Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence should be notified to sue.whitehead@oxfordshire.gov.uk or Tel: 07393 001213 prior to the start of the meeting.

Apologies were received from Jeremy Long, Phil Shadbolt and David Smith

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Oxfordshire Growth Board held on 26 September 2016.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2016 were approved and signed as a correct record.

To receive communications from the Chairman

The Chairman proposed and it was agreed that the item he had agreed as urgent business on the Autumn Statement 2016 Briefing Note on the East-West Rail and Oxford Cambridge Expressway be taken as the final item.

Members of the public may ask questions of the Chairman of the Growth Board, or address the Growth Board on any substantive item at a meeting subject to the restrictions set out in the public participation scheme.

Deadline to submit questions: By Thursday 24 November 2016 in writing or email to the Chief Executive or Secretariat of the host authority

Deadline to submit requests to address the meeting: No later than noon on the day before the meeting (Tuesday 29 November 2016) in writing or email to the Chief Executive or Secretariat of the host authority

In accordance with the Public Participation Scheme, the Chairman invited

individuals and groups who had requested to address the meeting or who had

submitted questions to present them to the Board.

Public Address:

Councillor Hards, County Councillor for Didcot addressed the Board in relation to agenda item 8, Growth Board Work Programme.

Councillor Greene, County Councillor for Didcot East & Hagbourne addressed the Board in relation to agenda item 8, Growth Board Work Programme. In response to a question from Councillor Greene, made as part of his address, regarding the position in relation to vital work at Haddon Hill, Abingdon the Chairman noted that they had not had final details of the Local Growth Fund Bid but he was sure that representations would be made. Councillor Cotton, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council added that he concurred with Councillor Greene’s assessment of the importance of the project and hioped for a positive response.

Questions

The Chairman advised that responses to the submitted question would be

sent directly to the parties who had submitted them, made available on the

Growth Board webpages and published with the minutes of the meeting.

Presentation by Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health

The annual report summarises key issues associated with the Public Health of the County. It includes details of progress over the past year as well as information on future work.

It is an independent report for all organisations and individuals.

The report covers the following areas:

Chapter 1: The Demographic Challenge

Chapter 2: Building Healthy Communities

Chapter 3: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage

Chapter 4: Lifestyles and Preventing Disease Before it Starts

Chapter 5: Mental Health

Chapter 6: Fighting Killer Diseases

Jonathan Mc William, Director of Public Health presented his annual independent report that summarised key issues associated with the Public Health of the County. The report included details of progress over the past year as well as information on future work.

The report and presentation covered the following areas: The Demographic Challenge; Building Healthy Communities; Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage; Lifestyles and Preventing Disease Before it Starts; Mental Health and Fighting Killer Diseases

Jonathan McWilliam responded to specific questions on tackling obesity, the healthy schools programme, the alignment of the 5 year STP with our 20 year plan, the role of e-cigarettes in supporting smokers to quit, mental health and the young and housing for life, making the following points:

1.            On tackling obesity there was a need for a co-ordinated approach from everyone. It included planning communities, efforts at the national level, using local services better and in a more co-ordinated way, access to decent fresh food and education in schools.

2.            Jonathan McWilliam acknowledged that the Healthy Schools Programme was very good but commented that it would require a great deal of resource.

3.            Referring to the NHS STP he commented that the key locally was to make contact with the key stakeholders, to build up connections and to apply those basic principles of partnership working.

4.            An opportunity existed for GP’s to prescribe e-cigarettes on prescription but he wasn’t aware if anyone had done so.

5.            Mental health and the young was covered in the report and he outlined the approach to encourage young people to come forward when under stress.

6.            In order to influence housing supply to encourage housing for life early involvement of health and social care professions was important. The challenge was to get from measures of demand to getting them built in a sensible way.

To update the Board on progress with developing its future work programme. 

Recommendation

That the Growth Board notes progress with developing its work programme to date.

The Growth Board considered a report that updated the Board on progress with developing its future work programme including a statement from the Chief Executives following recent meetings.

Councillor Cotton expressed concern over the housing figures to the last meeting in respect of the lack of differentiation between the general number and the numbers of affordable housing required. He referred to problems in his own area of meeting the current target for affordable housing. He noted that the needs of Oxford City was skewed towards the need for affordable housing and was worried that potentially houses would be built that did not meet this need. Councillor Price noted that affordability was a County wide issue. In their Local Plan there was no single definition but rather a concern to make housing available for the different groups that needed it.

Bev Hindle commented that in the figures there had been no distinguishing between affordable housing numbers and the rest and that a piece of work may be needed to look particular need and to consider how it can be implemented through districts and their Local Plans.

RESOLVED: the Growth Board noted progress with developing its work programme to date and asked officers to look into a piece of work aimed at further distinguishing particular need within the overall housing figures in the SHMA.

Report Contact: Paul Staines, Growth Board Programme Manager

To receive the City Deal and  Growth Fund: Exception Report and appendix -City Deal and Growth Fund  Programme Report: September  2016 and (to be circulated separately).

The Oxfordshire Growth Board received the City Deal and  Growth Fund: Exception Report and appendix -City Deal and Growth Fund  Programme Report: September  2016.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)          Note progress with the projects detailed in appendix one of this report.

(b)          Ask the Executive Officer Group(EOG) to review those projects flagged as amber- requiring monitoring- and develop proposals to bring the projects back to green status for the next meeting of the Board.

Nigel Tipple

The Oxfordshire Growth Board noted an update from Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive, OXLEP on progress with the SEP refresh, on a successful science and innovation audits bid and on information on european structural funding.

The Chairman has agreed that the following be considered as an item of urgent business in order that consideration can be given to it in a timely manner:

Autumn Statement 2016 Briefing Note on East-West Rail and Oxford-Cambridge Expressway

The Chairman had agreed that the item on the Autumn Statement 2016 Briefing Note on East-West Rail and Oxford-Cambridge Expressway

be considered as an item of urgent business in order that consideration can be given to it in a timely manner.