Agenda item

Report by the Corporate Director for Customers and Organisational Development

To discuss this item which will be taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 20 July 2021.

That meeting is to

·         seek approval of the approach to the development of a new corporate plan for the period commencing 2022/23, including a programme of public consultation and stakeholder engagement to take place in the Autumn and

·         endorse the priorities of the Fair Deal Alliance for Oxfordshire to form the basis of the new corporate plan.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider the Cabinet report attached as Appendix 1 with its associated Annex attached as Appendix 2 and present their findings to the Cabinet meeting on 20 July 2021.

The Committee had before it a report setting out the policy objectives and areas of priority for the new Council administration.  The Committee had been invited to present their comments to the Cabinet meeting on 20 July 2021.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, introduced the item.  The nine objectives laid out had been agreed between the three parties that made up the new administration.  It was a pre-cursor to a new Corporate Plan and outlined the principles by which the Council will be judged.

Councillor Dan Levy welcomed the list of priorities.  He believed that the administration will be judged on the delivery of its policies.  He suggested an alternative strap-line “A greener, fairer county” to replace “A great place to live, learn, work or visit.”

Councillor Ian Corkin welcomed the new administration setting out its stall, the consequences of which would play out over the four-year term.  In the wake of the pandemic, Public Health and preventive measures will become more important.  There was nothing in the document on the Integrated Care System which was going to be increasingly important going forward.  Digital infrastructure was an essential enabler and the Council needed to show leadership in this.

Councillor Corkin added that the real challenge was to prioritise, given limited time and resources.  Environmental concerns were prominent throughout the objectives and it was right that the Council should show leadership but its ability to affect these concerns was relatively small.  He noted that there was no reference to Looked After Children for whom councillors were Corporate Parents.

Councillor Kieron Mallon expressed concerns that:

·         green issues were going to be prioritised over business interests;

·         some green travel plans had not worked elsewhere because they did not address the real needs of people;

·         there was still a need for better roads and parking;

·         it was easy to provide public transport on arterial routes but many people did not live near these and there were no buses at all in rural areas.

·         active travel proposals were too skewed towards cycling over walking.

Addressing issues of equality, Councillor Mallon added that increasing use of digital can exclude, particularly those with visual or hearing impairment.  He believed that young males from disadvantaged backgrounds were often forgotten when it came to equality concerns, despite the fact that data indicates they have among the lowest educational attainment.

Councillor Mallon added that Members could not shift responsibility for decisions onto stakeholders or pressure groups.  Many people did not have the time to engage with consultations.  Elected representatives at all levels had a good understanding of their local areas.

The Chair commented that it was one thing to identify what to prioritise but, with limited resources, something else therefore had to be de-prioritised.  The document did not say what would be trimmed back.  If it was intended to increase Council funding, he asked if that would be achieved by increasing tax over inflation or building more houses.  He added a suggestion to allocate budgets to localities.

Councillor Andy Graham noted that they currently had to work within the existing budgetary situation but asked if there was an intention to increase the Council’s income.  He also urged that the consultation should ensure meaningful engagement with young people.

Councillor Brad Baines welcomed the ambitions in the document and made the following observations:

·         there was no mention of poverty.

·         how would inequality be monitored and problems flagged?

·         public engagement should go further, such as calling a citizens’ assembly and giving access to the data informing decisions.

·         he called for voluntary adoption of Clause 1 of the Equality Act which he said had never been brought into force.

Councillor Michael O’Connor welcomed the focus on inequality, children and climate change as well as the emphasis on democracy.  He asked what opportunity there would be for non-Cabinet Members to input from this point on and supported the citizens’ assembly idea.

Councillor Robin Bennett warned of consultation fatigue.  He would like to see more co-working and co-production. He asked what measurements and baselines would be used to monitor progress and if the corporate plan priorities would drive the budget and not just reflect it.

Councillor Ian Middleton stated that it was more accurate to say that all the priorities were informed by climate change rather than it being prioritised above other areas.  He believed that businesses wanted climate change tackled.  Business as usual was uneconomic.  With regard to funding, he noted that there was an underspend by the Council of £5.9m last year.

In response to the Committee’s comments, Cabinet Members responded as follows:

Councillor Leffman accepted the points on Public Health, digital infrastructure and exclusion as well as Corporate Parenting and would take those away.  She recalled that the Peer Review had also suggested locality budgets and agreed to look at that.

Councillor Calum Miller, Cabinet Member for Finance, reiterated that no virements were proposed to finance the objectives.  The budgetary situation was tight and he did not expect anything from central government.  They were exploring local options.  The previous administration had already increased council tax and the situation with social care was becoming more stable.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, added that some good points had been made in regard to transport.  The Council needed to use its purchasing power to support a change in culture.  He would work closely with the city and district councils as well as business to create an environment in which they can thrive.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, responded that by bringing children’s social care and education into the one portfolio the new administration had shown its commitment to helping children achieve their full potential.  Some of the lowest attainment levels in the country were found in the city and she intended to tackle such inequalities.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, noted that Oxfordshire had to recognise that three Earths would be needed if the whole world used resources at the rate that we do.  He was committed to a citizens’ assembly on climate change and perhaps it could be asked other questions.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, asked for help from all to lobby for more funding for adult social care as this was one of the most under-funded areas.  Demand was increasing but new ways of helping people to live more independently at home would make more effective use of the resources available.

Councillor Leffman assured Members that there would be opportunity for all councillors to contribute at every stage.  She also wanted to involve Parish and Town Councils.

It was agreed that the comments for Cabinet would be compiled for the Chair and Deputy Chair, and circulated to Members of the Committee if time permitted.  Any further comments should be emailed to the Secretary.

RESOLVED: to consider the Cabinet report attached as Appendix 1 with its associated Annex attached as Appendix 2 and present their findings to the Cabinet meeting on 20 July 2021.