Agenda item

The following reports are presented from scrutiny committees:

·       Report of the Carbon Reduction Targets Working Group – Commissioned by the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee (CA7a)

·       Report of the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Scrutiny of Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (CA7b)

·       Recommendations of the Performance & Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee re 2022/23 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (CA7c)

The report of the Carbon Reduction Targets Working Group, commissioned by the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee, was presented by Councillor Yvonne Constance, Chair of the Working Group.  She summarised the seven recommendations in the report.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery & Environment, welcomed the report and thanked Councillor Constance for the report and for the foundations she laid as his predecessor in Cabinet.

The Chair noted that Oxfordshire had more Community Action Groups involved than any other county.  It was agreed to accept the recommendations and respond formally.

The report of the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee: Scrutiny of Local Transport and Connectivity Plan was introduced by Councillor Charlie Hicks, Deputy Chair of the Committee.  Most of the observations in the report related to the deliverability question.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel & Development Strategy, thanked the Committee and added that he planned to respond at their November meeting to outline the lessons from history and how they planned to learn from them.

The report of the People Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Voluntary Sector Strategy was presented by Councillor Ian Corkin, Chair.  He itemised the five recommendations which mostly related to consultation and concerns that the impression might be given that the needs of younger people might be de-prioritised in comparison to needs of older people.

Cabinet accepted the report and will respond formally.

Councillor Corkin introduced the Committee’s report on Digital Inclusion Strategy which had two recommendations: that the Council consult with parish, town, district and city councils as well as with businesses, particularly smaller ones, on the barriers they faced to ensuring the benefits of the internet were available to them.

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, responded that she accepted the recommendations in full and would respond formally.

The recommendations of the Performance & Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee re the 2022/23 Equality, Diversity And Inclusion Action Plan were introduced by Councillor Michael O’Connor, Deputy Chair.  They recommended that an annual report be published on the implementation and impact of the action plan and that the council publish an accessible overview of its work to deliver its strategic priority ‘Tackle inequalities in Oxfordshire’ and a dashboard of all relevant indicators of inequality to demonstrate its progress.

Councillor Mark Lygo, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Equality, responded that the first recommendation will be covered by the quarterly Business Management and Monitoring Reports and officers will make the second recommendation happen.  The Health & Wellbeing Board will be involved as well as scrutiny.

Cabinet accepted the recommendations and will respond formally.