Agenda and minutes
PDF 62 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 1NB. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services
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Apologies for Absence To receive any apologies for absence from Members of the Council. Minutes: Apologies for Absence were received from the following Members: Councillors Hugo Ashton, Phil Godfrey, Rizvana Poole, Andrew Lyon, Ed James, Mark Johnson, Alistair Wray, and Colin Dingwall. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Council on any items to be considered at the meeting. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest made by Members of the Council.
The Chair drew Members’ attention to Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which provided that if any Members were in Council Tax arrears of two or more months, they must have declared the fact and could therefore not vote on the Budget or Council Tax resolutions. |
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Minutes of Previous Meeting To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Wednesday 31 January 2024. Minutes: Councillor Alaric Smith asked that the word “perceived” be removed from the minutes of the previous meeting, in the minutes text of “Motion A: Thames Water Sewage 'Task Force'”. This was subsequently amended by Democratic Services.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, proposed that the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Wednesday 31 January 2024, be agreed by Council as a true and accurate record, and signed by the Chair.
This was seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright, was put to a vote, and was agreed unanimously by Council.
Council Resolved to: 1. Agree the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Wednesday 31 January 2024, as a true and accurate record. |
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Receipt of Announcements To receive any announcements from the Chair, Leader of the Council, Members of the Executive, the Chief Executive Officer, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance. Minutes: Councillor Andrew Coles, Chair of the Council, welcome all attendees to the meeting, and thanked the public in attendance and those watching the meeting online for joining Council.
The Chair thanked Councillor Elizabeth Poskitt, Vice-Chair of the Council, for Chairing the last meeting of Council. The Chair stated they’d watched the Council meeting online whilst on holiday and that it was pleasing to see the new Council Chamber in action.
The Chair asked Members to remember Sergeant Darren Ostler of Royal Air Force Station Brize Norton, who had suddenly passed away. Sergeant Ostler, a C-130 Hercules Aircraft Engineer, was a prominent, well-known, and much-loved Member of the RAF Brize Norton community, in particular with his comrades on No. 47 Squadron. The Chair offered the Council’s condolences to Sgt Ostler’s family, friends and Royal Air Force colleagues at a very difficult time.
The Chair advised Members of an invitation to a Quiz Night, being held in the Committee Rooms on Friday 17 May 2024, in support of the Chair’s chosen charities. The Chair also advised there would be a raffle to support their charities, and that donations would be gratefully received.
The Chair also drew Member’s attention to some all-Member briefings that were to take place in the future. There would be an online GLL and Leisure Briefing, on Tuesday 5 March 2024, starting at 5.30pm. There would also be an all-Member briefing regarding the Boundary Commission after the next meeting of Council on Wednesday 13 March 2024, and an online briefing regarding Health and Well-Being would take place on Thursday 14 March 2024 at 6pm, with the Council’s Community Wellbeing Manager, Heather McCulloch. The Chair encouraged all Members to attend wherever possible.
The Chair welcomed Christine Elsasser, who had joined the Council’s Democratic Services Team. Christine Elsasser had joined the Council until Summer 2024 to provide cover and resilience to the Democratic Services Team in the absence of Michelle Ouzman. Michelle Ouzman had been unwell and had taken time away from the Council. The Chair passed on their best wishes to Michelle Ouzman and wished them a speedy and full recovery, adding they would look forwarding to welcoming Michelle Ouzman back to the Council soon.
The Chair advised Council that the next meeting would take place on Wednesday 13 March 2024 at 2.00pm in the Council Chamber.
Councillor Charlie Maynard, Executive Member for Planning and Sustainable Development, advised Council that a High Court Judge had ruled that the Planning Inspectorate was incorrect to ‘water down’ the Council’s Net-Zero Plans for the Salt Cross Area Garden Village. The Executive Member relayed a short statement that had been made regarding the Site, adding they were proud of the work that had been undertaken previously by Officers and Local Councillors regarding the site. |
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Participation of the Public No requests for public participation were received by the deadline of 12.00pm on Monday 19 February 2024.
Minutes: There was no public participation at the meeting. |
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Questions by Members The following questions have been submitted by Members of Council to Members of the Executive, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules (Constitution Part 5A, Rule 12). Oral responses will be provided at the meeting. Following receipt of the answer to their question, Members are entitled to ask one supplementary question at the meeting. The Questions and Answers will be detailed in the minutes of the meeting.
Question 1 from Councillor Michele Mead to Councillor Joy Aitman, Executive Member for Stronger Healthy Communities: Can you tell us how many local organisations have been successful in reaching their fundraising goals through Westhive and how much has WODC given so far (not including current pledges)?
Question 2 from Councillor Thomas Ashby to Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance: Can the Executive Member provide a breakdown of costings for the refurbishment of Committee Rooms 1 and 2?
Question 3 from Councillor Thomas Ashby to Councillor Tim Sumner, Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects: There is a significant sum of S106 money which is designated for an Adventure Play Area in West Witney. Can the Executive Member provide me with an update on the progress on this please? Minutes: Questions by Members, as listed on the agenda, and the responses to those questions, which were circulated in advance, were taken as read. The Chair invited the questioners to ask a supplementary question if they wished and then invited the relevant Executive Members to respond. The Written Questions, Written Answers, Verbal Supplementary Questions and Verbal Supplementary Answers are detailed in a separate document appended to the Minutes of the Meeting. |
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Recommendations from the Executive Purpose: To agree recommendations made to Council by the Executive from its meetings since 31 January 2024, other than recommendations relating to the budget which are included at agenda item 9.
Recommendation: The Executive resolved to recommend to Council to:
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Change, introduced the report, which sought to agree recommendations made to Council by the Executive, from its meetings since 31 January 2024, other than recommendations relating to the budget which were included at agenda item 9.
The Executive Member thanked the Climate Change Officer Team, and the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, for their work and comments respectively, which both helped to formulate the Nature Recovery Plan to be recommended by the Executive to Council for adoption.
In debate, Members queried resource levels within the Council’s Planning Team and if improved staffing levels would help to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain and the ambitions of the Nature Recovery Plan. The Executive Member stated that a specialist Ecologist would be recruited, which would help strengthen commitments and ambitions surrounding Biodiversity Net Gain.
It was also highlighted that the findings of an external judicial review would allow the Council to impose their own standards surrounding Biodiversity Net Gain. The Executive Member further emphasised the importance of Biodiversity Net Gain on the district and wider region.
Councillor Andrew Prosser proposed that Council agree to the recommendations as listed on the report. This was seconded by Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council.
Council Resolved to:
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Purpose Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 places a duty on the Chief Financial Officer to make a report to the Council on the robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy of the Council’s reserves.
Recommendation That Council resolves to: 1. Note the report and have regard to it when making its decisions about budget and Council Tax for 2024/25. Minutes: Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, introduced the report, which provided an update to Council on the robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy of the Council’s reserves. Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 placed a duty on the Chief Financial Officer to bring a report to Council.
In debate, Members referred to the Council’s Transformation Group, which was set up to address challenges faced by local Councils during the current economic climate, and how to use Council assets to the fullest extent. Members also highlighted that the Council’s corporate priorities should have been taken into consideration during a public consultation, made available to residents as part of the Budget setting process. It was subsequently confirmed that there was a public consultation as a part of the budget setting process.
Councillor Alaric Smith proposed that proposed that Council agree to the recommendation as listed on the report. This was seconded by Councillor Andy Graham, was put to the vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council.
Council Resolved to: 1. Note the report, and have regard to it when making its decisions about the Budget and Council Tax provisions for 2024/25. |
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Budget 2024/25 and Medium Term Financial Strategy Purpose To provide the proposed budget for 2024/25, whilst also considering approval for: 1) The draft base budgets for 2024/25 2) The Council’s Capital Programme for 2024/25 to 2032/33 3) The level of Council Tax for 2024/25 4) The Medium Term Financial Strategy 5) The Council’s Financial Strategies 6) Fees and Charges 7) The Council’s Pay Policy Statement
Recommendation The Executive resolved to recommend the following to Council for approval:
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report, which provided the proposed Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy for the Municipal Year 2024-2025. The Executive had recommended to Council the approval of the Budget proposals by Council at their last meeting. A copy of the Leader’s Speech is appended to the minutes of the meeting.
The Leader’s speech raised a point of clarity surrounding references made to ‘external funding’. This was confirmed by the Leader to have related to funding received by Council from both partnership working and funding received from Central Government.
Councillor Michele Mead, Leader of the Opposition, responded stating that the opposition could not support the budget proposals as a result of the details and forecasts provided and a predicted budget overspend. Councillor Mead referred to resident’s Council Tax being used to purchase a local shopping precinct, to contribute to the Publica transition programme, and on refurbishment & internal modernisation projects that were not necessary. Councillor Mead also highlighted that the administration was not committed to partnership working, and had previously dodged scrutiny by the Council for a recent of a new waste collection vehicle fleet.
Councillor Mead further highlighted that the residents of West Oxfordshire were set to pick up the bill for the spent money by an increase in Council Tax and an increase to the Garden Waste License, and that these increases would squeeze the budget of low-income households within the district.
Councillor Mead summed up stating that the administration had not learnt lessons from last year’s budget, and the same lines from twelve months ago were being repeated. Councillor Mead stated that the residents of West Oxfordshire deserved better.
In the wider budget debate, Members of the Executive thanked the Leader for their budget speech and said that they would support the budget. Executive Members individually stated that the Budget would provide great help and assistance to their individual portfolios, and would better support employment, the community, residents and the wider district more generally.
Executive Members stated that the proposed budget and projects completed within their own portfolio areas were brought as a result of the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Cost of Living crisis. Executive Members highlighted that the priorities and ambitions of the Council would be met because of the budget proposals, and individually thanked Officers from across the Council for their continued hard work.
Members referred to predicted budget overspends in the current and next financial years. Several Members alluded to the opposition not proposing budget amendments or any alternative budget proposals. Members also highlighted their surprise to not see any alternatives offered, adding that there was only one option to vote upon. Members also made references to the responses received from the Council’s budget consultation, stating that there were anomalies in the ‘scoring’ within responses submitted by residents, and that the anomalies helped to unbalance the budget overall.
Members stated that the opposition were looking to score political points by making references to ‘Pet Projects’ undertaken ... view the full minutes text for item CL.144 |
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Council Tax 2024/2025 Purpose To enable the Council to calculate and set the Council Tax for 2024/25.
Recommendation That Council passes the resolution set out in Annex A to the report. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, introduced the report, which enabled the Council to calculate and set Council Tax levels for the municipal year 2024-2025.
The Council was lawfully required to make resolutions in respect of the tax base (Schedules 1 and 2) and aggregate levels of Council Tax. The aggregate levels of Council Tax comprise the ‘basic amount’ – Parish and District levy (Schedules 1 and 2), amounts for each Council Tax band (Schedule 3) and precepts for Oxfordshire County Council and the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley (Schedule 4).
Councillor Alaric Smith proposed that Council agree to the resolution as set out in the report annex. This was seconded by Councillor Andy Graham. In accordance with legislation, a recorded vote on the proposition was taken and administered by Democratic Services, and the result was as follows:
FOR the proposition: J Aitman, A Al-Yousuf, L Arciszewska, A Beaney, M Brooker, A Coles, J Cooper, R Crouch, D Enright, A Goodwin, A Graham, D Jackson, L Leffman, D Levy, C Maynard, D Melvin, M Parkinson, R Pearson, E Poskitt, A Prosser, C Rylett, G Saul, S Simpson, A Smith, R Smith, H St. John, T Sumner and M Walker.
AGAINST the proposition: T Ashby, D Cooper, J Doughty, J Haine, N Leverton, M McBride, M Mead, L Nicholls, D Temple, L Walker, A Walsh, and A Wilson.
Abstentions: Nil.
There were 28 votes For, 12 Against, and 0 Abstentions, with 9 Members not in attendance. The vote was carried.
Council Resolved to: 1. Note that, for the purpose of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 Section 35(2), there are no special expenses for the District Council in 2024/25; 2. Note that at its meeting held on 17th January 2024, the Executive acknowledged the calculation of the Council Tax Base for 2024/25: a) For the whole Council area as £47,841.03 [item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “Act”)]; and b) For dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish Precept relates as in the attached Schedule 1. 3. Agree that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2024/25 (excluding Parish Precepts and Special Expenses) is £124.38; 4. Agree that the following amounts be calculated for the year 2024/25 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act: a) £53,370,154 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act, taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils and any additional special expenses. b) £42,341,615 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (3) of the Act. c) £11,028,539 being the amount by which the aggregate at 4(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 4(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year ... view the full minutes text for item CL.145 |
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Motions on Notice No motions were received by the deadline of 12.00pm on Monday 19 February 2024. Minutes: There were no Motions on Notice considered by Council at the meeting. |