Agenda and decisions

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2024 (CC1) and to receive information arising from them.

Approved

In relation to Item 2 on the Report of the Cabinet, Councillor Leffman declared that she was a Director of OxLEP and that Councillor Roberts would respond to any questions on that item.  Councillors Graham, Rouane and Thomas declared that they were also Directors.

In relation to the petition taken under Item 6, Councillor Povolotsky declared that she was the Co-Chair of the Parent Teacher Association of the Europa School.

In relation to Item 14, Councillor Reynolds declared that he was a farmer.

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 is requested to note the formation of a Cabinet Committee.

At the Cabinet meeting on 19 November 2024, the Cabinet agreed to the following arrangements for the exercise of executive functions:

The establishment of a Cabinet Committee to be known as the Shareholder Committee. The committee will operate under Constitution Part 4.3 Cabinet Committees. As agreed by Cabinet, the Membership of the Shareholder Committee shall be all members of the Cabinet, and the agreed Terms of Reference are attached.

Council noted that formation of a Cabinet Committee called the Shareholder Committee.

Council approved the following appointments:

Councillor Yvonne Constance to replace Councillor Felix Bloomfield on the Audit & Governance Committee.

Councillor Yvonne Constance to replace Councillor Nigel Champken-Woods on the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny 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 9 December 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.

Report from Leader of the Council.

The report summarises the decisions from the Cabinet meeting on 19 November 2024.

Report by the Executive Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer

In this report, the performance for the first half of the year (1April to 30 September 2024) is measured against the budget agreed by Council in February 2024.

Council is RECOMMENDED to note the Council’s treasury management activity in the first half of 2024/25.

The report was noted.

Report by Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer

This report invites the Council to consider the Scrutiny Annual Report and formally receive it.

The Council is RECOMMENDED to

a)            Receive the Scrutiny Annual Report.

Council received the report.

Report of the Director of HR and Cultural Change

The recommendations in this report are those which were endorsed by the Remuneration Committee for Council approval.

The Council is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Approve the proposed changes to the appraisal process for the Chief Executive (Head of the Paid Service) as set out by the South East Employers (SEE) review report (Annex 2).

b)   Delegate authority to the Remuneration Committee to constitute the Appraisal Panel and undertake the appraisals for the Chief Executive.

c)    Approve amendments to the Constitution to include acting as an Appraisal Panel and undertaking Chief Executive’s appraisals to the terms of reference to Remuneration Committee at Part 5.1C and to delegate to the Director of Law and Governance and the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution.

Recommendations approved with 48 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions.

Report by Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer

To approve amendments to the Financial Procedure Rules and Financial Regulations.

Council is RECOMMENDED to

a)    Approve the amendments to the Financial Procedure Rules and Financial Regulations, as recommended by the Audit and Governance Committee.

Recommendation approved unanimously.

This Council considers that the government’s changes in its Autumn budget to Inheritance Tax treatment of farmland, increases to employers’ National Insurance and introduction of a new fertiliser tax on key agricultural imports will have a detrimental cumulative impact on family farms across Oxfordshire.

This Council notes with concern that these family farm taxes risk:

• Adversely affecting local farmers’ potential to employ people in Oxfordshire’s rural economy;

• Damaging the ability for family farmers to pass on their farms to their children; and

• Making food production at competitive prices more difficult for us as a county.

This Council requests Cabinet to ensure that:

1. Its own policies are as supportive of local farmers as reasonably possible;

2. The newly integrated Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (‘OxLEP’) prioritises the local rural economy in its governance structure and ongoing development of its strategic plan;

3. The Cabinet Member for the Environment organises a meeting with local farmers and elected members of all political groups to listen to their concerns with a view to informing the Council’s and OxLEP’s ongoing policy development.

This Council requests the Leader to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask that introduction of these family farm taxes be reconsidered for the sake of environmental protection and food security.

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 carried with 36 votes in favour, 14 against and 0 abstentions.

This Council agreed to set up a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Transport in Central Oxfordshire as part of its last budget. This Council considers that it is time for such a Citizens’ Assembly, focused on reducing congestion, to be established. It should happen this financial year.

This Council notes that its ambitious suite of traffic management measures is due to be rolled out in the very near future. These include Oxford’s traffic filters and workplace parking levy, 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 in fines and charges, broken down as follows:

• Expanded Zero Emissions Zone £25m;
• Traffic Filters £11m;
• Workplace Parking Tax £21m.

For clarity, the purpose of a Congestion Citizens’ Assembly would be to assess the likely effectiveness of such measures, provide recommendations on existing proposals and advise as to whether other measures might be given effect after next year’s local elections as supplements or substitutes for such policies, putting residents’ voices at the heart of the decision-making process.

Council requests Cabinet to establish a Congestion Citizens’ Assembly of Central Oxfordshire citizens, with an advisory group 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.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Reeves and seconded by Councillor Bartholomew was accepted by the proposer and seconder of the original motion and by Council.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Haywood and seconded by Councillor Bennett was lost with 19 votes in favour, 28 against and 1 abstention.

The motion as amended was carried with 29 votes in favour, 20 against and no abstentions.

This Council considered setting up a Congestion Commission and agreed to set up a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Transport in Central Oxfordshire as part of its last budget. This Council considers that it is time to establish for such a Citizens’ Assembly of local residents or a Congestion Commission, focused on reducing congestion, to be established. It should happen this financial year. including businesspeople, public sector leaders, civil society and faith group leaders, and academics with relevant expertise, to ensure a greater democratic say in key decision-making.

This Council notes that its ambitious suite of traffic management measures is due to be rolled out in the very near future. These include Oxford’s traffic filters and workplace parking levy, 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 in fines and charges, broken down as follows:

• Expanded Zero Emissions Zone £25m;
• Traffic Filters £11m;
• Workplace Parking Tax £21m.

For clarity, the purpose of a Congestion Citizens’ Assembly or Congestion Commission would be to assess the likely effectiveness of such measures, provide recommendations on existing proposals and advise as to whether other measures might be given effect after next year’s local elections as supplements or substitutes for such policies, putting residents’, businesses’ and civil society groups’ voices at the heart of local the decision-making process.

Council requests Cabinet to establish a Congestion Commission or Citizens’ Assembly of Central Oxfordshire citizens, with an advisory group to comprise ensuring in so doing that the voices of elected members, local businesspeople, public sector leaders from the Council’s health, education and blue light partners, and civil society and faith groups leaders are properly heard, and academics with relevant expertise in the field.

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

When DEFRA announced 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 with over 50% of the county in the killing zones.

Numerous scientific reports show that culling is ineffective as a control measure, yet DEFRA, the NFU and British Cattle Veterinary Association and others continue to advocate its use.

While it’s welcomed that the Labour 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 altogether and focus on cattle based measures, including support for farmers over improved biosecurity, and a move towards testing and vaccination.

However it now seems likely that the government will permit the cull to 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.

The motion was carried with 30 votes in favour, 8 against and 7 abstentions.

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.

The motion fell as the issue had already been discussed under item 14. [CPR 11.5(iii)].

This Council, being concerned about the lack of political governance in relation to Dark Skies, the plan to switch off many of the county’s streetlights between 11pm - 6.30am, calls on the Cabinet to carry out a full consultation before bringing this back for decision making. Such consultation to include all county councillors alongside community groups and particularly those working with women and girls.

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 amendment proposed by Councillor Reeves and seconded by Councillor Mallon was accepted by the proposer and seconder of the original motion and by Council.

The motion as amended was carried with 39 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions.

This Council, being extremely concerned about the lack of political governance in relation to ‘Dark Skies’, the administration’s plan to switch off many of the county’s streetlights between 11pm - 6.30am, which could have had significant adverse consequences for public safety across parts of our county, especially our urban centres, had it proceeded.

Recognising the need for the Council to safeguard public money, support our rural parishes in their aspirations to curtail unwanted light pollution and protect and local wildlife in our villages, this Council calls on the Cabinet to:

(i)              carry out a full consultation before bringing this back for delegated decision-making by the Cabinet Member,. Ssuch consultation to include all county councillors alongside community groups and particularly those working with women, and girls, and shift workers in our hospitality and other key sectors, who the Council’s own report recognises may have been disproportionately affected by this decision;

(ii)            ensure that all county councillors are fully briefed, whether through their locality meetings or by way of an all-member briefing, before any street lights are switched off; and

(iii)          ensure that a fuller Equalities Impact Assessment takes place in connection with future decision-making on such matters of public safety, the previous one in Annexe 5 being lacking.

In future, this Council asks that Cabinet consult elected members more fully on matters of public safety in future.

This Council further notes that pre-scrutiny of such important matters would be beneficial to ensure greater democratic oversight.