Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2024 (CC1) and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2024 were approved as an accurate record with the following amendment:

Item 88/24, 8^th paragraph:

Councillor Bartholomew asked the Cabinet Member to provide details of the steps being taken to recover debt owed to the County Council referred to in paragraph 110 in the Annex to the Business Management & Monitoring Report - May 2024.  Councillor Levy promised to send a written response.

Apologies were received from Councillors Banfield, Bennett, Bulmer, Field-Johnson, Graham, van Mierlo, Miller, Povolotsky and Saul.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair congratulated those involved in three County Council projects that had been shortlisted for awards:

·       Best Local Authority EV Charging Scheme in the Transport + Energy Awards 2024.

·       Partnerships for Excellence Award at next month's UK Bus Awards. 

·       Utility Week Awards in the Unlocking Data category.

A full list of events attended by the Chair and Vice Chair had been included in the Schedule of Business.  The Chair particularly highlighted the Community Awards Ceremony, Chipping Norton on 27 September as a marvellous example of a community working to support each other.  At the Oxford’s Older People’s Day in the Town Hall on 1 October many of the stalls were staffed by Council officers representing our services for older people.

There were also congratulations to those involved in the careers fair hosted by Oxfordshire Care Leaver Association at County Hall the previous week.

The Chair invited all to attend coming events:

·       The County Hall Christmas lights switch on, Wednesday 4^th December at 2.30pm in the Common Hall.

·       The Christmas tree lighting in Oxford Castle at 6pm on Thursday 5^th December in the Castle Courtyard.

·       Oxfordshire County Council Chair’s Carol Service.  Hosted by the Chair and the Rt Rev Gavin Collins, Bishop of Dorchester at 6.30pm on Monday 16^th December at St Michael and All Angels Church, Abingdon. 

·       Oxfordshire County Council Chair’s Charity Gala Dinneron Friday 10^th January 2025 at the Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House Hotel, Church Way, Iffley, 7pm for 7.30pm.  Details on how to order tickets were included the Schedule of Business.

Council was also notified of the passing in August of former Councillor Rosemarie Higham, who represented Banbury, Grimsbury & Castle Division from May 2005 to March 2006.  She served on the Democracy & Organisation Committee, Community Safety Committee and Standards Committee.  She also served on Cherwell District Council and Banbury Town Council and was Town Mayor for 2003-04. 

Councillors Mallon and Brighouse paid tribute to her work on the councils and in support of the community in Banbury.  Members stood for a minute’s silence in memory.

To make any changes to the membership of scrutiny and other committees on the nomination of political groups and to note any changes to the Cabinet made by the Leader of the Council.

Council approved the following appointments:

Councillor Johnston to fill a vacancy on the Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel.

Councillor Stevens to replace Councillor Roberts on the Planning & Regulation Committee.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting, or present a petition, can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection. Requests must be submitted no later than 9am one working day before the meeting i.e., 9am on Monday 4 November 2024. 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 if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

The following petitions were received by Council:

Josie Proctor: City Centre Playground and highway use – 1700 signatures

Niaz Ali: Parking on Hollow Way – 57 signatures

Linda Elms: Small Businesses – 59 signatures

The following members of the public addressed Council:

Item 13 – Motion by Cllr Gawrysiak

Robert Aitken

Item 17 – Motion by Cllr Middleton

Linda Ward

The texts of speeches that have been supplied to us by the speakers are published alongside the minutes.

Three questions were asked. The questions, responses and supplementary questions are recorded in an Annex below.

Twenty seven questions were asked. The questions, responses and supplementary questions are recorded in an Annex below.

Report from Leader of the Council.

The report summarises the decisions from the Cabinet meetings on 17 September and 15 October 2024.

Council received the report of Cabinet covering the Cabinet meetings on 17 September and 15 October 2024.

On item 4, Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children's Board Annual Report 2023-24, Councillor Pressel noted that the number of strengths and needs forms completed in 2023-24 was well below target and asked what was being done to meet the target this year.  Councillor Baines asked how the Council was ensuring that children were not at increased risk.  Councillor Howson responded that the targets had been set by his predecessor and that officers were working on a strategy to increase the number of assessments in the current year.

Councillor Corkin quoted statistics indicating that people who were in care as a child had a greater risk of entering into the criminal justice system and asked if more attention should be given to that.  Councillor Howson responded and agreed that everything possible should be done to keep young children out of the criminal justice system.

On item Workforce Report and Staffing Data - Quarter 1 - April to June 2024, Councillor Baines asked when the anticipated £4m saving from reducing agency staff and consultancy work will be achieved and Councillor Phillips asked what was the target figure for reduced spending on agency staff.  Councillor Fawcett responded that the figures showed that the Council was consistently moving in the right direction.  He did not have the target figure to hand but it was in the budget.  He believed that the new simpler recruitment process would lead to a reduction in reliance on agency staff which were often being engaged to provide cover during the recruitment process which was lengthy under the old system.

On item 6, Ethical Procurement Policy, Councillor O’Connor asked if the Cabinet Member would consider inserting fair employment clauses at the contract level.  Councillor Levy responded that the point of the new policy was to embed ethical practices in the procurement policy but he would take the councillor’s point to officers to see if there was more that could be done.

Councillor Baines asked if the Cabinet Member would bring forward an ethical policy for the disposal of public buildings.  Councillor Levy responded that the Council would attempt to maximise the income so that this could be reinvested in services or other capital expenditure while at the same time doing that in an ethical way.

On item 7, Business Management and Monitoring Report - July 2024, Councillor Baines asked what the plans were to strengthen the savings plan for Children’s Services and drive down the cost of care.  Councillor Levy responded that, regarding the High Needs Block, some money would come from the government but it was not yet known how much.  Delivering services was the number one priority.  There was progress on achieving savings but it was slower than hoped for.

Councillor Brighouse noted how the High Needs Block had grown in the last year and asked if the Cabinet Member will be providing additional resources in the budget as central government had.  Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109/24

Report by Director of Children’s Services

Youth offending is a statutory and regulated service, and the local authority is required to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan.  The local authority leads the provision and delivery of its youth justice service alongside key stakeholder partner organisations in supporting young people who are at risk of entering the youth justice system as well as those who are already in it.

The Council is RECOMMENDED to adopt Oxfordshire’s Annual Youth Justice Plan 2024-2025.

Council was asked to approve an Annual Youth Justice Plan which it is required to produce as youth offending is a statutory and regulated service.

The report was moved by Councillor John Howson and seconded by Councillor Liz Leffman. Following discussion, Council agreed the recommendation unanimously.

RESOLVED: to adopt Oxfordshire’s Annual Youth Justice Plan 2024-2025.

Report by Director of Law & Governance

The calendar of meetings for each civic year is presented to Council for approval.

COUNCIL IS RECOMMENDED to approve the calendar of meetings for the 2025-26 Council year attached to the report as Annex 1.

Council had before it a list of proposed dates for Council, Cabinet and committee meetings for the Council Year 2025-26.

The report was moved by the Chair and seconded by the Vice-Chair.  The recommendations were approved unanimously.

RESOLVED: to approve the calendar of meetings for the 2025-26 Council year attached to the report as Annex 1.

Report of the Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer

The Council must seek the views of an Independent Person, and take them into account, before making its decision on any allegation investigated under the Member Code of Conduct and other disciplinary processes as outlined in the report. 

Council is RECOMMENDED

a)              To appoint Mr Nicholas Holt-Kentwell and Mr Andrew Mills-Hicks as Independent Persons for Oxfordshire County Council from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2026. The appointments may be renewed once for a period of two years.

b)              To thank Mr Martyn Hocking for his service to the Council as an Independent Person from 14 July 2020 until 30 November 2024.

Council was asked to consider the appointment of two Independent Persons. An Independent Person must be consulted and their views taken in to account before the Council makes its decision in certain disciplinary processes. 

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Ted Fenton, Chair of the Audit & Governance Committee, and seconded by Councillor Roz Smith, Deputy Chair.  Following discussion the recommendations were approved with 52 votes in favour, one abstention and no votes against.

RESOLVED:

a) To appoint Mr Nicholas Holt-Kentwell and Mr Andrew Mills-Hicks as Independent Persons for Oxfordshire County Council from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2026. The appointments may be renewed once for a period of two years.

b) To thank Mr Martyn Hocking for his service to the Council as an Independent Person from 14 July 2020 until 30 November 2024.

In December Oxfordshire County Council removed seven beds from the Chiltern care home without any consultation with the GP’s, Henley Town Council or the community of South Oxfordshire. This lack of consultation by the Council is unacceptable and must not be repeated.

These beds were originally provided as ‘NHS beds’.

Following FOI requests to the Integrated Care Board Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Berkshire West (ICB BOB) and the Council, it has been established that these beds are NHS beds funded by the ICB, this Council and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.  They should not therefore have been closed without full and proper public consultation.

Dr Broughton interim Chief Executive of the ICB BOB states 28^th February 2024

“The beds have not ‘lost NHS funding’, “The beds continued to be overseen by the Oxford University Hospital Hub team.”

These beds are therefore NHS beds which cannot be removed without consultation.

This Council:

1.     Deplores the beds’ removal without said consultation.

2.     Believes that a full and objective account as to why these beds, which serve a population of 140,000 of South Oxfordshire, were removed and what replacement measures have since been taken.

This Council requests that Cabinet:

3.     Asks partners to seek to account for the reasons why the seven Chiltern Court Beds serving South Oxfordshire cannot be reinstated, bearing in mind the new measures that have since been in place and, in the absence of such an account, take steps to reinstate them.

4.     Conduct all necessary public consultations.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Gawrysiak and seconded by Councillor Reeves. Following debate, the motion was carried with 52 votes in favour; 0 against and 0 abstentions.

RESOLVED:

In December Oxfordshire County Council removed seven beds from the Chiltern care home without any consultation with the GP’s, Henley Town Council or the community of South Oxfordshire. This lack of consultation by the Council is unacceptable and must not be repeated.

These beds were originally provided as ‘NHS beds’.

Following FOI requests to the Integrated Care Board Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Berkshire West (ICB BOB) and the Council, it has been established that these beds are NHS beds funded by the ICB, this Council and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.  They should not therefore have been closed without full and proper public consultation.

Dr Broughton interim Chief Executive of the ICB BOB states 28^th February 2024

“The beds have not ‘lost NHS funding’, “The beds continued to be overseen by the Oxford University Hospital Hub team.”

These beds are therefore NHS beds which cannot be removed without consultation.

This Council:

1.     Deplores the beds’ removal without said consultation.

2.     Believes that a full and objective account as to why these beds, which serve a population of 140,000 of South Oxfordshire, were removed and what replacement measures have since been taken.

This Council requests that Cabinet:

3.     Asks partners to seek to account for the reasons why the seven Chiltern Court Beds serving South Oxfordshire cannot be reinstated, bearing in mind the new measures that have since been in place and, in the absence of such an account, take steps to reinstate them.

4.     Conduct all necessary public consultations.

This Council notes the government’s decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments (WFPs). Age UK estimates that such changes could hit 2 million people across the country, some of whom badly need the money to stay warm this winter.

This Council resolves to:

1. Request that the Cabinet requests a report from officers with proposals for promoting a District awareness campaign working with our local NHS partners, Parish Councils and charitable, civic and religious groups, to encourage elderly residents who are eligible for means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit to register and claim them to ensure that they continue to receive WFPs this Winter and that those in need are sign-posted to the continuing Household Support Fund;

2. Request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging an impact assessment of the government’s decision to means test WFPs and asking HM Treasury to examine transitional measures to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who are eligible for, but who do not – or cannot – claim, other benefits under current thresholds, are protected from fuel poverty.

3. Request that the Cabinet reprioritises monies within the Council’s budget for 2024/5 held within the Budget Priority Reserve and/or within other relevant contingency funds or reserves, with a view to establishing an Oxfordshire Winter Fuel Payment Protection Fund, akin to the Oxfordshire Resident Support Scheme, to ensure that pensioners who are in genuine hardship, but who are not eligible for other government support, are helped through the Winter.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Reeves and seconded by Councillor Walker.

The following amendment was proposed by Councillor Baines and seconded by Councillor Enright.

“This Council notes the Ggovernment’s decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments (WFPs). Age UK estimates that such changes could hit 2 million people across the country, some of whom badly need the money to stay warm this winter.

This Council resolves to:

1. Recognises that the new Government inherited a terrible fiscal inheritance with £22 billion of unfunded spending commitments which had not been reported to the Office for Budget Responsibility. Left unaddressed this would have posed a major risk to the nation’s economy with the budget deficit increasing by 25%.

2. Welcomes the Government’s commitment to increasing the uptake of Pension Credit, aligning Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, extending the Household Support Fund and protecting the triple lock.

1. 3. Requests that the Cabinet requests a report from officers with proposals for promoting a countywide District awareness campaign working with our City and District Councils, local NHS partners, Parish Councils and charitable, civic and religious groups, to encourage elderly residents who are eligible for means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit to register and claim them to ensure that they continue to receive WFPs this Winter and that those in need are sign-posted to the continuing Household Support Fund;

2. Request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging an impact assessment of the government’s decision to means test WFPs and asking HM Treasury to examine transitional measures to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who are eligible for, but who do not – or cannot – claim, other benefits under current thresholds, are protected from fuel poverty.

3. Request that the Cabinet reprioritises monies within the Council’s budget for 2024/5 held within the Budget Priority Reserve and/or within other relevant contingency funds or reserves, with a view to establishing an Oxfordshire Winter Fuel Payment Protection Fund, akin to the Oxfordshire Resident Support Scheme, to ensure that pensioners who are in genuine hardship, but who are not eligible for other government support, are helped through the Winter.”

Following debate, the amendment by Councillor Baines was lost with 13 votes in favour, 37 against and 1 abstention.

An amendment was proposed by Councillor Levy and seconded by Councillor Ley.  This amendment was accepted by the proposer and seconder and by Council.

Following debate, the motion as amended was carried with 35 votes in favour, 13 against and no abstentions.

RESOLVED:

This Council notes the government’s decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments (WFPs). Age UK estimates that such changes could affect hit  2 million people across the country, some of whom may badly need the money to stay warm this winter.

This Council resolves to:

1. Request that the Cabinet requests a report from officers with proposals for promoting a District awareness campaign working with our local works with NHS, District Councils, partners, Parish Councils  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114/24

Council requests Cabinet to consider approving the Councils for Fair Tax declaration. 

 This commits Councils to

• Lead by example and demonstrate good practice in our tax conduct, right across our activities.
• Ensure IR35 is implemented robustly and contract workers pay a fair share of employment taxes.
• Not use offshore vehicles for the purchase of land and property, especially where this leads to reduced payments of stamp duty. 
• Undertake due diligence to ensure that not-for-profit structures are not being used inappropriately by suppliers as an artificial device to reduce the payment of tax and business rates.  
• Demand clarity on the ultimate beneficial ownership of suppliers, UK and overseas, and their consolidated profit & loss position, given lack of clarity could be strong indicators of poor financial probity and weak financial standing.
• Promote Fair Tax Mark certification especially for any business in which we have a significant stake and where corporation tax is due.
• Support Fair Tax Week events in the area, and celebrate the tax contribution made by responsible businesses that are proud to promote responsible tax conduct and pay their fair share of corporation tax.

Council also requests the Leader of the Council to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer supporting calls for urgent reform of UK procurement law to enable local authorities to better penalise poor tax conduct and reward good tax conduct through their procurement policies.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Cherry and seconded by Councillor Baines. Following debate, the motion was carried with 45 votes in favour; 0 against and 0 abstentions.

RESOLVED:

Council requests Cabinet to consider approving the Councils for Fair Tax declaration. 

 This commits Councils to

• Lead by example and demonstrate good practice in our tax conduct, right across our activities.
• Ensure IR35 is implemented robustly and contract workers pay a fair share of employment taxes.
• Not use offshore vehicles for the purchase of land and property, especially where this leads to reduced payments of stamp duty. 
• Undertake due diligence to ensure that not-for-profit structures are not being used inappropriately by suppliers as an artificial device to reduce the payment of tax and business rates.  
• Demand clarity on the ultimate beneficial ownership of suppliers, UK and overseas, and their consolidated profit & loss position, given lack of clarity could be strong indicators of poor financial probity and weak financial standing.
• Promote Fair Tax Mark certification especially for any business in which we have a significant stake and where corporation tax is due.
• Support Fair Tax Week events in the area, and celebrate the tax contribution made by responsible businesses that are proud to promote responsible tax conduct and pay their fair share of corporation tax.

Council also requests the Leader of the Council to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer supporting calls for urgent reform of UK procurement law to enable local authorities to better penalise poor tax conduct and reward good tax conduct through their procurement policies.

This Council notes that Oxfordshire's High Needs Block deficit is estimated to be £21.3 million for 2023/24, while across England the deficit totals £3.16 billion.  The statutory override currently in place allows local authorities to temporarily hold this debt off their balance sheets but this measure only delays addressing a growing financial crisis.

The reasons behind the High Needs Block deficit are complex and reflect deep, systemic issues within the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. It is unrealistic to expect local authorities to manage such significant deficits in a short time frame without reform of the SEND system and baseline funding increases. 

Current SEND funding is based on outdated need due to an inadequate funding formula. Education Health Care Plans have risen from 3000 in 2014 to more than 7000 in 2024.  Without reform, if the statutory override were to be removed, a quarter of local authorities would be insolvent within one year and another quarter within three years.

This Council requests that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Education to seek urgent clarity on the government’s long-term plan for addressing the High Needs Block deficit. Council recommends that the letter should call for reform of the SEND system to ensure it is fit for purpose and provide appropriate baseline funding to ensure local authorities can sustainably manage their financial responsibilities without resorting to temporary fixes.

Councillor Hanna raised a point of order under Council Procedure Rules 15.6.1 stating that she believed the amendment proposed to this motion introduced a substantially different proposal in that it effectively removed the Council as a stakeholder in the issue.

The Monitoring Officer responded that the amendment still involved writing a letter and the question of what was included in that letter was a matter for Council.  If Members disagreed with the amendment, her advice was that they could vote against it.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Hanna and seconded by Councillor Levy.

The following amendment was proposed by Councillor Baines and seconded by Councillor Brighouse.

“This Council notes that Oxfordshire's High Needs Block deficit is estimated to be £21.3 million for 2023/24, while across England the deficit totals £3.16 billion.  The statutory override currently in place allows local authorities to temporarily hold this debt off their balance sheets but this measure only delays addressing a growing financial crisis.

The reasons behind the High Needs Block deficit are complex and reflect deep, systemic issues within the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. These issues were exacerbated by moves to increase eligibility for statutory support without additional financial assistance following the Coalition’s Children and Families Act 2014. It is unrealistic to expect local authorities to manage such significant deficits in a short time frame without reform of the SEND system and baseline funding increases. 

This Council believes that the current SEND system has lost the confidence of families.

This Council welcomes the new Government’s commitment to regaining parents’ confidence and commitment to whole-system reform. Council recognises these reforms will take time to develop and implement and welcomes the independent insight provided by the recent National Audit Office report.

Current SEND funding is based on outdated need due to an inadequate funding formula. Education Health Care Plans have risen from 3000 in 2014 to more than 7000 in 2024.  Without reform, if the statutory override were to be removed, a quarter of local authorities would be insolvent within one year and another quarter within three years.

This Council requests that the Leader of the Council writes to the Government welcoming the Treasury’s contribution of £1 billion additional funding this year for SEND and plans for a Children’s Wellbeing Bill Secretary of State for Education to seek urgent clarity on the government’s long-term plan for addressing the High Needs Block deficit. Council recommends that the letter should call for reform of the SEND system to ensure it is fit for purpose and provide appropriate baseline funding to ensure local authorities can sustainably manage their financial responsibilities without resorting to temporary fixes.”

Following debate, a motion was proposed to put the question of the amendment, proposed by Councillor Bartholomew and seconded by Councillor Reeves.

The motion was carried with 29 votes in favour, 11 against and 0 abstentions.

Following the summing up by the mover, the amendment was lost with 13 votes in favour, 29 against and 0 abstentions.

Following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116/24

In 2018 this Council passed a motion stating that it was opposed to the licensing of a badger cull in Oxfordshire.

When DEFRA announced that badger culling would be phased out by 2025, many people believed that the cull had ended. Sadly, culling in Oxfordshire intensified, seemingly with the intent of shooting as many badgers as possible before the deadline. Over 50% of the county is in the killing zones.

Numerous scientific reports show that epi-culling is ineffective as a control measure. However, DEFRA, Animal and Public Health Agenda, the TB Hub/NFU and British Cattle Veterinary Association, continue to advocate its use.

While it’s welcomed that the new government has abandoned plans to allow up to 100% of badgers to be killed in some areas, there was a hope that they would cancel the cull completely and focus on cattle based measures, including support for farmers over improved biosecurity, and a move towards testing and vaccination. However it seems likely that the cull will continue for at least the next 5 years meaning even more badgers in Oxfordshire will be senselessly slaughtered.

This Council therefore :

1. Re-affirms our opposition to badger culling which has been shown to be an ineffective control measure for Bovine tuberculosis.
2. Asks the Cabinet to consider a specific policy that badger culling will not be permitted on Council-owned land.
3. Requests that the Leader writes to DEFRA making clear our continued opposition to the cull and any extension of it in size and scope.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

This Council considered setting up a Congestion Commission as part of its last budget debate. This measure was not taken up at the time. However, this Council now considers that it is time for such a commission to be established.

This Council notes that its ambitious suite of traffic management measures is due to be rolled out, in large measure, before the next set of elections to Oxfordshire County Council in May 2025. These include Oxford’s traffic filters and workplace parking tax, which are now largely enshrined in the Council’s budget and will take place unless there is a change of administration next year.

If all such measures go ahead, Oxfordshire motorists could be hit by £57million in fines and charges over a five-year period broken down as follows:

• ExpandedZero Emissions Zone £25m;

• Traffic Filters (Four-sector Plan) £11m;

• Workplace Parking Tax £21m.

For clarity, the purpose of a Congestion Commission is not to water down or frustrate the administration’s policies, for which there is budgetary provision. Rather, its object would be to assess the likely effectiveness of such measures and advise as to whether other measures might be given effect after next year’s local elections as supplements or substitutes for such policies.

Council requests Cabinet to establish a Congestion Commission to comprise elected members, local businesspeople, public sector leaders from the Council’s health, education and blue light partners, civil society and faith group leaders, and academics with relevant expertise in the field.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

This Council regrets that it has not historically managed the expenditure of section 106 and associated development agreements well.

Too often, monies destined for local facilities have been left dormant, with members and parish council colleagues being forced to make circuitous enquiries of Council officers and/or developers to ascertain the correct position in respect of funds, which have been allocated to local communities and yet have not been spent.

Following work undertaken by the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee and elsewhere at the Council’s ‘Localities’ meetings, it has been suggested that as much as £278 million of public money has been unspent on improving local facilities.

This Council requests Cabinet to ensure that there is regular reporting of unspent development monies at all Localities meetings (such frequency to be determined by the relevant Chair) and requests that the Leader and relevant Cabinet Member produce a report for the Council’s next appropriate Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee meetings as to how such funds are to be more effectively spent.

Note: The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function in which case it will be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give, in accordance with Rule 13.5.1 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution.

This Council notes:

• That Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are designed to integrate health and care across geographical footprints;
• That ICSs rely on close collaboration between NHS bodies and local authorities with responsibility for social care and public health;
• That the Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire (BOB) Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a critical partner within the ICS and is currently undergoing a restructuring process that has been met with extensive criticism from local authorities;
• That this restructuring has exposed differences between the status of health and social care bodies within the ICS;
• That the BOB Integrated Care Board (ICB) currently has only one representation from local authorities;
• That the BOB ICB constitution provides for only one local authority representative;
• That nearby ICBs have greater local authority representation, such as the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS, which has four local authority officers on its ICB.

This Council believes: 

• That it is not possible for health and care bodies to be equal partners without fair representation;
• That the BOB ICB should have additional representatives from local authorities to ensure that health and care are treated equally within the broader framework of improving public health and wellbeing;

This Council resolves:

·       To ask the Leader to write to the ICB requesting additional representatives for local authorities on the BOB ICB.