Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

See guidance below.

There were none.

Any county councillor may, by giving notice to the Proper Officer by 9 am two working days before the meeting, ask a question on any matter in respect of the Cabinet Member’s delegated powers.

The number of questions which may be asked by any councillor at any one meeting is limited to two (or one question with notice and a supplementary question at the meeting) and the time for questions will be limited to 30 minutes in total. As with questions at Council, any questions which remain unanswered at the end of this item will receive a written response.

Questions submitted prior to the agenda being despatched are shown below and will be the subject of a response from the appropriate Cabinet Member or such other councillor or officer as is determined by the Cabinet Member, and shall not be the subject of further debate at this meeting. Questions received after the despatch of the agenda, but before the deadline, will be shown on the Schedule of Addenda circulated at the meeting, together with any written response which is available at that time.

There was 1 question asked, with the question and answer available to view in an Addenda on the meeting page on the Council’s website.

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 are submitted by no later than 9.00 a.m. four working days before the meeting. 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, your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9.00 a.m. two working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than one A4 sheet.

Public speakers were invited to address the meeting. Other members of the public were present and were given the opportunity to make remarks if they wished. A list of speakers who registered to speak can be seen below:

5. Dark Skies – Street Lighting Illumination Proposals

-       Cllr Mark Lygo

-       Cllr Trish Elphinstone

-       Cllr Donna Ford

-       Cllr Liz Brighouse

-       Cllr Charlie Hicks

-       Cllr Glynis Phillips

-       Cllr Susanna Pressel

-       Lisa Ward

-       Oxford City Cllr Christopher Smowton

-       Oxford City Cllr Lois Muddiman

-       Bicester Town Cllr Sam Holland

-       Katherine Kaye

-       Patrick Coulter

-       Tara Howard

-       Dr Steven Knight

6. Household Waste Recycling Centre Network: Introduction of Booking System

-       Cllr Donna Ford.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 October 2024 and to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 October 2024 were approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/299

Contact: Matt Archer, Portfolio Manager: Central Programme Delivery (Matt.Archer@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CMDDLC5).

The Deputy Leader is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Approve the proposed Highway Street Lighting Profiles, specifically with regard to operational hours and illumination levels as set out in this paper.

The Chair invited public speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

Officers acknowledged the failings of the report, thanked all contributors for their comments and committed to take onboard comments that had been made. Continuing, it was noted that the policy agreed in 2022 would also have been refreshed, along with the report before the meeting as they were interlinked, rather than isolated, papers.

The Chair noted the supporting parts of the policy were not all put together and also confirmed that officers did work with Thames Valley Police on the framework of the proposals.

The Chair highlighted that the reasons for switching off lights was to avoid waste of lights being on that didn’t need to be, and that persistent night lighting causes public health impacts to sleep, as well being toxic to wildlife.

It was noted that the paper was flawed for what it did not say. The Chair confirmed that there was no intention for this to go ahead in Oxford City or for a cumulative ‘big switch-off’ at the same time as it was a National Grid function. It would be done to communities where they wanted it to happen.

The Chair noted that contributions at the meeting had reaffirmed the case-by-case approach that was needed, and that the countryside would be the appropriate place to start, rather than in urban areas.

The Chair noted that 55% of Councils have some type of Dark Skies policy.  

The Chair accepted that the Equalities Impact Assessment was not up to standard.

The Chair noted the implications for crime, both positively and negatively, for having street lights on in areas and stated that the Council would work with the police moving forward.

The Chair thanked all speakers for their contributions and agreed to defer the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED to:

Defer the recommendations below:

a) Approve the proposed Highway Street Lighting Profiles, specifically with regard to operational hours and illumination levels as set out in this paper.

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/269

Contact: Rachel Townsend, Circular Economy Projects Officer (Rachel.Townsend@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CMDDLC6).

The Deputy Leader is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Approve the introduction of booking systems at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), supported by the provision of Meet and Greet site staff. 

b)    Delegate authority to the Director of Environment and Highways in consultation with the Head of Legal Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer to agree modifications to the existing HWRC contracts with the contractors and enter into any necessary agreements.

The Chair invited speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

The Chair noted that these measures were partly a necessity in the short-term, due to Redbridge HWRC closing temporarily.

Officers noted concerns surrounding fly-tipping but pointed to other local authorities introducing similar measures where it had not increased.

Officers also noted that controlling demand was about tackling trade waste abuse, which does not impact genuine household waste users.

It was pointed out that the Ardley HWRC would be moved to a different site, which would cause a period of closure during the gap of moving, further adding to pressures.

Officers stated that they expected to make savings from the introduction of the scheme, which included the cost of implementing the scheme.

The Chair thanked speakers for their useful contributions and agreed to the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve the introduction of booking systems at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), supported by the provision of Meet and Greet site staff.

b)    Delegate authority to the Director of Environment and Highways in consultation with the Head of Legal Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer to agree modifications to the existing HWRC contracts with the contractors and enter into any necessary agreements.