Agenda and minutes
PDF 63 KBVenue: Council Chamber
Contact: Democratic Services
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Minutes of Previous Meeting To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 November 2022. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 16 November 2022 were approved by the Cabinet and signed by the Leader, Councillor Andy Graham.
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: There were no apologies for absence.
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations from Members of Cabinet on any items to be considered at the meeting Minutes: There were no declarations of interest received. |
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Participation of the Public Members of the public may ask a question at a meeting of Cabinet for up to three minutes on any item of business for decision at the meeting or on any issue that affects the district or its people. Members of the public wishing to speak at a Cabinet meeting must notify [email protected], including their name and the agenda item or topic they wish to speak on, by 2.00pm two clear working days before the meeting (e.g. for a Wednesday meeting, the deadline would be 2.00pm on the Friday before). If the topic of the question is not within the remit of the Council, advice will be provided on where best to direct the question. The relevant Cabinet Member will either respond verbally at the meeting or provide a written response which will be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Minutes: No public were present. |
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Receipt of Announcements To receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council or Members of the Cabinet.
Minutes: Councillor Graham, Leader of the Council, announced that the next Cabinet meeting would be on 11 January at the Community Hall in Woodstock starting at 3pm due to a prior booking of the Hall. The Leader congratulated the Communications Team on winning two Common Place Awards which acknowledged excellence within the team. Councillor Duncan Enright (Deputy Leader) reported that the inflatable snow globe had been deployed around the towns in support of community events and thanked officers who had assisted with this. He also mentioned the ‘What’s On in West Oxfordshire’ web page which was promoting a number of free or low cost activities within the District.
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Financial Performance Report 2022/23 Quarter Two Purpose: To review Financial Performance Report 2022/23 Quarter Two
Recommendations:
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, presented the report which reviewed the Council Financial Performance for 2022-23 Quarter Two (Q2) and sought agreement to delegate authority to approve further funds from the New Initiatives Fund.
Councillor Levy reported that there had been predictable overspend in a few areas and loss of income in some fee generating services. Officers were looking to get these back on track where possible.
Cabinet had been progressing a variety of new priority projects under the New Initiatives Fund. Some £750,000 had already been allocated. Cabinet was recommended to approve the allocations and to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Cabinet members, to approve further allocations.
In answer to a question from Councillor St John, Councillor Arciszewska (Cabinet Member for Environment) said she would provide further information about the deployment of the new electric road sweepers.
The Cabinet Resolved to: a) note the Financial Performance for Quarter two, b) approve the allocations for the New Initiatives Fund, and c) delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Finance and, where relevant to portfolios, other Cabinet Members, to approve further allocations from the New Initiatives Fund.
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Service Performance Report Quarter Two Purpose: This report provides details of the Council’s operational performance at the end of 2022-23 Quarter Two (Q2)
Recommendation: That the 2022/23 Q2 service performance be noted Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, presented the report which set out details of the Council’s operational performance at the end of 2022-23 Quarter Two (Q2). He said that performance was excellent in some areas but less good in others. Inflation and other pressures would put more pressure on services in coming months.
The Cabinet Resolved to note the 2022/23 Q2 service performance.
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Update of 2023/24 Budget Purpose: To provide an update on the developing budget for 2023/24
Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to note the report alongside comments any comments from Finance and Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, presented the report on the developing budget for 2023/24. He said that all local authorities are under increasing pressure and thanked the Finance team for their work on putting the draft budget together. He said that the budget made sober reading with some income falling below expected levels and ever increasing upward pressure on salaries and utility costs. The budget would be further refined once the Government settlement had been received on 21 December. The Leader asked for clarity about the summary of growth requests. Councillor Levy explained that a number of the posts were time limited or grant funded. These were now being reviewed to see whether they should become part of the core budget.
There was discussion around the additional £250,000 for the Local Plan. It was confirmed that this was in addition to the £650,000 in the budget. The Chief Executive confirmed that some of the work on the Oxfordshire 2050 Plan could be used to support the Local Plan but some additional work would be needed. The Planning Policy Manager was currently working to establish a breakdown of costs.
Councillor Al-Yousuf reported on the concerns that had been raised by Finance and Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee (FMOS) and suggested that a more sustainable path needed to be found for future years. The Leader responded that the budget setting process would follow its usual course with Cabinet taking measured decisions. The Chief Finance Officer confirmed that long term measures would need to be introduced in the 2023/24 to secure a sustainable future.
The Cabinet Resolved to note the report.
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Counter Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy Purpose: To present Cabinet with an updated Counter Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy for approval. The Policy has been reviewed to ensure the content reflects current legislation and the Council’s Policies and Procedures. The Policy will replace the existing Counter Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy.
Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to: a) Approve and adopt the Policy attached to this report and; b) Authorise the Deputy Chief Executive to approve future minor amendments to the Policy in consultation with the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit, Legal Services and the Leader of the Council. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, presented the updated Counter Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy. The Policy had been reviewed to ensure the content reflected current legislation and the Council’s Policies and Procedures. The Policy would replace the existing Counter Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy. Councillor Mead thanked the Head of Service for marking up the changes.
The Cabinet Resolved to: a) Approve and adopt the Policy attached and; b) Authorise the Deputy Chief Executive to approve future minor amendments to the Policy in consultation with the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit, Legal Services and the Leader of the Council.
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Pan-regional partnership for the Oxford to Cambridge Area Purpose: To consider whether the Council should be a participant in the proposed pan-regional partnership for the Oxford to Cambridge area.
Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to: a) Recommend to Council that West Oxfordshire be a participant in the proposed pan-regional partnership for the Oxfords to Cambridge area b) Approve a contribution of £4,000 towards the pan-regional partnership. Minutes: Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report about the new pan-regional partnership for the Oxford to Cambridge area. The partnership would bring together twenty local partners and would provide a vehicle to take forward shared economic and environmental ambitions. There would be a small contribution from each of the partners of £4,000 which would help unlock the second £250,000 tranche of Government funding.
In answer to a question about how long the partnership might last, the Chief Executive said that he thought it would have a long life and that the financial contribution required would remain modest. It would provide an excellent opportunity to advocate the Council’s position across a bigger, strategic area. Councillor Enright commented on the ability of both the Partnership and the England’s Economic Heartland to bring benefits to the area particularly with east/west rail and economic developments in Swindon, Bristol and Bath.
The Cabinet Resolved to: a) Recommend to Council that West Oxfordshire be a participant in the proposed pan-regional partnership for the Oxford to Cambridge area b) Approve a contribution of £4,000 towards the pan-regional partnership.
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Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021 - 2022 Purpose: To consider the West Oxfordshire Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) for 2021/22.
Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to: a) Note the content of the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) attached at Annex A with a view to it being published on the Council’s website by 31 December 2022 in accordance with legislative requirements.
Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Carl Rylett, Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainable Development, introduced the item on the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) for 2021/22. He noted that the statement set out details of contributions and spending priorities and had to be published each year.
Councillor St John raised a number of questions about the some of the figures which related to planning consents granted many years ago and asked about the £5.4m received through planning obligations which had not been allocated. He also asked why the review of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) had dropped off the Cabinet Work Programme.
Councillor Rylett explained that S106 money was received when a scheme was completed rather than when planning approval was given. He said that it had been agreed in May that the CIL review should be taken forward but there had been delays and officers were now considering whether to progress the review as planned or whether to dovetail it into the Local Plan. He said that the Cabinet recognised that the CIL Schedule needed to progress and agreed that it should be restored to the Cabinet Work Plan.
That Cabinet Resolved to: a) Note the content of the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) with a view to it being published on the Council’s website by 31 December 2022 in accordance with legislative requirements. b) To reinstate Community Infrastructure Levy as an item on the Cabinet Work Programme.
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Pavement License Fee Reimbursement Purpose: To consider the proposal to reimburse licence fees in respect of Pavement Licences
Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to: a) Approve the reimbursement of the pavement licence application fee to those eligible businesses; and, b) Approve the setting up of a process for an internal adjustment of funds for future applications rather than continuing to take payment and then reimburse; and, c) Approve the payments for reimbursement from the Cabinet Priorities Fund Minutes: Councillor Duncan Enright (Deputy Leader and Economic Development) introduced this item which set out the proposal to reimburse licence fees in respect of Pavement Licences. Councillor Enright said that it was important to help local businesses and that street trading added to the vibrancy of the towns and villages of West Oxfordshire. Those businesses which had paid fees would be reimbursed while there would be no charge for new applicants.
In answer to a question, Councillor Enright confirmed that there would still be a number of regulatory procedures that had to be followed such as food safety and keeping pavements clear, but the process of application would be easier. Councillor Enright thanked the Licensing Team for the help they had given in taking the proposals forward.
The Cabinet Resolved to: a) Approve the reimbursement of the pavement licence application fee to those eligible businesses, b) Approve the setting up of a process for an internal adjustment of funds for future applications rather than continuing to take payment and then reimburse, and c) Approve the payments for reimbursement from the Cabinet Priorities Fund.
The Leader wished all councillors a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. |