Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Apologies were received from Cllr Brant (substitute: Cllr Roberts).

See guidance note on the back page.

There were none.

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meetings held on 22 April 2026 and on 12 May 2026.

Subject to attaching “and expressed concern about the resourcing of the Environment Agency which often led to untimely engagement.” to the sixth paragraph of 17/26 Minerals and Waste Planning, the minutes of the meeting on 22 April 2026 and of 12 May 2026 were AGREED as  true and accurate records.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9.00 am three working days before the meeting, i.e., Friday 19 June, 2026.

Requests should be submitted 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 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 9.00 am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

Where there are a number of requests from persons wishing to present similar views on the same issue, the Chair may require that the views be put by a single spokesperson. It is expected that only in exceptional circumstances will a person (or organisation) be allowed to address more than one meeting on a particular issue in any period of six months.

There were none.

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.

Attached is the Cabinet response to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on 16 June, 2026. The Committee is asked to NOTE the response.

The Committee NOTED the Cabinet response to the report on Repair of Defects and Super-users.

The Committee was advised that the outstanding response to its recommendations on Road Safety was being progressed.

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.

The Committee is also recommended to AGREE to schedule an additional meeting on 21 October 2026.

The Committee AGREED to an additional meeting on 21 October 2026 and to the proposed work programme, adding an item on Highways Preparedness for Winter to the October meeting and one on a review of changes at Household Waste and Recycling Centres to the November one.

Cllr Gareth Epps, Cabinet Member for Transport, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, and Ashley Hayden, Team Leader, have been invited to present a report on OxBUS 2040: Plan for Bus and Enhanced Partnership Plus.

The Committee is asked to CONSIDER the proposed approach, content, engagement and consultation for the OxBus 2040: Plan for Bus and the Enhanced Partnership Plus, including delivery timescales, RAISE any questions, and AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet.

The Committee had requested a report on OxBus 20240: Plan for Bus and Enhanced Partnership Plus. 

Councillor Gareth Epps, Cabinet member for Transport, attended to present the report accompanied by Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Ashley Hayden, Team Leader (Area Travel Plans), and Katharine Broomfield, Integrated Transport Programme Lead.

Cllr Epps introduced the report, setting out the emerging OxBUS 2040 Plan as a high-level strategic framework establishing the long-term direction for bus services in Oxfordshire, supported by the Enhanced Partnership Plus (EP+) as the principal delivery mechanism.

The Cabinet member explained that the Plan was being brought forward at an early stage to enable scrutiny input and influence prior to public consultation, and that it would operate as a strategic “vision and outcomes” document aligned with the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.

The Cabinet Member highlighted three core priorities, namely: improving journey reliability and safety with a network that works for both rural and urban communities; seamless, integrated travel; a cleaner, greener bus network.  He emphasised that the Plan did not propose specific service changes but rather set a framework for delivery through EP+ and that he welcomed the opportunity to understand members’ priorities.  The Cabinet member acknowledged that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution meant that change was inevitable but that the current Plan needed to set out the vision and outcomes regardless of future changes.

In discussion, Members broadly welcomed the ambition of the Plan but raised a range of substantive issues relating to delivery, funding, and network design. A significant portion of the discussion focused on rural connectivity and the tension between aspiration and resource availability. Members emphasised that many rural routes were not commercially viable but were essential to residents as “lifeline services” enabling access to employment, healthcare, and education.

The Committee asked how the proposed identification of “socially necessary services” would translate into sustainable delivery. Officers explained that the first step would be to define and publish a list of such services, supported by a comprehensive network review, and that delivery could involve a mix of traditional operators, community transport and voluntary provision. They advised that funding was likely to depend on grants, developer contributions and existing budgets, and acknowledged that the financial context remained challenging. Members also explored the legal implications of the designation, noting officers’ advice that it would require a robust mitigation process before adverse changes were made, but would not itself secure funding or prevent service withdrawals.

The Committee then considered the EP+ arrangements and the extent to which these would strengthen the Council’s ability to shape the bus network. Officers advised that the effect would depend on how commitments were drafted, but that EP+ could include legally binding obligations, provide greater influence over network design, introduce open-book accounting and require operators to demonstrate that mitigation had been exhausted before service changes were made. Members recognised the potential benefits of these arrangements but stressed the need for a comprehensive financial and risk assessment, particularly where operators might seek to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32/26

Cllr Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, and Susannah Wintersgill, Director of Public Affairs, Policy, and Partnerships, have been invited to present a report on the Council’s Flag-Flying Protocol which sets out a proposed policy for flying flags on the buildings and land owned by or managed by the Council.  It does not refer to flags flown on highways or assets which are treated separately under enforcement powers.

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

The Committee had requested a report on the Flag Flying Protocol before it was submitted for Cabinet approval.

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet member for Resources, Councillor Neil Fawcett, introduced the report and explained that its purpose was to set out clearly the Council's approach to flag flying. Susanna Wintersgill, Director of Public Affairs, Policy and Partnerships, advised that the Council had previously operated through custom and practice and that the proposed Protocol sought to formalise arrangements and preserve institutional knowledge.

During discussion, members proposed a number of amendments and points of clarification.

The Committee suggested that the Protocol should include provision for the Council flag to be flown at half-mast following the death of a serving or former councillor, particularly on the day of the funeral. The Cabinet Member indicated that he would be content for such an amendment to be incorporated.

Members also proposed several drafting changes. It was suggested that references to “Holocaust Day” should be amended to “Holocaust Memorial Day” and that the Chair of Council should be added to the group responsible for considering requests for discretionary flag flying. The Cabinet Member agreed that the latter proposal was appropriate, whilst noting the need to avoid creating an unduly cumbersome process.

The Committee noted a factual error in the report relating to the description of flags that could be flown without consent under planning legislation. It was observed that the report omitted reference to flags of international organisations of which the United Kingdom is a member and that this should be corrected. Members otherwise considered that the report provided an appropriate balance between flexibility and consistency.

Members questioned the inclusion within the Protocol of a provision for the flying of a white flag in certain circumstances. Officers explained that this had been suggested by Legal Services as a neutral means of recognising conflicts involving other countries without displaying the flag of a particular nation. Several members expressed concern that a white flag could be interpreted as a symbol of surrender and proposed that this provision be removed. The Cabinet Member indicated that he would welcome such a recommendation from the Committee.

The Committee AGREED to make the following observations to Cabinet:

1. That Holocaust Memorial Day should be consistently referred to as such rather than Holocaust Day;

2. That paragraph 4.8 of the Protocol should more correctly reference the Town and County Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 (as amended).

The Committee AGREED to make the following recommendations to Cabinet:

1. That the Council should include reference to a flag flying at half-mast to commemorate the death of sitting and former councillors, including Honorary Aldermen;

2. That the Council should ensure that the Chair of Council is consulted by the Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer in relation to civic flag flying.

3. That the Council should remove reference to flying a white flag from the Protocol.