in house system. This allows the Council to better align its social value priorities with Council strategic objectives.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a) Approve the Oxfordshire County Council Social Value Policy (Annex 1).

b) Agree to move the council’s social value approach in- house, transitioning away from third- party delivery and/or platforms, to enable a more streamlined approach hat better aligns to the council’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028 priorities.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Place, Environment and Climate Action

Forward Plan Ref: 2025/147

Contact: Ariane Crampton, Climate Policy and Partnership Manager

Report by Director of Economy and Place (CA9)

Refresh of the Council’s Climate Action Framework. The previous one was adopted 2020.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:-

a)    Approve the Oxfordshire Climate Action Framework 2026-2030.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet Member: Resources and Deputy Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2025/035

Contact: Nathan Phillips, Data and Insight Team Manager

Nathan.phillips@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of HR & Cultural Change (CA10)

Quarterly staffing report providing details of key people numbers and analysis of main changes since the previous report.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

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 CA.  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.

Infrastructure Funding Statement and s.106

Movement and Place Plans