Decisions

Awarding a contract to Action for Carers Oxfordshire will respond to the increasing needs of the community, ensuring that unpaid carers can live well and support the cared for person while receiving the necessary support.

Approve the proposal for Adult Social Care to award a contract for the carer support service to Action For Carers Oxfordshire from 1 April 2026, pooled budget £10,707,122.15 for a 10 year contract term plus pooled budget £625,250 for carer payments annum. 

To enter into a contract with a consultant to provide a multi-disciplinary team to lead the feasibility study, detailed design, manage the planning application, procure the build contractor, and act as project manager overseeing delivery of the project from feasibility through to completion.

Approval for Oxfordshire County Council to enter into a Contract for the Provision of Services as principal designer, technical adviser and project manager relating to a project to design and construct a new modern household recycling center to the south of Bicester Park & Ride, Oxfordshire.

The Contract Value is £488,200.66 (excluding VAT)

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 January 2026 be approved and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings.

This decision achieves the following key outcomes:

-          OCC will receive the necessary grant funding contribution from OxCity to be able to pay its chosen supplier (Connected Kerb) to deliver an additional 140 new GULO-funded chargers within its wider LEVI contract

-          The Department for Transport grant funded GULO will successfully be completed – meeting OxCity’s obligations to the funders at the Department of Transport and providing an additional 140 public EV charging sockets in Oxford

-          The existing estate of GULO P1 chargers will be operated by Connected Kerb under the OCC contract and will continue to provide a valuable service for residents

The responsibility for on-street public charging will sit with OCC which is clearer, more appropriate and easier to manage contractually than the prior temporary arrangements

In 2013, OxCity were granted special permission to be able to install, own and operate public EV chargers on the public Highway in order to deliver what was at the time an innovative trial of this type of EV charging technology as part of the Go Ultra Low Oxford project (GULO).

This was always intended to be a short-term practical arrangement to enable the OxCity-led project to go ahead; under normal circumstances OCC would not want assets to be installed and operated on the highway by third parties with whom OCC had no direct contractual relationship.

By 2015, around 51 chargepoint sockets had been delivered under the GULO project part 1 (GULO P1) but by 2022 the delivery of remainder of the scheme (GULO P2) had not been completed by OxCity.  Around the same time in 2022 the Department for Transport announced that OCC – as Highways Authority and strategic transport lead for Oxfordshire - would be receiving Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) grant funding and be expected to lead on the strategic planning and practical delivery of this large-scale public EV charging programme across the County.

It was agreed between OCC and OxCity at this point that no further public EV infrastructure would be installed on the Highway by OxCity, and that this would instead be delivered by OCC under their own chargepoint operator contracts, as was always in the intention in the long-term.

As a result of this decision around changing responsibilities, it was decided that:

-          a) OCC – via their chosen chargepoint operator - would adopt and be responsible for the existing on-street infrastructure that had been delivery by OxCity in the GULO P1 project

-          B) OxCity would transfer the remaining £402,000 of unspent GULO funding to OCC along with the responsibility for delivering the remaining 140 on-street EV charging sockets required to complete the GULO P2 project (to which Ox City insist on continuing to be responsible for to the funders at the Department of Transport).

-          c) In order to repay Ox City for their investment to date, OCC would pass to Ox City up to £451,000 from the income generated by the whole GULO charging estate over the next 15 years

A legally-binding GULO agreement has been drawn up to reflect the above responsibilities and financial and practical arrangements relating to the above decision.

The awards will support the purchase of 13 new electric vehicles and the conversion of a further 2 diesel minibuses. Various interior upgrades or additional features for a further 9 vehicles ranging from accessibility enhancements such as safety rails, installation of CCTV, USB chargers, 5G ready Wi-Fi and floor replacements.

The initiative has attracted an additional £4.056M in collective investment from the operators. It also enables timely investment in the local bus network utilising DfT Bus Grant.

The award of funding under the Vehicle Improvement Fund 2025/26 to local bus operators for upgrades to their bus fleets that aim to improve passenger experience and/or

advance the decarbonisation of the bus network.

The awards total £1.402M, (the maximum budget for this scheme was £1.443M), made up of seven individual grants.

A robust application and assessment process was followed in determining these awards, consistent with the DfT funding terms (MoU).

To secure external grant funding to support the establishment and ongoing operational activities of the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Chilterns RDSC, including maintaining free membership, delivering events and stakeholder engagement, maintaining an independent website, developing a regional capability “heat map”, and meeting MoD/UKDI reporting requirements through to 31 March 2027.

To accept the Ministry of Defence (MoD), acting through the UK Defence Innovation Organisation (UKDI), offer of grant funding (described as a “donation”) for a maximum of £109,932 for the period to 31 March 2027; and to authorise Oxfordshire County Council to act as the accountable authority / grant recipient on behalf of the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Chilterns RDSC, entering into the associated Grant Funding Agreement and complying with its terms, including reporting, audit and use-of-funds conditions.

Financial details: maximum grant £109,932 comprised of up to £47,780 in FY2025/26 and up to £62,152 in FY2026/27. Funding is revenue and must be applied only to eligible expenditure for the funded activities (e.g., project management/support, events, website, communications, branded materials, heat map development, quarterly reporting and assurance/audit fees). No overspend will be funded; any ineligible expenditure, duplicate funding or unspent monies may be subject to clawback/repayment under the Agreement.

The Safe Space project is a critical initiative aimed at supporting individuals with learning disabilities and / or autism who are experiencing a crisis that threatens their current living situation. 

The project aims to provide a community-based “Safe Space” 2 self-contained new builds with an additional staff / multi-purpose support space on site providing an alternative to hospital admission, allowing individuals to stay close to home whilst receiving intensive support to reset and stabilise their wellbeing.

To enter into a grant agreement to award Choice Support £1,550,891 to implement the decision of Cabinet to approve the inclusion of Safe Space into the capital programme with a budget of £1.795m (para 64-66).

The project will de-commission an existing building and build a new facility called ‘The Safe Space’ to be located on Wantage Road, Didcot. 

It will provide two self-contained single-storey buildings with enclosed gardens and parking spaces, as well as a third building to accommodate Support Provider staff who are on duty throughout the day and night, to enable safe withdrawal and monitoring of individuals in the safe space. 

This third building will also provide a flexible space for skills teaching, day support for crisis prevention and support moves back into longer term supported housing.