Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 221 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 1NB. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services
Note: Due to technical difficulties this meeting isn't being live streamed but a recording of the meeting will be made available later.
Media
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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 Dan Levy, Liz Leffman, Lysette Nicholls, Mark Walker, Nick Leverton, Alaa Al-Yousuf, Colin Dingwall, Mark Johnson, David Cooper and Jane Doughty.
Councillor Adrian Walsh was absent from the meeting. |
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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. |
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Minutes of Previous Meeting To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Wednesday 28 February 2024. Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Liam Walker stated that although under the previous meeting minutes relating to the Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2024/2025 made correct reference to Rule 23.2, Part 5A of the Council’s Constitution, they had originally been advised during the meeting that he would be unable to speak on that agenda item, as a result of leaving the room during the debate. Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, proposed that the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Wednesday 28 February 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 28 February 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, welcomed all attendees to the meeting, and thanked members of the public for their attendance. The Chair advised that due to a technical difficulty experienced with the webcasting platform in the Council Chamber, the meeting would not be live streamed to the Council’s website. The Chair further advised that the meeting was being recorded and would subsequently be uploaded to the website at the earliest opportunity.
The Chair stated that all members had received an e-mail from the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive, in which clarification was given that the Chair's Fundraising Quiz would take place on Friday 17 May 2024. Members were reminded of their invitation to the quiz night, which would be in support of the Chair’s chosen charities.
The Chair paid tribute to the work of Reverend Canon Toby Wright, who would leave the West Oxfordshire district in pursuit of a role as Dean of Wells Cathedral. The Chair stated that Canon Wright had been a stalwart in his services to the district, and that they would leave West Oxfordshire with the wishes of the whole council, the district and its residents.
The Chair also paid tribute to the work of Janice Bamsey. Janice Bamsey was a member of the Council's Planning Policy team and would retire from the Council after 38 years’ service. The Chair gave an overview of Janice Bamsey’s career within the Council, and expressed gratitude for their work, stating it was only fitting that formal recognition of their work was given by Council and its Members. The Chair invited Janice Bamsey to the front of the Chamber where they were presented with a bouquet of flowers in recognition for their service. A photograph was taken of the Chair presenting Janice Bamsey with the flower bouquet, and the Chair wished them a very long and happy retirement.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, reminded all members of the importance of online training regarding cyber security. The Leader encouraged members to complete the online training if they had not already done so, adding that it was vital for all forms of ICT, not just for Councillor email accounts. The Leader reminded members to liaise with officers if they were experiencing any difficulties whilst undertaking the training.
Councillor Duncan Enright, Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive Member for Economic Development, gave an update regarding the West Oxfordshire Small Business Grant Scheme. The Deputy Leader stated that 41 applications had been received from different organisations around the local economy, with 36 applications successfully passing Counter Fraud checks thus far. The Deputy Leader further highlighted that all applicants had been invited to a session with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), with 34 successful applicants being awarded a grant of £5,000, to help further grow their businesses and employ further staffing resources.
Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Executive Member for the Environment, announced that on Thursday 21 March 2024 at 6.00pm in the Council Chamber, a session would be hosted ... view the full minutes text for item CL.150 |
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Participation of the Public There were no submissions for public participation received by Democratic Services before the deadline of 12.00pm on Monday 4 March 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. -- Q1. Councillor Liam Walker to Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council: Can you please update Council on the Motion passed for improving mobile signal in West Oxfordshire? Q2. Councillor Liam Walker to Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council: Can you please update Council as to the letter sent to the Cabinet Member for Highways and any further response received about junction safety improvements at Barnard Gate after the Motion to full Council was passed? Q3. Councillor Michele Mead to Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council: Can you tell us please how many bookings have been received for the hire of the newly refurbished Council Chamber? Q4. Councillor Alex Wilson to Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council: The Swift Brick Motion was brought to the Council months ago, and it was put the be scrutinised, however this has not gone to Scrutiny and has not returned to this chamber. Please could the Executive clarify why this has not gone further and if there are any other motions that have been brought to this Council and not actioned? 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 There are no recommendations to Council from the Executive. Minutes: There were no recommendations from the Executive to Council. |
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Polling District and Places Review Purpose: To update Members on the requirement to conduct a review of the Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places within West Oxfordshire, to put in hand the necessary initial steps, and to note the suggested timetable for the review.
Recommendations: That Council Resolves to: 1. Carry out the statutorily required review of the Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places within West Oxfordshire; 2. Agree that, in accordance with the statute, the Acting Returning Officer for the Parliamentary Constituency of Witney; be requested to submit his representations on the review, to include information as to the location of polling stations (both existing and proposed) within Polling Places (both existing and proposed); 3. Agree that the information in this report as to the processes and the timetable for the review be noted; and 4. Agree that consultation responses and representations be considered at the meeting of Council to be held 25 September 2024/or 27 November 2024. Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report, which updated members on the requirement to conduct a review of the Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places within West Oxfordshire, to put in hand the necessary initial steps, and note the suggested timetable for the review.
Councillor Andy Graham proposed that Council agree the recommendations as listed on the report. This was seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council.
Council Resolved to:
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Recommendations of the Constitution Working Group Purpose: To present recommendations from the Constitution Working Group arising from a meeting held on 13 February 2024.
Recommendations: That Council Resolves to:
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Mathew Parkinson, Chair of the Constitution Working Group, introduced the report, which presented recommendations from the Constitution Working Group arising from a meeting held on 13 February 2024.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, rose to propose an amendment to recommendation 1 as listed on the original report, whereby additional wording would be added to the resolution, to reflect an increase in the membership of the Constitution Working Group from 7 to 9 Members, owing to its extensive work programme, allowing the group to formulate draft recommendations to Council in relation to work of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. This was seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright, and agreed to by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Constitution Working Group
The Leader of the Council paid tribute to the work of the Constitution Work Group, highlighting both the importance of the group’s work, and the resolve to ensure that the Council’s constitution was as tidy as it possibly could be.
In debate, Members queried proposed amendments to Public Participation Rules to clarify the rules for speaking at Development Control Committee and Area Planning Sub-Committee meetings, and if there was a potential duplication in the routine order of business at ordinary meetings of Council. Officers confirmed that amendments were proposed from the rules as they were laid out, and that Chair’s of the Development Control and Area Planning Sub-Committees could exercise their discretion if and when appropriate. Officers further confirmed that Member Questions would come immediately after of Public Participation in the order of business at ordinary Council meetings.
Councillor Mathew Parkinson proposed that Council agree the recommendations as listed on the report, inclusive of the additional wording proposed by Councillor Andy Graham and seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright. This was seconded by Councillor Michele Mead, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council.
Council Resolved to:
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West Oxfordshire District Council is committed to supporting local farmers and food producers across our district. Britain has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and WODC should engage and work in partnership with our poultry, arable and livestock farmers, to ensure they can continue to enhance our countryside, and contribute to our nation's food security. Council Resolves to:
Minutes: Councillor Liam Walker introduced the motion, which sought the Council’s commitment to support local farmers and food producers across the West Oxfordshire district. The Motion also sought to promote the engagement and emphasise partnership working between poultry and arable and livestock farmers, to ensure they could continue to enhance the countryside and contribute to UK food security. Councillor Rosie Pearson rose to propose and introduce an amendment to the motion, which had been circulated in advance. The amendment sought to continue to engage and work in partnership with poultry, arable and livestock farmers, and with horticulturalists and agroecologists, to ensure they could continue to enhance the countryside, contribute to the nation's food security, protect and enhance biodiversity and improve soils. Councillor Pearson thanked Councillor Liam Walker for proposing the original Motion to Council, and for their work in bringing attention to the subject matter. Councillor Rosie Pearson further highlighted that the amendment would make the Motion stronger, helping to further enhance sustainable levels of food production, soil enrichment and overall carbon reduction, as well as increasing overall income for farmers. The amendment was not accepted by Councillor Liam Walker, who stated that they felt that the amendment negated the original motion. Councillor Walker also highlighted that the simplicity of the motion had been taken away by the amendment. Councillor Liam Walker sought clarity from the Director of Governance as to whether the amended motion negated the original motion by means of an additional resolution, and amendments to the original resolutions. The Director of Governance stated that in their view, the amended motion did not negate the original motion. In seconding the amended motion, Councillor Lidia Arciszewska highlighted that the amended motion would emphasise the existing partnership work was ongoing between local farmers, food producers and the Council. Councillor Arciszewska stated the importance of collaborative, partnership working with FarmED, the NorthEast Cotswold Farming Cluster, and Cotswold National Landscape. Councillor Arciszewska gave an overview of the work, which had taken place in conjunction with Oxfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency since the West Oxfordshire Alliance took office in 2022, highlighting that external and national pressures, such as the UK’s exit from the European Union, inflation and the energy crisis, were also within the reasons why an amendment to the motion was necessary, and urged members to support the amendment.
In the debate on the amended motion, members were keen to emphasise that the original motion as put, aimed to focus on local issues affecting West Oxfordshire rather than issues on a national scale. Members also stated that there seemed to be some confusion as to the point of the original motion, and highlighted that the original motion had been tabled to assist local farmers and their work.
Members also stated that there was a lack of evidence of the work undertaken to work constructively with farmers across the district, and that no reference to this had been made at any Executive or Cabinet meeting since the change of control within ... view the full minutes text for item CL.156 |
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Motion B: Local Authority Mental Health Challenge - Proposed by Councillor Alex Wilson, Seconded by Councillor Michele Mead One in four people experience a mental health problem of some kind each year. One in six report experiencing common mental health problems in any given week in England. To put this into context, on the last census in 2021 there was a population of 114,200 in West Oxfordshire, meaning that 19,033 people are going through this on a weekly basis. What is being done here and at County isn’t enough. We can play a crucial role in improving the mental health of every member of our community, and to tackle some of the widest and most entrenched inequalities in health, as well as the misconceptions that are applied with these. This administration and others must make this a priority across all local authority areas of responsibility, as the current level of support locally is not good enough for those who are in need. We ask the administration to appoint a Member as “Mental Health Champion” (MHC). The MHC will advocate for mental health issues in council meetings and policy development, will reach out to the local community to raise awareness of mental health issues and challenge stigma, and will listen to people with personal experience of mental health and get their perspective on local needs and priorities. The MHC will scrutinise areas that have an impact on people's mental health such as Housing needs, developments, and other areas, will look at fostering local partnerships between agencies to support people with mental health problems more effectively, and will identify at least one priority each year for focused work. The MHC will respond to occasional requests from the challenge coordinator for updates on activities undertaken in the role of member champion, and will have access to advice and support from the mental health challenge national partners, to resources on the challenge website, and an annual meeting with other member champions to share information, experience, and ideas. We also ask the Council to Identify an existing officer to function as lead officer for mental health. The officer would:
The lead officer will also have access to the benefits described above for member champion, will support positive mental health in all areas of our community, work with local partners to offer effective support for people with mental health needs, tackle discrimination on the grounds of mental health in our local community, and proactively listen to people of all ages and backgrounds about their needs for better mental health. Council Resolves to request the Leader of the Council to: 1. Sign the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge; 2. Appoint a member as “Mental Health Champion” (MHC); 3. Identify an existing officer to ... view the full agenda text for item CL.157 Minutes: Councillor Alex Wilson introduced the motion, which sought to highlight challenges that people experience with mental health and challenge the Council and Oxfordshire County Council to do more to tackle the stigma attached to challenges people across the district and county faced regarding mental health. Councillor Wilson further highlighted the importance of ensuring that the challenges faced by those suffering from mental health stigmas was better, more widely understood, adding that the appointment of a Council ‘Mental Health Champion’ (MHC) would be pivotal in providing such support. In debate, members stated the importance of the work a MHC would provide to both Council and residents of the district. Members also alluded to external training, including mental health first aid training, that had been received on the matter, highlighting the connection between a greater understanding of mental health challenges and member casework. Members also made reference to challenges faced by themselves in the past, highlighting the importance of the motion and how much it was welcomed. Members also referred to ongoing work surrounding mental health, including the work of a Youth Needs Assessment which highlighted challenges faced amongst younger people in the community. Members also stated the importance of remembering that it was not always clear what individuals went through, and that the motion would help to lead to a better understanding. Members also cited the importance of the work of the Council’s Community Wellbeing Team, and highlighted the ongoing importance of their work in relation to tackling mental health challenges in the district, would link brilliantly to the work and awareness generated by a Member MHC. Members also referred to potential, future work of championing resolutions and addressing mental health challenges, whereby Group Leaders would discuss the issue in more detail at a later date, adding resilience and strength to tacking mental health problems head on. Members also referred to challenges faced as a result of professional endeavours outside of the Council, stating that challenges faced by individuals would only grow if action was not taken to highlight the issues at hand. In seconding the motion, Councillor Michele Mead welcomed the unanimous support for the motion and that it was warming to hear the keenness of members to help to highlight the challenges faced surrounding mental health. Councillor Mead also stated her gratitude to members for coming together in a united fashion to support the motion, and that politics had no part to play in addressing the subject matter. Councillor Alex Wilson thanked members for their overall contributions and for their understanding as to the importance of the motion, and supporting those affected by the subject matter. Councillor Alex Wilson proposed that the motion as set out on the agenda paper, be adopted by Council. This was seconded by Councillor Michele Mead, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council. Council Resolved to pass the following Motion: One in four people experience a mental health problem of some kind each year. One in six report experiencing common ... view the full minutes text for item CL.157 |