NOTE: For items 6 and 14 combined, the Constitution sets a time limit of 45 minutes.  If there is insufficient time to take all of the addresses and questions, the Constitution says that a written response will be given.

Five minutes is allowed for each address, three minutes for each question and three minutes for each response.

The text of addresses and questions submitted by the deadline, and written responses where available, are attached.

Addresses

1.    Richard Carpenter, Club Secretary, Oxford City Stars Ice Hockey Club (text attached)

2.    Nigel Gibson representing Save Temple Cowley Pools  - A successful social enterprise in East Oxford (text attached)

3.    Jane Alexander  - The Community Interest Company Bid Proposal offers BEST VALUE TO OXFORD PEOPLE!  (text attached)

Questions

4.    Question to the Leader of the Council (Councillor Bob Price) from Sistke Boeles

5.    Question to the Leader of the Council (Councillor Bob Price) from James Rowland

Responses will be given at the meeting.

Public addresses and questions to the Leader or other Board member received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.10 and 11.11.

The full text of any address or question must be received by the Head of Law and Governance by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 25 November 2014.

Full details of addresses submitted by the deadline will be provided in the briefing note. Full details of questions submitted by the deadline, and written responses where available, will be provided in the briefing note.

Richard Carpenter, Club Secretary, Oxford City Stars Ice Hockey Club, addressed Council. The text of his address is attached to the minutes.

Nigel Gibson representing Save Temple Cowley Pools - A successful social enterprise in East Oxford, addressed Council. The text of his address is attached to the minutes.

Jane Alexander addressed Council. The text of her address (The Community Interest Company Bid Proposal offers best value to Oxford people) is attached to the minutes.

Councillor Rowley responded to Nigel Gibson and Jane Alexander. He assured members that all of the applications for the Temple Cowley Pools site had been impartially assessed by council officers and external consultants on the same basis to secure best value on quality and price for the people of Oxford. He wanted the commercial and community interest company submission to be assessed on a par with the commercial submissions without its suffering avoidable by comparison due to lack of preparation. To further this goal officers provided additional support to the group and extended the deadline for the community interest company submission beyond the six months provided in law and the group is invited to put their case to the Executive Board to make sure the decision made is based on the fullest possible information and appreciation of all the bids that will be before us.

Sistke Boeles submitted a question to the Leader of the Council but did not attend to ask this.

James Rowland submitted a question to the Leader of the Council but did not attend to ask this.

The text of the questions and written responses supplied after the meeting is attached to the minutes.

NOTE: For items 6 and 14 combined, the Constitution sets a time limit of 45 minutes.  If there is insufficient time to take all of the addresses and questions, the Constitution says that a written response will be given.

1.    Question to the Leader of the Council (Councillor Bob Price) from Andrew McKay: Carfax by-election

2.    Question to the Leader of the Council (Councillor Bob Price) from Sietske Boeles: Oxford Core Strategy

There are no requests to address the Council.

Public addresses and questions received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.10 and 11.11. The full text of any address or question must be received by 5.00pm on Tuesday 23^rd September 2014.

Full details of the addresses and questions submitted by the deadline will be provided separately prior to the meeting.

(1)     Andrew McKay attended and asked a question of the Leader of the Council about the Carfax by-election.

Councillor Bob Price provided a written response.

Question

The recent Carfax by-election was held at a time when the vast majority of the ward's electorate were not in residence. This is because the Carfax ward is dominated by a student population who are absent from Oxford during the summer. Registered voters in this ward who are students have complained that the by-election's timing meant they were unaware it was even being held. Given this and the by-election's historically low turnout, does the Council accept that this election failed effectively to capture the democratic will of the citizens of Carfax ward?

Written Response

Once the request for a poll is received from the requisite number of electors, who can be from any party or no party at all, the Returning Officer has no discretion in the timing of a by-election. It is of course impossible to know what the outcome of the by-election would have been if held at another time, and therefore not possible to tell whether the democratic will of the electorate that was expressed clearly on September 4th would have been the same if held later or earlier.

(2)     Siestke Boeles attended and asked a question of the Leader of the Council about the Oxford Core Strategy.

Councillor Bob Price provided a written response:

Question

Does the Leader of the Council agree with South Oxford(shire) District Council that the Oxford Core Strategy is out of date as is it has no regard for the Duty to Cooperate as set out in the Localism Act?

Written response

The Core Strategy is not out of date.  The Localism Act and National Planning Policy Framework establish criteria against which a Local Plan is tested for soundness. Our 20 year strategy has been re-assessed against these criteria and we have concluded that the Core Strategy that was adopted in 2011 after an independent public inquiry is fully compliant with national legislation and guidance.

The City Council undertook a considerable amount of engagement with its local authority neighbours and other stakeholders while the Core Strategy was being prepared. This amounted to the same process now being termed as the duty to cooperate by the Localism Act.  This engagement with, in particular SODC, involved considerable dialogue about the need for support from other districts in meeting that part of Oxford’s considerable housing need, which could not be accommodated with the City’s administrative area. This led to the Central Oxfordshire chapter of the SE Regional Plan, that was adopted by the Secretary of State of the day, including a policy for a Strategic Development Area for 4,000 houses on land South of Grenoble Road.  This was then picked up through in a specific section of the draft Core Strategy enabling such an urban extension to be integrated into the fabric of the City.