Agenda item
Receipt of Announcements
To receive any announcements from The Chair, Leader, Members of the Executive, Head of Paid Service, Director of Finance or Director of Governance.
Minutes:
The Chair provided an overview of her civic commitments;
- The raffle and quiz which took place the previous week had been successful. The Chair thanked Members and Officers who attended and purchased tickets, highlighting that their contributions raised £1430. The Chair also thanked the Vice-Chair and his partner for producing the quiz questions.
- The Chair had visited the Branch Community Hub alongside the Chair of Oxfordshire County Council and the Mayor of Chipping Norton. The Chair encouraged other members to visit the Branch, which provided support for people in the community to overcome challenges and barriers.
- The visit to the Hanborough bus museum, referenced in the minutes of the previous meeting, had been cancelled.
- There was a sale of cakes, marmalades, jams and chutneys outside of the Council Chamber that day.
The Chair also wished Councillor Jane Doughty a happy birthday.
The Leader had no announcements.
Councillor Duncan Enright, the Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economic Development welcomed Hotter Shoes to Marriot’s Walk. The Deputy Leader explained that the Council was in the process of recruiting a new communications officer, who would be working on promoting Mariott’s Walk. The Deputy Leader also stated that the official opening of the Hexagon Business Centre, in the Council’s Elmfield site would take place the following day. A paper would be brought to the Executive to highlight the work undertaken to support businesses, highlighting the use of the UK shared prosperity fund.
Councillor Andrew Prosser, the Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, stated that the Council had been successful in securing a £2.3m grant to decarbonise Chipping Norton Leisure Centre. The Executive Member also stated that the Oxfordshire Climate Adaptation Strategy and Route Map had been launched, and that there were steps that everyone needed to take in order to improve resilience. More information would be coming forward on this at a future point.
Councillor Tim Sumner, The Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects, stated that he had attended the 50 year anniversary celebration of the Windrush leisure centre, which had provided a range of free family friendly activities. Councillor Sumner stated that the Council was proud of its leisure centres and that it provided a good service.
Councillor Hugo Ashton, the Executive Member for Planning, stated that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) draft charging schedule had been submitted for examination, and that following an eight-week public consultation, all feedback had been reviewed and minor amendments made. The next step was a hearing which would take place in the second half of May, followed by a report, likely in June. CIL would apply to smaller developments and would apply to applications that received permission after the date CIL was implemented. The Council had been successful in securing £228,000 of Government funding to assist with the plan making process.
The Chief Executive stated he was deeply saddened to report the sudden passing of Daisy Catterall. Daisy joined Publica as a Customer Service Advisor in January 2020 and then transferred to the Waste Contracts team in 2023. A service of remembrance was held for Daisy the previous day in Cirencester and was attended by over 400 family, friends, and colleagues. The Council held a moment of silence in her memory.
There were no further announcements.