Agenda and decisions

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2023 (CC1) and to receive information arising from them.

The Chair announced that he will be supporting the following charities in his term of office:

Parkinson’s Disease Oxford District Branch

Parkinsons.me

Cancer Research

Thames Valley Air Ambulance

Armed Forces – SSAFA Oxfordshire, Royal British Legion, Veterans Gateway, Veterans UK, Felix Fund

Sepsis

A list of events that he has attended and will be attending in the coming months as Chair of the Council

·       BEM investiture ceremony – 24th July jointly hosted with Lord Lieutenant

·       Agatha Christie statue unveiling – 9th September

·       Unveiling of Blue Plaque, Roy Jenkins and Dame Jennifer Jenkins – 16th September

·       The High Sheriff’s Law Lecture – 10th October

·       Long Service awards - November

The Oxfordshire Pension Fund has been accepted as a signatory to the UK Stewardship Code by the Financial Reporting Council.

The Chair announced the passing of two former county councillors:

Joan Sylvia Campbell, former Conservative Member for Oxford (Wood Farm) Division and Colin James, former Liberal Democrat Member for Hanborough.  A minute’s silence was held in their memory.

Council approved the following changes to the membership of Committees:

Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Hannaby to replace Councillor Ley

Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Ley to replace Councillor Gregory

Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Berkshire West Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Hannaby to replace Councillor Ley

Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel: Councillor Constance to replace Councillor Walker

Audit & Governance Committee: Councillor Hannaby to replace Councillor van Mierlo

Remuneration Committee: Councillor Constance to replace Councillor Ford

People Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Hannaby to replace Councillor Thomas

Planning & Regulation Committee: Councillor Fenton to replace Councillor Bloomfield

Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Constance to replace Councillor Fatemian

Council noted the following appointment notified by the Leader:

Councillor Povolotsky to replace Councillor Gregory as Public Transport Champion

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 11 September 2023. 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.

Report (CC9) on the Council’s treasury management activities for the financial year 2022/23.

Council is RECOMMENDED to note the Council’s treasury management activity and outcomes in 2022/23.

Recommendation agreed unanimously.

Report (CC10) of the Cabinet meeting held on 18 July 2023.

Cabinet has approved the proposals for new infrastructure to support housing in Didcot and welcomes the millions of pounds offered by Government, but the Planning & Regulation Committee have rejected the proposals. This Council therefore welcomes the intervention by the Secretary of State to resolve the impasse.

The amendment by Councillor Liz Leffman, as set out in the Schedule of Business, was carried by 37 votes to 19 with no abstentions. The substantive motion, as amended, was carried unanimously (56 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions).

RESOLVED (unanimously):-

Cabinet has approved the proposals for new infrastructure to support housing in Didcot and welcomes the millions of pounds offered by Government using funding from central Government, but the Planning & Regulation Committee have rejected the current proposals. This Council therefore welcomes the intervention by notes the letter received from the Secretary of State to resolve the impasse.

Years of Conservative cuts have eroded Oxfordshire’s bus network, especially in rural and deprived areas.

To improve bus services for Oxfordshire residents, Council and operators, via the Enhanced Partnership, are delivering a new fleet of electric buses and improvements at Park & Ride sites.

To build on these successes, Council wishes to explore options to bring buses back into public control, as other local authorities are doing, and to make further bus services improvements. Therefore, Council asks Cabinet to consider:

1.     Funding in 2024/25 a detailed feasibility study into options of setting up:

(i)              Oxfordshire bus franchising,

(ii)             An Oxfordshire municipal bus company, and/or

(iii)           A “Transport for Oxfordshire” public transport body (akin to Transport for West Midlands)

2.     This study should be informed by an initial assessment of the public transport needs of Oxfordshire’s underserved and deprived communities, including isolated rural communities, shift workers, women, disabled, and young people. It should also assess community and on-demand bus services integration within these models;

3.     Working with unions, public transport and taxi operators, police and other stakeholders to address gender-based violence on public transport and safe night-time travel for shift workers;

4.     Improving communications highlighting the current and proposed new bus services to be introduced alongside the Oxford traffic filters (akin to the TfL Superloop comms);

5.     Piloting car-free Sundays with free bus travel in Oxford and Market Towns in 2024, where there is local support, to showcase how reduced congestion leads to better bus services.

The following motion as amended was passed by 52 votes to 0 with 1 abstention:

RESOLVED:

Years of Conservative cuts have eroded Oxfordshire’s bus network, especially in rural and deprived areas.

To improve bus services for Oxfordshire residents, Council and operators, via the Enhanced Partnership, are delivering a new fleet of electric buses and improvements at Park & Ride sites.

To build on these successes, Council wishes to explore options to bring buses back into public control, as other local authorities are doing, and to make further bus services improvements. Therefore, Council asks Cabinet to consider:

1. Funding in 2024/25 a detailed feasibility study into options of setting up:

(i) Oxfordshire bus franchising,

(ii) An Oxfordshire municipal bus company, and/or

(iii) A “Transport for Oxfordshire” public transport body (akin to Transport for West Midlands)

2.    This study should be informed by an initial assessment of the public transport needs of Oxfordshire’s underserved and deprived communities, including isolated rural communities, shift workers, women, disabled, and young people. It should also assess community and on-demand bus services integration within these models.

3. Working with unions, public transport and taxi operators, police and other stakeholders to address gender-based violence on public transport and safe night-time travel for shift workers;

4. Improving communications highlighting the current and proposed new bus services to be introduced alongside the Oxford traffic filters (akin to the TfL Superloop comms);.

5. Piloting car-free Sundays with free bus travel in Oxford and Market Towns in 2024, where there is local support, to showcase how reduced congestion leads to better bus services.

This Council notes:

·       That a new rail station north of Grove was estimated in an independent opinion in 2018 to become the fifth busiest station in Oxfordshire, attracting at least one million users, and was subsequently included in the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study, the County Council Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, and has safeguarded sites under the Vale of White Horse District Local Plan. An estimated ‘high value for money’ of £2.48 for each £1 expended means the scheme has a strong economic case.

·       National campaigning to win support from government for small funding allocation to progress plans for the station failed in 2022, despite this area experiencing a 34% population increase.

·       That the Council budget and the Cabinet commitment of new funding in 2022/23 and 2023/24 supports investment through project development work. As a result, a Strategic Outline Business Case for the new Oxford–Eynsham–Witney–Carterton ‘Windrush Line’ has recently been completed successfully.

·       That project development work on Wantage and Grove Station would build on this example and would fit with ambitions of increased investment in an inclusive, integrated, county-wide active and sustainable travel network fit for the 21st century, to improve choice and reduce car journeys.

Council therefore calls on Cabinet to consider building on the 2018 Statement of Opinion by commissioning, before the end of this financial year, while funding resources remain available, a DfT-compliant Strategic Outline Business Case, and an initial assessment of financing options for a new rail station for Wantage and Grove.

The motion was passed unanimously (51 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions).

This Council notes:

·       In 2022 a survey commissioned by Action Aid UK found nearly one in eight women in Great Britain had recently struggled to buy menstrual products — either for themselves or for a dependent.

·       The survey found, of those who has struggled to afford menstrual products, 75% had needed to prioritise spending money on food and 49% needed to prioritise spending money on gas/electric.

·       A number of Councils across the UK have already set up or agreed to schemes to provide free period products, including Oxford City Council.

·       35% of teenage girls said they had taken time off school because of their period which is a 7% increase since 2019.

·       A YouGov survey showed two thirds of Britons supported making it a legal requirement for local authorities to provide free period products.

Council strongly believes:

·       The cost-of-living crisis has forced many women to prioritise other household essentials such as food, clothes and heating over menstrual products.

·       No one should ever have to experience period poverty.

Council resolves to ask Cabinet to:

·       Look into a period pant scheme, akin to reusable nappy schemes, to help with the costly purchase of more climate friendly products for all ages.

·       Promote the national school period product scheme to all Oxfordshire schools and monitor gaps in uptake.

·       Make free Menstrual products accessible in every council owned building in the county.

The amendment by Councillor Ted Fenton, as set out in the Schedule of Business, was lost by 13 votes to 35 with no abstentions. The motion was carried unanimously (48 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions).

Oxfordshire County Council deplores in the strongest terms the draft proposals to close station ticket offices in the County.  This is because such a move will exclude all the digitally challenged from easily purchasing tickets, among whom are numbered many travellers that are elderly, disabled, or both. 

All rail users will be denied easy purchase of the full range of tickets, including some of the cheapest tickets. It will make split ticketing and the redemption of delay/repay vouchers difficult, if not impossible. 

The assumption on which the proposal is based is highly questionable, with impartial data showing that at some stations as much as 50% of the tickets purchased are through ticket offices. Furthermore, it will restrict the advice available on ticketing: it is quicker for an experienced operator to issue a ticket than to supervise somebody else to do the same. There is also evidence that the tickets currently purchased from ticket offices are either high value or for complicated journeys.

Council therefore

·       urges all Members to sign the online petition about the proposed closures to ensure that the move is discussed in Parliament;

·       asks the Leader of Council to send a response opposing the closure of all ticket offices in Oxfordshire and

·       asks the Cabinet Member covering library services, should the closures take place, to investigate what support the county library service can offer digitally challenged users of the rail network to obtain best value, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis. 

The time being 3.25 pm, this Motion was considered dropped in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 5.2.

Oxfordshire County Council is proud of our history of welcoming people seeking safety in our county. We believe that:

·       everyone has the right to seek safety, and everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly;

·       the Government’s ‘anti-refugee’ laws undermine internationally recognised rights for people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety;

·       people seeking safety should be housed as our neighbours and as a part of our communities;

·       the UK needs an asylum system that empowers people seeking safety to rebuild their lives and enables communities to welcome them;

Council resolves to:

 (i) defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK by signing the national ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge;

(ii) call on the UK Government to repeal the Illegal Migration Act and the Nationality and Borders Act, withdraw the UK–Rwanda partnership,

(iii) request Cabinet to

·       work with Local Authorities and communities to build a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion;

·       continue to lobby against any UK Government plans to build or repurpose facilities in Oxfordshire to detain or warehouse people seeking safety;

·       work with local organisations and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify ways to mitigate the effects of these measures in Oxfordshire;

·       consider joining the network of cities and towns which promote the inclusion and welfare of people who are fleeing violence and persecution and become a recognised Council of Sanctuary.

The time being 3.25 pm, this Motion was considered dropped in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 5.2.