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Agenda and draft minutes

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday, 16th April, 2025 5.30 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 1NB. View directions

Media

Items
No. Item

116.

Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments

To receive any apologies for absence and temporary appointments.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Thomas Ashby and Stuart McCarroll.

 

Councillors Liz Leffman and Adam Clements left at 19:08 and did not discuss the work plan.

 

117.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations from Members of the Committee on any items to be considered at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

118.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 76 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2025.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolutions in several of the items stated “The Committee noted the report and did not agree any recommendations to the Executive”. It was proposed that “and did not agree any recommendations to the Executive” be removed as it implied the Committee disagreed.

 

The minutes as amended were proposed by Councillor Mark Walker and seconded by Councillor Natalie King. These were voted on and approved unanimously.

 

Resolved: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March as an accurate record of that meeting.

119.

Report back on recommendations

For the Committee to note the Cabinet’s response to any recommendations arising from the previous Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no recommendations to the Executive arising from the previous Committee meeting.

120.

Chair's announcements

To receive any announcements from the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair stated that aside from the additional meeting on 13 May it was the Committee’s last scheduled meeting and thanked all Members for their work.

 

The Chair stated that at the previous meeting of the Committee, the start time of the additional meeting wasleft to be agreed and proposed a 4:30pm start time for this meeting.

 

The Committee resolved to agree to the 4:30pm start time.

 

The Chair reminded members that the Council was in a pre-election period ahead of the Oxfordshire County Council elections and that members should refrain from making reference to political campaigns.

121.

Participation of the Public

To receive any submissions from members of the public, in accordance with the Council’s Rules of Procedure, anyone who lives in the district or who pays council tax or business rates to the Council is eligible to read a statement or express an opinion at this meeting.  You can register to speak by sending your written submission of no more than 750 words to [email protected] by no later than 10.00am on the working day before the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There was no participation of the public.

122.

The Nature Recovery Plan pdf icon PDF 111 KB

Purpose

To update on the delivery of the Nature Recovery Plan

 

Recommendation      

That Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolves to:

1.            Note and report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to submit to the Executive

 

Additional documents:

123.

Community Safety Partnership pdf icon PDF 590 KB

Purpose          

To note the activities of the West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership during 2024/2025 and the latest insights around crime and the fear of crime in West Oxfordshire and the county as a whole. 

 

Recommendation      

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolves to:

1.         Note the report

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Geoff Saul, the Executive Member for Housing and Social Care, introduced the item. The Executive Member stated that West Oxfordshire had one of the lowest crime rates in the Country but that there had been a recent increase in rural crime. The Executive Member highlighted the work of the rural crime project in addressing this, which was a joint project across West Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

 

In discussion, the following points were raised;

  • A Member briefing would be held with the Chief Constable on 5 June. The Community Wellbeing Manager encouraged all members to attend this briefing, and pose their questions to the Chief Constable directly.
  • Drug offences were discussed, which were not broken down by the type of substance. One member raised a perceived police inaction over cannabis use in Housing Association properties and the need for Housing Associations to be informed if rules were breached. The Officer stated that they would take this away to request details.
  • Concerns were raised over the fact that the peak age group for victims of sex offences was 11-14, and that the peak age for suspects of many types of crime was 18-21. Members asked whether more engagement with schools was needed over this, and suggested councillors who are also teachers could help support outreach activities. The Community Wellbeing Manager also stated that a Youth Development Officer was now in post and that they could work on this area.
  • Awareness Campaigns such as Ask for Angela were still in place but relied on constant communication due to the high turnover of staff in sectors such as hospitality.
  • Concerns were raised over the 65% increase in common assault.
  • The work of Police Community Support Officers was valuable but there were insufficient personnel.

 

Resolved: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the report.

124.

Review of the Overview and Scrutiny Function pdf icon PDF 287 KB

Purpose

To present the findings of a self-assessment survey carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the transition from a structure of three overview and scrutiny committees to a single Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Recommendation      

That Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolves to:

1.         Note the report and consider any additional improvements not mentioned in the report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the item was present the findings of a self-assessment survey carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the transition from a structure of three overview and scrutiny committees to a single Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer introduced the report and explained that in November 2023, Full Council resolved to change the structure of the three overview and scrutiny committees, replacing them with a single 24 seat Committee. The report presented the results of the survey, highlightingthat the change had been considered to be successful overall, and recommended a reduction of the Committee’s size and a greater use of Task and Finish groups.

In discussion, the following points were raised;

·         The reduction in the Committee’s size, as recommended to Full Council by the Constitution Working Group (CWG) was discussed. Members who were not part of the CWG wished to know more details about why a reduction had been recommended and how the Working Groups would function in practice. Members on the Committee who were also on the CWG explained that the rationale behind reducing the Committee was because meetings were often poorly attended, and the large size created difficulties finding substitute members. Members on the CWG had felt that the use of task and finish groups would enable members who were not on the Committee to input but ensure that discussion on the main Committee remained focused. In response to requests from Members to do so, the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services explained that this could be highlighted within the Full Council report.

·         It was suggested that Overview and Scrutiny training be open to all members.

·         It was suggested that a 16-member committee may be more mathematically simple.

·         Changes to the Committee’s size were constitutional matters and therefore required a recommendation to the Council by the Constitution Working Group, whereas improvements such as training and working group formation were within the Committee’s remit.

Resolved: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the planned improvements to the overview and scrutiny function.

125.

Committee Work Programme pdf icon PDF 71 KB

Purpose:

To formulate a provisional work programme for 2025/26, having regard to the TOPIC criteria and the suggestions put forward by officers and members.

 

Recommendation:

That the Committee resolves to:

1.   Agree the provisional work programme for 2025/26.

2.   Agree the inclusion of any additional suggestions into the work programme.

3.   Note the suggested Task and Finish reviews for 2025/26.

4.   Note the provisional programme of member briefings and suggest any further briefing topics.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the item was to agree a provisional work programme for the 2025–26 year, which would be reviewed and handed over to the new committee post-Annual Council.

 

The Head of Democratic and Electoral Services introduced the work plan and highlighted the items that officers had indicatively allocated to the work plan, and the three Task and Finish Groups proposed by the Council’s management team. Members were invited to review these and make any suggestions for additional topics, with reference to the “TOPIC” (Timely, Organisational Priority, Public Interest, Influence, Cost) criteria.

 

Members discussed the report and work programme, raising the following points;

  • There were several suggestions for scrutiny that could also be Task and Finish Groups, such as Local Area Energy and the Youth Needs Assessment. Mental Health was also proposed as a topic, and it was suggested that members of the task and finish group undergo specific training on this topic to accompany this.
  • Upon understanding how Task and Finish Groups would work, members felt less concerned about the proposed reduction in the size of the Committee.
  • The briefing on 8 May clashed with VE day celebrations.
  • The Local Government Reorganisation briefing topic may need to come to the Committee on a subsequent occasion as well, depending on developments.
  • It was asked how members who were not part of the Committee could take part in the meetings, the Head of Electoral and Democratic Services explained that they could do so through substituting for those who had sent apologies. They could also attend as an observer and take part at the discretion of the Chair.
  • The call-in mechanism was open to any member of the Committee to pursue if they wished, and not a power only available to the Chair.

 

Resolved: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and work programme, which would be updated to reflect the Committee’s input.

 

126.

Executive Work Programme pdf icon PDF 160 KB

Purpose:

To give the Committee the opportunity to comment on the Executive Work Programme.

 

Recommendation:

That the Committee agrees which items on the Executive Work Programme should be subject to pre-decision scrutiny and the priority order of those items.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Executive Work Programme was not discussed.

 

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