Agenda item

Report by the Leader of the Council.

This report covers the Cabinet meetings on 10 September 2025, 16 September 2025 and 21 October 2025.

Council received the report of Cabinet covering its meetings for 10 September 2025, 16 September 2025 and 21 October 2025.

On Item 1: Strategic Plan

Councillor Baines asked how the proposals by the administration will be more ambitious than that required and funded by central government in regard to establishing new Best Start Family Hubs.  Councillor Fawcett responded on behalf of the Leader and said he will ask Councillor Leffman to respond in writing and indicated that it was planned to put additional resource into family hubs.

Councillor Phillips asked how it was concluded that the strategic plan was aligned with the residents’ priorities when none of the primary or secondary priorities listed by residents made any reference to being greener. Councillor Fawcett responded that the consultation response was part of the evidence base that was looked at in drawing up the strategic plan and that the mandate for the majority administration was based on climate change and making Oxfordshire greener.

Item 3: Oxford temporary congestion charges

Councillor Pressel asked why there was such a short lead time in the period for the implementation of the congestion charge and why some of the information leaflets were not distributed on time. Councillor Gant responded that the leaflets were delivered very efficiently. The Councillor further responded that it was appropriate to deliver the benefits of this scheme as soon as possible, which is what had been done.

Councillor Baines asked what plans were in place to monitor any modal shift from driving to cycling during the operation of the temporary congestion charge and what steps would be taken if the resultant shift was below the levels required to deliver the target reduction in car journeys. Councillor Gant responded that precise changes from one mode to the other, particularly with cycling and pedestrians, was difficult to measure. He further responded that these schemes did not exist in isolation, and the ambition was to create a better county by making everybody's journeys better.

Councillor Fry asked that with growing evidence of resignations among badly needed school and hospital staff, would the cabinet member give urgent consideration to extending permit exemptions to these workers, if their employers support such exemption, to staunch the outflow of valuable staff. Councillor Gant responded that he would request that the evidence of resignations be provided to him. He further responded that access to Oxford hospital sites was central to the policy, and that one cannot get the benefits unless one supports the policies.

Councillor Graham asked how many applications have been received for exemptions and if he could ensure that officers responded to these exemptions. Councillor Gant responded that the figure was around 63,000 altogether of which around 50,000 were from within Oxford and Oxfordshire. He further said that the officers in customer services do a brilliant job.

Councillor Brighouse asked for discussions to be held with ambulance authorities and various organisations that operate ambulances around the city because it was virtually impossible for many people on the eastern bypass to try and move out of their way. The Councillor further asked if congestion was being monitored. Councillor Gant responded that the impact of the scheme would be monitored very carefully and verified and audited by external contractors. The Councillor further said that he cannot possibly comment on the individual experience of a particular ambulance on a particular road but he was happy to continue discussions.

Councillor Brant asked about the progress on Oxford's new congestion charges and the response of bus companies. Councillor Gant responded that he could not comment on behalf of the bus companies but that the uptake of the Free Park and Rides had been substantial.

Councillor Malik asked about tackling congestion which now sits on Marsh Lane instead of the Marston Ferry Road where there is a charge. He further asked as to how the congestion would be dealt with when people were travelling to get to the eastern bypass and avoid the charge on Hollow Way. Councillor Gant responded that the system was carefully designed by expert officers over a very long period and that it was not about certain roads but  about managing the way traffic moves around the city as a whole.

Item 4: Future Bus Regulation Options

Councillor Epps asked what government support was being made available

towards purchasing bus fleets and depots. Councillor Gant responded that there was no support from central government.

Councillor Baines asked, with regard to the £150,000 that would pay for a detailed franchising plan and detailed proposals for franchising, could the cabinet member outline what had become of this funding and why it was not spent as agreed by Council. Councillor Gant responded that it had been spent and that £150,000 did not come anywhere near the cost of a franchising assessment or the implementation.

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Councillor Middleton asked about the problem that non-profitable rural routes

cannot be subsidised by the Council because it does not reap the benefits from the more profitable routes which have been franchised to private companies. Councillor Gant responded that the partnership with the bus companies was very successful, including the payment for electric buses.

Councillor Garnett noted that in Oxfordshire congestion charge revenues were effectively handed over to the bus companies, but the Council does not have a direct say in what service will be run. Councillor Gant responded that the bus companies provided the biggest share of investment which was a good deal and that the review of the bus franchising model will be a matter for any possible future Mayoral Combined Authority.

Councillor Fry asked if revenues raised by congestion charges will be directed towards services such as the 17 bus route, under Enhanced Partnership Plus. Councillor Gant responded that regular meetings were held with bus companies on routes.

Councillor Malik asked if Councillor Gant would use his influence to provide residents of Cowley with a bus service from the east to the north of the city.  Councillor Gant said that some of the improved services already announced by the bus companies were as a direct result of the congestion charge policy and he was happy to talk to the councillor about his proposal.

Item 5: Update to the Street Lighting and Illuminated Assets Policy with respect to Part Night Lighting

Councillor Cherry asked about the part time lighting consultation and the anxiety it caused. Councillor Roberts responded that officers together with councillors would have to determine that the night time lighting policy was suitable.

Councillor Pressel noted that the plans for street lighting were supposed to benefit wildlife, but LED lighting was actually bad for wildlife. She asked why the Council had introduced it. Councillor Roberts responded that, with regard to LED lighting, it depended on what wavelengths were used in the lights and not all of them were bad for wildlife.

Councillor Fry asked that motion-activated lighting be included as one of the options during local consultation. Councillor Roberts responded that motion-activated lighting was not available, and the costs would need to be determined before that system could be implemented.

Councillor Creed asked about the impact of night lighting on the safety of young women. Councillor Roberts responded that those safety concerns were important and that everyone in an area would have to agree for this lighting option to happen.

Councillor Rawlins asked that a proactive approach be undertaken to appropriate parish councils based on the officers’ judgement, as suggested by the scrutiny committee, by specifically writing to identified parishes with a proposal seeking support. Councillor Roberts responded that it should be seen how the policy lands before encouraging people in areas where it would seem appropriate to at least look at it and engage with them as to whether there is an interest in the area.

Item 6: Oxfordshire County Council's Biodiversity Action Framework and Action Plan

Councillor Pressel asked why there was no reference to working with schools. Councillor Roberts responded that work was being undertaken with schools that were local authority schools and that they had actually implemented a lot of carbon saving projects with them by putting photovoltaic cells on their roofs. The Councillor further said that it will need be checked with the officers whether it is within the scope of the framework and action plan.

Councillor Barlow asked what actions Councillor Roberts will be asking each cabinet member to take to ensure biodiversity targets were embedded in each of their portfolios and thus delivering the 43 actions in an integrated way across the Council. Councillor Roberts responded that if there were any specific actions that need to be looked at, she will take those away to the officers.

Councillor Garnett asked that runaway road building be stopped in the county and stated that better public transport for new housing developments was needed. It was essential for preserving biodiversity. Councillor Roberts responded that that was the aim of most of the local transport connectivity plan and the Council was trying very hard to repurpose parts of the network and to increase all of the transport schemes.

Councillor Fry asked if, in relation to biodiversity, the Council could give priority to schemes that generated benefits in a short period and were more easily verified, even if more costly. Councillor Roberts responded that most of the biodiversity gain was actually funded by developers with very clear-cut legal requirements and, on those, the funding cannot be adjusted. Furthermore, the Council was keen to increase biodiversity right across the county.

The agenda item was concluded by the Chair on reaching the constitutional time limit of 30 minutes as set out in CPR 2.4.