Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies were received from Cllr Enright, substituted by Cllr Elphinstone, and Cllr Bloomfield.

See guidance note on the back page.

There were none.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2024 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting on 25 September 2024 were AGREED as a true and accurate record.

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 i.e., 9am on 07 November 2024.  Requests to speak should be sent to the Scrutiny Officer at scrutiny@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 Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Chloe Edwards, Local Nature Recovery Strategy Project Manager, and, Beccy Micklem, Team Leader Landscape and Nature Recovery, have been invited to present a report on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, had been invited to present a report on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (the LNRS).  He was accompanied by Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Chloe Edwards, Local Nature Recovery Strategy Project Manager, and Beccy Micklem, Team Leader Landscape and Nature Recovery. Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, was also present for the start and end of this agenda item.

Following brief introduction from the Deputy Leader, the LNRS Project Manager explained and summarised the LNRS report.

Local authorities were required to develop and adopt an LNRS was mandated for to set local biodiversity priorities and map habitat improvements. This involved collaboration with groups such as the Local Nature Partnership. The target was for the strategy to be published by July 2025, with particular focus on enhancing habitats for biodiversity. It would be reviewed and updated every three to ten years as required by the government.

Members raised a number of topics in discussion including:.

The discussion covered the budget for the LNRS, noting that initial funding was provided but follow-up funding was uncertain. The project aimed to integrate local natural capital mapping by the University of Oxford, identifying and quantifying ecosystem benefits for decision-making. Emphasis was placed on making LNRS projects investable by converting qualitative benefits into quantitative terms to attract funding. The importance of linking with climate finance work led by the Chief Executive was emphasised. It was suggested that the Council should not rely solely on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) but that it should also leverage local initiatives like the 100 Together program for funding and support.

Members explored the LNRS’ influence on the Minerals and Waste Plan despite the National Planning Policy Framework's (NPPF) strict mineral provision requirements. There was interest in aligning LNRS priorities with decisions on mineral extraction sites. The LNRS team frequently consults with the minerals planning policy team to ensure alignment. They worked with the Environmental Records Centre to assess biodiversity net gain through mineral restoration, recognising it as a crucial nature recovery opportunity.

The LNRS team emphasised the integrating the LNRS with the Local Transport Connectivity Plan to mitigate road traffic's impact on wildlife, advocating for nature-positive infrastructure like wildlife corridors. Officers stressed alignment with the Oxford Infrastructure Strategy to support biodiversity and habitat connectivity. Collaborating with National Highways and Network Rail, they identified key areas in Oxfordshire to improve habitat connectivity. Partnering with the University of Oxford, the team used statistical analysis and mapping tools to prioritise impactful interventions for biodiversity.

Members expressed concern about whether agricultural landowners were sufficiently involved in the development of the strategy, ensuring their collaboration and realising benefits from increased biodiversity. The LNRS team had engaged farmers and landowners through meetings, informing them about funding opportunities for nature-positive actions, such as capital grants for rainwater harvesting and sustainable farming incentives. A 15% uplift in biodiversity net gain units, would increase financial returns  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42/24

Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, and Robin Rogers, Director of Economy and Place, and Nicholas Perrins, Head of Strategic Planning, have been invited to present a report on the Infrastructure Funding Statement and s.106 Funding.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, and Robin Rogers, Director of Economy and Place, and Nicholas Perrins, Head of Strategic Planning, were invited to present a report on the Infrastructure Funding Statement and s.106 Funding.

Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, and, Cllr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, were also present to answer questions Committee Members had on the report.

Tom Hudson, Scrutiny Manager, clarified that a representative from Finance had been requested, however apologies were sent by Finance due to the short notice of the request.

The Chair summarised the historical context before the Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy explained that the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) was a statutory document required to report the collection and spending of infrastructure funds, including Section 106 (s.106) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The statement showed effective fund collection with significant receipts, and ongoing efforts were aimed at improving the management and spending of these funds. The predicted spend for the upcoming year was around £60 million, mainly on large projects like the A420 improvements. The complexity and inflexibility of the Section 106 system, due to its reliance on legal contracts, was acknowledged, highlighting the need for improvements.

The Head of Strategic Planning highlighted the urgency to speed up s.106 project delivery for community benefits. Diagnostic work had reviewed the £260 million fund, prioritising smaller projects for early release. Current system issues for fund management were identified, with improvements targeted by year-end. A dashboard trailed in locality meetings provided live data, with plans for wider use. Services were reviewing s.106 funds to fast-track capital program projects, and transport has identified about £10 million for acceleration. Flexible new agreements allowed for alternative projects, to allow a more flexible use of money. Additionally, CIL governance changes had been proposed to align with the County Council’s strategic priorities and capital programme. These changes were aimed at ensuring CIL funds were directed towards projects that supported the broader strategic goals of the Council, with West Oxfordshire and Cherwell expected to adopt CIL within a year.

Members requested an update on the progress of the promised dashboard, which would have allowed them to track projects, including timelines and funding sources for individual projects. Although the dashboard had been demonstrated at locality meetings, it had not yet been released for general use.

The delay in releasing the dashboard was primarily due to finalising a Microsoft license agreement. This issue was being addressed with urgency, aiming to resolve it as soon as possible. The objective was to have the dashboard operational by the end of the financial year, although there was a strong desire to expedite this process.

Members expressed significant concerns regarding IT failures as a major obstacle in managing s.106 funds and their utilisation in physical projects. Officers present attempted to elucidate the existing IT systems employed for handling these funds and identified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43/24

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, having raised any questions on the contents.

The Committee NOTED the action and recommendation tracker.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings, having heard any changes from previous iterations, and taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, was present for the discussion of the Committee Forward Work Plan to provide insight into the Dark Skies policy, which had been scheduled for Cabinet Member Delegated Decisions the following day, and other items which affected the committee.

The Leader made assurances to the Committee that there would follow a full report into the Dark Skies item, which would come to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to be suitably scrutinised before any decision would be made on the policy. It was expected that the Dark Skies item would come to the Committee for its February meeting.

The Leader suggested that the Rail strategy would come to Cabinet in April, thus the Committee determined that the strategy would be best suited to come to the February meeting.

The verge a vegetation strategy was moved to the April meeting to make room for the Management of Utility Works/Lane Rental on the February agenda, avoiding the pre-election period allowing for a focused discussion on the item.

Subject to these amendments the Committee AGREED to the Committee Forward Work Plan.

Attached are the draft Cabinet responses to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on the Circular Economy Strategy, and Infrastructure Funding Statement and s.106 Fund. These responses are expected to be agreed by Cabinet on 19 November 2024. The Committee is asked to NOTE the draft responses.

The Committee NOTED the Cabinet responses to the reports on the Circular Economy Strategy and the Infrastructure Funding Statement and s.106 Fund.

The Committee also NOTED that these responses were in draft, expected to be confirmed by Cabinet on 19 November 2024.