Decision details
2026/27 Quarterly Service Review Q1
Decision Maker: Executive
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decisions:
Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, presented the item, the purpose of which was to provide details of the Council’s operational performance at the end of 2026-27 Quarter One (Q1).
In his presentation Councillor Smith made the following points:
West Oxfordshire District Council had delivered a strong Q1 performance, with the majority of key service indicators having met or exceeded targets.
Good progress had been reported against Council Plan priorities and had included:
· Salt Cross Garden Village had continued to progress, with updated planning and Section 106 arrangements and further planning submissions expected later in 2026.
· Carterton regeneration had progressed through the development of strategic priorities and proposals for a new Place Board.
· Town centre improvement programmes had continued across the district, and included improved Charter Markets and the Witney High Street Improvement Scheme.
· Marriotts Walk had maintained high occupancy, and only one vacant unit remained.
· The Windrush Leisure Centre decarbonisation project was nearing completion and awaited a permanent power connection.
· The new Local Plan had reached a significant milestone, with the Regulation 19 Draft Local Plan having been published ahead of public consultation.
Councillor Smith noted the following key areas of strong performance
· Customer Satisfaction (100% against a target of 90%)
· Percentage of FOI requests answered within 20 days (94% against a target of 90%)
· Building Control Satisfaction (92% against a target of 90%)
· Percentage of planning applications determined within agreed timescales 97% or better across all application types.
· Percentage of Planning Appeals Allowed (0% against a target of 30%)
· Percentage of high-risk notifications and food premises inspected within target timescales (100%)
· Leisure visits & gym memberships (214,820 against a target of 205,000) & (5,654 against a target of 5,650)
Improvement was required in the following:
· Land Charges, reporting 10.47% of searches completed within 10 days against a 90% target. Average search time was currently reported at 16 days. However, a recovery plan was being implemented and would improve performance in the autumn. The underlying quality of the service had always been excellent and was reflected in the service being awarded the HM Land Registry Gold Standard Accreditation.
· Affordable Housing: 6 affordable homes were delivered against a quarterly target of 69. The shortfall largely reflected the timing of developments, with additional completions expected later in the year.
There were no alternative options on this report.
Councillor Smith proposed accepting the recommendations in the report.
Councillor Andy Graham seconded the proposal and praised Council staff for their diligent work which contributed to the performance.
The proposal was put to the vote and agreed unanimously.
The Executive resolved to:
1. Note the 2026/27 Q1 service performance report.
Report author: Alison Borrett
Publication date: 10/09/2026
Date of decision: 09/09/2026
Decided at meeting: 09/09/2026 - Executive
Accompanying Documents:
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