The Head of Corporate Strategy has submitted a report to seek support for Oxfordshire County Council’s proposed income and costs sharing agreement in relation to the Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) Pilot Scheme.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.        Endorse the proposed legal agreement on income and costs sharing with Oxfordshire County Council with regards to the revenue that is being generated by the ZEZ Pilot, in the terms that are laid out in this report and in Appendix 1; and

2.        Delegate authority to the Executive Director (Development), in consultation with the Head of Financial Services, the Head of Corporate Strategy and the Head of Law and Governance, to enter into the legal agreement proposed by the County Council (as set out at Appendix 1) on behalf of the Council.

The Head of Corporate Strategy had submitted a report which set out Oxfordshire County Council’s proposed income and costs sharing agreement with the City Council in relation to the Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) Pilot Scheme.

Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice, highlighted that the ZEZ pilot had been in place since February 2022, with the objectives of improving air quality and increasing the use of electric vehicles in the city centre.  Both of these objectives had been met.

In response to questions, officers confirmed that the financial implications arising from the report had been factored into the Medium Term Financial Strategy; the agreement would cover the pilot only (and not the extended ZEZ scheme) and that the income was ringfenced to meet costs associated with transport.  However, the latter could include the park and rides, support to bus services or cycling infrastructure.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.        Endorse the proposed legal agreement on income and costs sharing with Oxfordshire County Council with regards to the revenue that is being generated by the ZEZ Pilot in the terms that are laid out in the report and in Appendix 1; and

2.        Delegate authority to the Executive Director (Development) in consultation with the Head of Financial Services, the Head of Corporate Strategy and the Head of Law and Governance to enter into the legal agreement proposed by the County Council (as set out at Appendix 1) on behalf of the City Council.